# How do you control zoomies indoors?



## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

Hey all, I have another question about Dylan, my daughter's dog. (He's kinda like one of my own. I love him  ) You all had great advice last time and it's really making a difference.

So, I stopped in at Jasmine's house. Dylan, as usual, was very happy to see me. I said hello to him and then he proceeded to get a massive case of out of control zoomies. Not that big of a deal, except that with each spin, he grabbed something he shouldnt have. Anything. A cup off the coffee table, a cushion off the couch, my purse off the table...He'd grab something, drop it and immediately grab something else. All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

Also, their house is TINY. So an 85 lb dog zooming like that is not good. He knocked over a chair, was literally bouncing off walls, and dang near knocked me over. When my grandbaby is big enough to walk, I dont want her in the middle of that!

He does this a lot, but it was the first time I'd ever seen a full-fledged attack of it, so I wasnt exactly sure what to do. 

I called his name and he ran to me. I asked him nicely to give me the cup out of his mouth and he did. I put him in a 'down' and he did. Then he jumped up and started all over again.

He was obviously over-whelmed with excitement at my being there, but how can that happiness be controlled, without stopping him from being happy?


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## Deeken (Feb 14, 2011)

Do they have a yard? We don't allow zoomies in the house because they tend to do major damage, so we hustle Deeken out into the yard when we can see the urge coming on. If they have a yard, I would call him to you when he starts to zoom and hustle yourselves out into the yard. He can zoom around the yard, you're out there so he's still happy, and then you can both head in after a minute and he can chill out a bit.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

We have only an apartment, so all our zoomies are indoors. I usually run around with him... so he plays chase instead of grabbing anything. OR I throw his toys around and tell him really excitedly "Get it! get it! get it!" so he goes after those and nothing inappropriate.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

Thats a good idea. They do have a huge backyard. I could've taken him out and played for a few minutes. He just barely turned 2 years, and of course you know labs take so long to mature, do you think he'll outgrow this and become more self-controlled?



lisak_87 said:


> We have only an apartment, so all our zoomies are indoors. I usually run around with him... so he plays chase instead of grabbing anything. OR I throw his toys around and tell him really excitedly "Get it! get it! get it!" so he goes after those and nothing inappropriate.


Their house is just so small though  The whole place is literally about as big as my bedroom.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

well then the yard works 

our apartment is like 850 square feet.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Mine only come in at night & spend the day running around after the utility vehicle &/or the ATV so they are usually pretty exhausted come bed time lmbo.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

oops. i mean 790 square feet.


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## Deeken (Feb 14, 2011)

Labmom4 said:


> Thats a good idea. They do have a huge backyard. I could've taken him out and played for a few minutes. He just barely turned 2 years, and of course you know labs take so long to mature, do you think he'll outgrow this and become more self-controlled?


He can definitely be taught self control and will probably mellow out a bit as he matures. I think too, especially after reading your other posts, that as Dylan mellows out in the house generally, his greeting behaviour may improve as well. It sounds like he just really hasn't been taught all that many house manners and just finds life to be very exciting.

You wouldn't even need to play with him out there, IME. I just throw Deeks outside, stand on the porch and let him take a few laps, and then pat him calmly and let him back inside and put him on his mat. He gets that burst of energy out all on his own and sending him to his mat when he gets back in keeps him from getting over the top excited as soon as we get back in the house.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I put them outdoors. 


Barring that, I have a quick impromptu training session. Usually even just 5 minutes or so of practicing stuff they already know will calm them down, even Squashie. Especially stuff like touch and leave it for some reason.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

sassafras said:


> I put them outdoors.
> 
> 
> Barring that, I have a quick impromptu training session. Usually even just 5 minutes or so of practicing stuff they already know will calm them down, even Squashie. Especially stuff like touch and leave it for some reason.


THIS

I grab some treats and quickly refocus as needed. My house is small but I have a yard so I make use of that.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

The greeting can be put under control to sit nicely, but that doesn't address the underlying issue. Zoomies are frequently due to a burst of energy (adrenaline ?) that hasn't been burned off. So exercise outside during the day before a visit may help... In the case of a Lab, chasing an ATV may help ... 

BTW, my dog is 10 yo, and he still gets the zoomies... usually outside and usually when it is cooler... infrequent in Texas.


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## qingcong (Oct 26, 2009)

I'm surprised nobody has approached this from a learning perspective. Yeah, youth and energy is part of it, but I think teaching the dog a different reaction is more productive than simply hoping that the dog grows out of it. It's impossible to physically tire a dog out. You really have to challenge them mentally.

Just from your description of how you interact with the dog, I already see areas that can be improved - 

1) You say that the dog is "happy" to see you and you say hi to the dog when you come in. I'm not sure how you gather the dog is happy, but happiness is not synonymous with excitement. When you acknowledge the dog, as you describe "saying hello" to the dog, you're reinforcing that excitement and sending him over the edge to overexcitement. Again, excitement doesn't equal happiness, so don't feel as though you're letting the dog down if you don't "say hello". I would suggest you greet the dog without talking and petting. This teaches the dog that you coming over really isn't a very big deal. 

2) You called his name when he was already out of his mind and interacted with him, further feeding him the idea that being crazy gets him good results. Probably the best thing to do if he won't stop is to simply walk back outside. Say nothing to him, just go away. When I bring my dog to my girlfriend's family, I will tell them to just ignore him for a day. The dog does not think of it as "ignoring", he simply sees it as people who are calm and respectful of his space.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

For a large dog I would go with everyone else and say let them out doors... My girls get the zoomies every night, but they are small so I tend to encourage them and get them even more excited. We also have a large yard, but I never put them out there specifically for zoomie purposes.. though maggie does get outdoor zoomies after she poops.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

I really appreciate the advice everyone! Dylan is definitely a challenge. We've always gotten puppy's before and so all of this is new to us. I'm quite sure that his puppy-raiser kept him on tie-down or crated constantly  He has no idea how to interact in a house. Poor guy. He's a great dog though; such a sweetie.


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## pitbullfriends (Oct 28, 2010)

uncontrollable running around like that is pent up energy. If the dog doesn't have regular access to a yard he should be taken out for regular walks or even runs. If you cant make it out physically to walk the dog my dog enjoys a treadmill in the house but if this energy isn't burned somehow the dog will burn it by spontaneously running back and forth in the area he has to do it in.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

pitbullfriends said:


> uncontrollable running around like that is pent up energy. If the dog doesn't have regular access to a yard he should be taken out for regular walks or even runs. If you cant make it out physically to walk the dog my dog enjoys a treadmill in the house but if this energy isn't burned somehow the dog will burn it by spontaneously running back and forth in the area he has to do it in.


I didnt mention it in this thread, but I have in other one's about Dylan; he gets a lot of exercise. It kinda stumps me that he has any energy left! My daughter and her fiance are fitness buffs and Dylan gets long, fast walks daily that usually take them to the dog park. And they play fetch with him in the backyard daily also.


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## qingcong (Oct 26, 2009)

Labmom4 said:


> I didnt mention it in this thread, but I have in other one's about Dylan; he gets a lot of exercise. It kinda stumps me that he has any energy left! My daughter and her fiance are fitness buffs and Dylan gets long, fast walks daily that usually take them to the dog park. And they play fetch with him in the backyard daily also.


Yeah, you will never tire a dog physicaly. They're always ready for more. In addition to physical exercise, you MUST challenge them mentally, teach them to do something they haven't done before. This dog will benefit from self control training when people enter the door.


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