Evening misbehavior

[LindaWig]

Hi! I have a 6-month-old Goldendoodle who is basically a sweet, affectionate dog, minus a bad barking habit. I am her sole owner. I give her two 2-mile walks each day, about as much as I have time for. After her second walk she eats dinner and is somewhat relaxed for about 30-40 minutes. After my dinner I really crave some quiet time, but Maggie revs up to the point where she’s out of control. If I sit down, she begins to nip, bark, etc. I often play with her for several minutes but nothing calms her down. When I give up and get ready for bed waaaaay too early, that seems to signal to her that she can relax. What suggestions does anyone have to help calm this wild puppy after dinner? Thanks.

Linda Wiggins

[JMFS]

First off, kudos on fitting two 2-mile walks into the day! That's great and will go far in the bonding process. Are you playing with her after she nips and barks, etc . . .? If so, she's getting what she wants, the little devil. :D If she's got a burst of energy during your relax time then interacting with her is going to reinforce that behavior.

 

Does she have a chew toy or other interactive toy to occupy her when you want quiet time? Since it's kind of before bed time, and you probably don't want to have to take her for a potty break in the middle of the night, you might try filling a Kong with peanut butter and then freezing it so it's ready to go when little missy wants to play. She'll be working on the Kong while you get to take a breath, and stay up a bit later. ;)

 

She might be needing some mental exercise and the Kong will help with that as well as entice her to lick, which is an activity that soothes pooches. Gertie Loves the "Find It" game. It goes pretty quick now that she's a pro, but after a few rounds she settles a bit and then I give her a Kong or her Orbee Tuff Snoop and she'll work on that until she conks out. The "Find It' games encourages them to use their sniffer (do nose work) to find treats you've hidden. It starts out simple at first so they get the idea, then you can make it tougher and tougher. I put Zuke's Minis on the door handles, under furniture, between boxes, etc . . . to give Gertie an extra workout. Adrienne has a link to that game in the main training section.

 

I also play "Three Cup Monte" (only I don't cheat) by putting a treat under a yogurt cup (recycle, reuse!) and then I have two other yogurt cups that are empty. She has to find the cup with the treat. When learning the game all the cups had a treat and we eventually got it down to only one.

 

We also work with a flirt pole to train "leave" and "drop," though I haven't done that one in a while. I need to work on it again. If you search the forums for "flirt pole" there are quite a few posts regarding puppies biting, nipping, etc . . ..

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Linda Wig,

Welcome to the forum!

You are likely describing a case of post-prandial zoomies. Technically known as "Frenetic Random Activity Periods" (FRAP), or more informally, "puppy crazies," dog zoomies are simply periods of high activity. These moments of hyper behaviors are simply evoked by the presence of excess of energy occurring in certain contexts. Cases of zoomies are particularly popular among puppies and young dogs; however, you can briefly see them happen even in the oldsters every now and then.

 

Typically, dogs with a serious case of zoomies will develop a crazy, play-face look as they perform a play bow with the tail wagging wildly side-by-side. Next, they take off zipping up and down hallways with a hunched-up posture, dashing around tables and bouncing off couches. New puppy owners sometimes describe them as episodes where their puppies appear to be "possessed by the devil." No joke!

 

Zoomies are particularly popular in certain contexts. There are cases of dogs getting the zoomies after a bath or dogs getting the zoomies after pooping. Zoomies though can also be seen after meals, in particular after dinner. When you own multiple dogs, often dogs with the zoomies play with other dogs with the zoomies (zoomies are contagious) and they drain excess energy this way, but it sounds like your dog is trying to entice you to play and be her playmate. Her nipping and barking at you is likely her way of saying "hey, you, get off the couch and come play with me." Many dogs experience this peak of energy in the evenings.

 

Jennifer has offered some great ideas on how to provide a mental workout in that busy teenager (or close to be teenager) brain. Here's a read about doggy adolescence. Many dog owners wonder what happened to their pups as they approach this testing phase. Here's some info about it:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

Here are links to some of the games mentioned:

Treasure hunt game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

The shell game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/college/the-shell-game/

Other helpful games:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/jazz-up-and-settle-down/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/

 

-Also, nosework is known for tiring dogs. You can place some food in one or two small boxes placed among several other empty boxes and let her "search." I let Einstein destroy the boxes because we accumulate many when getting things shipped and when he breaks them it's easier to place them in the trash bin. He knows he can break boxes only when told to so (we put the behavior on cue) so he normally leaves other boxes around the home alone. However, you can skip the box destruction option (best if you ever decide to formally compete in nosework) and just have her signal to you and you open the box, or you can just keep the food in an open box surrounded by other open boxes without food.

 

Whichever activity you decide to try, make sure you offer it before she starts the barking/nipping behavior/ zoomies or when she is calm. If you decide to do any of the activities when she is already barking or nipping at you, she may come to believe that her barking/nipping has evoked the activity, so next day, she'll start barking and nipping until you offer the activity.

 

Other ideas that come to mind:

-Invite your dog to burn off some steam in the yard.

-Walk your dog in the evening right after meals if feasible.

-Consider crankiness. Sometimes puppies get cranky and start acting out when they are very tired. If your puppy receives enough exercise and mental stimulation, it could be your pup just needs to learn how to settle down and nap. After a few minutes of brain games or play time, you can try providing a quiet spot and a quiet activity (such as gnawing on a safe chew toy that you provide only at this time of the day) until your pup falls soundly asleep.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

Momo is full of zoomies and he's 8 (I may or may not have fully encouraged that hyperactivity when he was a puppy). :D Momo demonstrating zoomies (limited space so he's slower than usual):

[LindaWig]

Jennifer and Adrienne,

These are great suggestions. I’m glad to know I don’t have the monster puppy of all time, just an ordinary active baby!!

I’ve put a few of these to work, and Maggie seems to be calmer and a little better behaved after dinner. Thanks!

As the only owner of a puppy, I have other issues with Maggie that I’ll ask for some advice on. I really appreciate your help with this.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Great to hear you are seeing already some changes, keep up the great work!