# Puppy is well behaved except for 1 hour every day.



## sylercider (Jan 23, 2012)

Our 2.5 month old Lab mix puppy is usually very well-behaved. He Comes, Sits, walks on the leash properly and is generally a great puppy for me, my wife and our 2 boys (9 & 12). But...

Around the same time every evening, somewhere between 7pm and 9pm, he becomes a puppy possessed. For 1 hour, he will nip, bark and be much more aggressive towards us. When he nips, we've tried to do the "Owww!" technique, but he just barks at us and gets more excited. We've tried the alpha roll, but he continues anyway.

We take him for 2-3 walks a day, 1 in the morning and 2 in the evenings. I've even taken him for a walk while he was in his aggressive state. He was fine on the walk, but when we got home, he started up again.

After about an hour, he simply plops himself down and goes to sleep.

Is this just him fighting his need to go to sleep?

We adopted him at 8 weeks, so maybe he needs more doggy socialization?


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## Geogirl (Jan 10, 2012)

I don't have any advise, but my pup (13 weeks, also got her at 8 weeks) does this too! Her "witching hour" (as I call it) is between 4:30pm and dinner time.

Its funny because I never thought much of it, because both my kids did this as well when they were toddlers, they both had a super fussy time each day, just before dinner (my daughter) or just before bed (my son), where they were just over stimulated and cranky. So I kind of assumed it was the same thing.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

First off, DON'T ALPHA ROLL A DOG! It's a good way to scare a dog into biting you, nothing more. Whatever you've learned from Cesar Millan, just dump it right out of your head and read anything by Ian Dunbar. He actually has research and science on his side.

A 2.5 month old puppy is a baby. He's not being aggressive, he's being a baby. Nipping and rough play is totally normal for baby dogs. You need to teach him that it's not okay with humans. You've said you tried the "ouch" method, but for how long? A day or two? Teaching bite inhibition, which is what that is, takes weeks or months of consistent work.

He probably needs more exercise. You say 2-3 walks a day, but how long? What about other exercise, like playing? Are you training him? Short, frequent training sessions improve a dog's behavior and tire him out mentally. Just be careful with puppies and their joints, especially big breeds. No running and jumping and don't walk him hard on a hard surface, like a sidewalk.

Good luck!


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## sylercider (Jan 23, 2012)

Amaryllis said:


> First off, DON'T ALPHA ROLL A DOG! It's a good way to scare a dog into biting you, nothing more. Whatever you've learned from Cesar Millan, just dump it right out of your head and read anything by Ian Dunbar. He actually has research and science on his side.


Got it. It doesn't seem to be working anyway. I have one of Ian's puppy books and he does seem more knowledgeable.



Amaryllis said:


> You've said you tried the "ouch" method, but for how long? A day or two? Teaching bite inhibition, which is what that is, takes weeks or months of consistent work.


We've been doing the "Ouch" method since we got him 3 weeks ago, but after 2-3 times of "Ouch" we would progress to the alpha roll.




Amaryllis said:


> He probably needs more exercise. You say 2-3 walks a day, but how long? What about other exercise, like playing? Are you training him? Short, frequent training sessions improve a dog's behavior and tire him out mentally.


He gets 2-3 walks/day, with each walk lasting 10-20 mins. He gets to do his own thing in the backyard for about an hour a day, too. Plus all 4 of us work with him during the day with treats for our "Come & Sit" sessions.

All in all, maybe he's not getting enough exercise. During the day, he's content to just lie around at our feet. Should we interrupt his laziness during the day with more exercise or should we let him be lazy and only make him exercise more during his "witching hour" in the evening?


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## sylercider (Jan 23, 2012)

Geogirl said:


> Her "witching hour" (as I call it) is between 4:30pm and dinner time.


That's exactly what my wife called it... his "witching hour". He's a totally different dog.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I had a Border Collie years ago who did this same thing and also ran around with the zoomies every night when the 11 o'clock news came on .... it was because he did not have enough exercise. ( was a kid and did not know these things back then) I suggest you go for another long walk or some training at this exact " Witching Hour " on a daily basis.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Totally wake him up and play with him for a few minutes or train him. A tired dog is a good dog, though obviously one shouldn't take that too, too far. The more you actively engage with him, the more bonded you are and that's a good thing.

Definitely keep it up with the "ouch!" method. It may take some time, but he will eventually get it.


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## Canaqua (Sep 27, 2011)

Yep, the "witching hour"! Both our dogs have had it and so have all three of our boys . After dinner. I've considered starving everyone at night to avoid the wild, crazy, loud and, sometimes, destructive behavior that always occurs for an hour or so sometime between dinner and bed time. I can't decide whether they get charged up by the food or whether they are all (dogs and boys) trying to avoid bed time.


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## Sasha1/2 (Dec 22, 2011)

sylercider said:


> Is this just him fighting his need to go to sleep?


I was going to ask about this. How much does he sleep during the daytime?


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## ashtonfitzgerald (Jan 21, 2012)

Hi sylercider,

The glorious 'puppy-spins' as I like to call them. It's pretty much normal for your puppy to do this type of thing at some point during the day. Nothing out of the ordinary, and as so many of the thread posters have noted, dealing with the urge to 'go-loco' is in most cases the best way to approach the biting problem. It's kind of like taking the fuel off the fire before it turns into an inferno. :flame:

There are a number of ways to tire your puppy out, and any sort of constructive activity is always the best way. Walks are one way to wear them out, but the challenge I've found is that dogs quickly become physically conditioned to exercise and it doesn't affect them the same way.

I've always found the most effective way to wear out a dog is through a combination of *mental and physical stimulation*. 

Swimming is by far one of the best ways to exercise a dog and have them get truly tired in a short amount of time, though frankly it's not exactly swimming weather at the moment...

As for mental stimulation, challenges that get your dog to think and problem solve are always going to be the best and easiest way to wear your dog out in any weather. I've found that the key to this approach is coming up with a new challenge for your dog to work through each day. A good 30 minutes of concentration will usually lay them out for at least another 30 minutes. Try to time this teaching time for about 30 minutes or so before he hits his loopy time.

Some games to play:

Teach him to climb over and under an object. This will take about 1-2 sessions before he masters it. Once mastered, move on to something different.

Teach him to find a treat hidden under one of two (or three) boxes. He'll be learning to use his nose, and have to problem solve. 

Teach him to how to use his paws to do stuff (like step on a sturdy box).

These are just a few examples, but your imagination is the limit. If he really has to concentrate on something for an extended period, then it will really wear him out.
*
Dealing with Puppy Biting*

Sometimes despite all your best efforts, he will still go loopy on you. When that happens, there are a few best practices:

Put him on a leash - Don't set him up for success in getting away with this behavior. Having a leash on puts you in control. Have him drag the leash around, it's not necessary to hold it. 

Have a favorite toy handy. Preferably soft and cushy. Keep this 'special' toy only for times when he's extra bitey. It's not a chew toy to be left with him, it's a toy that you are using as a training tool. When he gets wild, play cat-n-mouse with the toy. Ever played with a cat and a piece of string? Same idea. Drag the toy around on the floor to encourage him to chase it. Don't just give it to him, but make him WANT it by making him work to chase it. He has to of course win, so let him catch it every now and then. When he catches it, keep moving the toy. That keeps his interest on the game (and off of biting you). He's going to want to bite something, let it be the toy.

With my puppies I always keep something soft and plush handy to use as a training tool in situations like this. It's usually just a braided length of fleece material about 12 - 16" long. It looks like a rope toy, but is much softer on their baby teeth and gums. I encourage them to go to town on that tug toy as they have to get that biting urge satisfied. Trying to force them to stop biting usually just angers them. Redirect the urge, don't try to smother it.

Remember though, this toy should be reserved ONLY for times when you are playing with the puppy. It's not a chew toy, and should not be left with a puppy unattended.

I hope that helps some. Keep us posted on how things go.

-Ashton


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Yup, the puppy witching hour. For Squash, 9/10 times the night time zoomies/witching hour meant either that he had to poop or that he was actually getting super overtired and needed to go to bed, but he was such a busy puppy he wouldn't do it on his own (he's actually still a lot like this now). If I popped him in his kennel, he'd always be asleep within a minute.


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## sylercider (Jan 23, 2012)

Sasha1/2 said:


> I was going to ask about this. How much does he sleep during the daytime?


During the day, he's very mellow and will usually takes periodic naps all throughout the day. He might sleep 4-5 hours during the day.


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## sylercider (Jan 23, 2012)

ashtonfitzgerald said:


> Some games to play:
> 
> Teach him to climb over and under an object. This will take about 1-2 sessions before he masters it. Once mastered, move on to something different.
> 
> ...


I never thought of doing those kinds of activities with Hurley. (That's his name)
Great suggestion, ashtonfitzgerald. I'll have to try some of those.



ashtonfitzgerald said:


> When he gets wild, play cat-n-mouse with the toy. Ever played with a cat and a piece of string? Same idea. Drag the toy around on the floor to encourage him to chase it...


Sort of like tug-of-war? I get confused on playing tug-of-war. Some say to never play it, others say it's ok as long as your dog knows when to stop.


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## sylercider (Jan 23, 2012)

OK, an update on Hurley's "witching hour"...

Last night he did great. I'm not sure if it's a one-night fluke, but here's what we did differently:

1) Instead of just taking him for a walk in the evening. I let him off-leash in an open field and worked with him heeling while we jogged around. He did really well.
2) During lunch, I sat with him in his confined area and tried to rile him up by rubbing his neck, ears, tail, etc. If he nipped me, I said "Owww". If he got even more excited and nipped more, I said "Ouch!" and then left him alone in the area for 10 seconds while I was out of sight. Once I returned, I had him come and sit for a treat. I had to leave the area only twice.
3) One of the big changes was that we never let him into the living room last night. Maybe it's a coincidence, but his witching hour always occurred in the living room while we were on the couch watching tv, doing homework, reading... (who am I kidding, we're really just watching tv). Anyway, I stayed in the kitchen with Hurley and he never seemed to get into his berserk state.

I'll try the first 2 again, while letting him back into the living room to see which of the 3 changes were effective.


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## ashtonfitzgerald (Jan 21, 2012)

That's a great start. Being pro-active makes a huge difference in the level of success you'll have. Far too often we get per-occupied with our lives and forget that we have to take the reins and show our puppy (or kids for that matter) what the expectations are. A little structure goes a long way.

As far as tug goes, as long as you are controlling the game it won't create behavioral problems. The idea that playing tug of war puts your dog into a confrontational mindset and will make the dominant over you is very old-school. Go to any agility or flyball event and you will see hundreds of dogs tugging with their owners. If your relationship is sound with your dog, then there won't be any problems. Just make sure you set the boundaries for the game. If your dog's energy escalates too high, end the game and give the Hurley a time out.

Keep it up!

Ashton


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