Evening zoomies

Hi @Gabyn, cuddles are out of the question at that point, he "bites". Or at least he nips, because he's clearly understood that he shouldn't clamp his jaws down on our poor little defenceless arms. He's always had his "mad half-hour" in the evening, but it used to be funny to watch and he’d calm down on his own. Now though, you can see a moment where the over-excitement just takes over. He gives this "nasty" growl, and goes for everything—his toys, his paw, his tail—and it ends with him having a wee in the middle of the living room, which doesn't necessarily calm him down anyway... even though he's house-trained the rest of the time. And it's getting harder and harder (I'm repeating myself, sorry) to stop his play before it all gets out of hand. @Yoyolut, yes, it worked the night before last! We did a "sit-stay" and a "sit-down-stay", but last night he just barked right in my face, spun around and—bam—he’s grabbing his tail, growling and running in circles... @Ach3nar, maybe his teeth are bothering him too, but when I see him grab his rope toy and fling it all over the place, left and right, left and right, it’s definitely not just his teeth that are the problem! 👌

I think what we call the "zoomies" is usually a bit of a pressure release valve—basically, the puppy or dog is letting off steam after an emotional overload so they can actually settle back down. It's hard to believe, but the amount of information going through a puppy’s brain during a simple 30-minute walk is just mind-blowing. They’re taking in tons of new things and when they hit their limit (both nervous and mental), bang—you get an explosion. I’ve also known adult dogs have these kinds of "mad moments" after a walk, specifically a husky that was always kept on the lead and a gundog that had to stop working because of knee problems. You can easily imagine that for those two, the walk was actually just a build-up of frustration (at every encounter, every scent), which they’d then discharge once they got home. The spaniel was literally jumping all over the furniture... luckily he was able to get back to hunting eventually.

Hi, There’s been plenty of advice already... But I was thinking of something, though I might be wrong. He’s active, and if he’s 'ragging' a toy around in the evening and getting a bit worked up... At this age, puppies often get teething pains... maybe try a toy with nubs or ridges so he can have a good chew and massage his gums? The discomfort in his teeth and gums might be making him restless and hyper. A textured toy could really help soothe him. Hope this helps.

When mine used to get out of control, the best thing I found was to do some training. I’ve got absolutely no idea why, but I’d get him to sit, then lie down, and we’d walk to heel for a bit; it really calmed him down. I always found it amazing that he’d listen to these fairly boring and, at the time, pointless commands right when he was having a total meltdown... but it worked, so I kept at it, and then one day he just stopped losing it altogether. Maybe you could try mimicking some calming signals to show him you’re not happy with how he's acting, just like another dog would! I was honestly shocked by my dog’s reaction one day when I licked my lips because he was getting on my nerves.

I reckon that for a 3-month-old puppy, the exercise mentioned above should be plenty. But could it just be the 'zoomies' (or his 'mad half hour')? With my Jack Russell, it’s been the same ritual since she was tiny. After the last evening walk, when we get back, we spend about 10-15 minutes together: she rolls around on the rug grumbling, we play with a soft toy, and she rubs her face on the carpet or the bed. Then I give her a chest rub, and her energy level eventually drops and she settles down. When I leave her to get back to work, she sometimes barks or tries to get my attention again, but I just tell her 'no' a couple of times and that's enough. It's been the same with my new little guy for the last 6 months. When we get back from a walk, he has his mad half hour—he drags out all his toys, we have a bit of a play with a soft toy or a 10-15 minute wrestle, then he just flops. I give him a chest rub and he calms down nicely. So, if you see your dog getting worked up, maybe take him outside if you can, or just give him 10-15 minutes of playtime and a few strokes. He might just need that to help him settle.

That’s why I’m not a fan of reading that you should always provide more activity or stimulation, especially when we're talking about a puppy. Sometimes it's the exact opposite... a puppy can get wound up just like a child gets cranky when you ask too much of them or when they're over-excited by something new.

Personally, I’m not at all a fan of overdoing it with physical and mental exercise for a three-and-a-half-month-old puppy. In my opinion, with a pup this age, the owner's role is much like being a parent to a toddler. They are discovering everything, so naturally, their brain and senses are on high alert (thousands of new neurons every day), which leads to what you might call mini emotional "burnouts". Just as a small child struggles to manage their energy and emotions, a puppy needs reassuring boundaries and a calm influence, not a non-stop playmate who keeps pushing them until they’re exhausted or have a total meltdown. So, you have to meet their needs while respecting their limits. When the puppy gets too wound up, you need to calm things down; if you see signs of frustration or anxiety, you should adjust the routine to better suit their natural rhythm (sleep, food, activity). For some, for instance, a burst of excitement in the evening isn't helpful, and you might need to tweak the timing or duration. I knew a young Brittany Spaniel who would lose the plot after 20 minutes of evening activity. His owner actually timed it... from the day he decided to stop playing at 19 minutes, the problem was sorted! Paying attention really pays off. That said, you’re always going to have those little "mad moments" with a puppy; it’s completely normal. We don't live in a lab where we can measure out stimuli in a test tube to make sure everything is perfectly tailored to their needs every single time...

Thanks for your advice. I'm fully aware that he's a dog that needs plenty of physical and mental stimulation. But he’s only 3 and a half months old. I can't exactly expect him to do two hours of walking every day yet, can I? And on the rare occasions the walk has lasted a bit longer, that’s when he becomes a total nightmare because he ends up getting over-tired and wound up. We tried an extra walk this weekend, and the result was the same once evening came around. Thankfully, he sleeps like a log at night 😁 What I’d like is to find a way to manage these evening zoomies, and to do it calmly. As for games, we also give him a Kong stuffed with dry food, and we’ve made him a frame with bottles that he has to spin with his paw to get the dry food out, plus a bit of "sit", "down", "stay", and heel work... we’re trying to keep things varied.