Evening hyperactivity and aggression

[CherylBarnett]

I have a 5-month-old Shorkie who is a challenge.  Each evening, starting between 6p.m. and 9 p.m., he starts acting very active and aggressive.  He can't seem to find enough things to do to get in trouble, i.e., grabbing the remote and running away with it, barking incessantly, crawling under the couch and chewing holes through the bottom fabric and climbing inside the couch, jumping, nipping at my heels and actually biting my ankles, hiding from me when I attempt to put on his leash to take him outside before bedtime, etc.  Is this behavior normal for a puppy?  I've had puppies before and have never had one that is this strong-willed and "naughty".  I love my dog, but my patience is growing short.  Help!

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

This sounds like a case of zoomies, technically known as frenetic random activity periods. They are very common in puppies especially in the evenings after their meal. These moments of hyper behaviors are simply evoked by the presence of excess of energy occurring in certain contexts.

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."

If this happens predictably every evening you can try de-escalating them by offering alternate activities to burn off some steam. For instance, you can:

-Rush towards the door and into the yard, if you have a safely fenced one, enticing your dog to follow you so that he can burn off some steam in a fenced yard. With a spacious yard, your dog has more room to stretch his legs and less risk of getting injured or knocking down items or chewing things he shouldn't. Once outside, encourage your dog to sniff or engage in other calm activities like doing a treasure hunt, playing the ball pit game or digging his toys out of a sand box made just for him. 

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

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

-Try redirecting your pup's energy to a less rowdy activity such as a game of tug using a long tug toy or playing with  a flirt pole. Make sure your dog knows how to drop:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

-Schedule a training session or keep your dog's mind stimulated with brain games or fill some interactive food-dispensing toys with treats.

-Walk your pup in the evening right after meals if you do not have a  safely fence yard. 

-Skip the food bowl in the evening and instead start feeding your dog's meal portion through feed dispensing toys like Kong Wobblers or Buster Cubes. You can also do a treasure hunt with his kibble in the house or make him work for his kibble by asking for sits, hand targets, downs and tossing one kibble to reinforce each behavior. The rest of the kibble can be used for a muffin game or bottle game:

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

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/

-If you have any friends with social pups, you can organize evening play dates. 

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

The grabbing the remote and running away or hiding from you when you need to take him out in the evening sounds like he's playing and wants you to catch him. Don't fall into the trap of chasing him around in the keep away game. . Here is more about how to work on this: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/stealing-things/

I would create a new routine of giving a small tasty treat (or his kibble if he loves it)  for having the leash put on every chance you have during the day. This with time, should create positive associations with being leashed so that he voluntarily will come to you to have it put on. 

I hope this helps, 

Keep me posted on how things go and I am here in case we need to do more troubleshooting. 

Best,

Adrienne