Dealing with puppy's 'crazy hour'! help!

sez88 · Post by **sez88** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:17 am

Hiya

Our 8 week pup has started having random crazy moments and we arent sure how to handle him when he does

We know he is a puppy and needs attention, play time etc and we are doing our best to keep him entertained but I dont know what else to do.

At various points in the day he seems to go a little crazy, during these times he jumps up, trys to mouth our hands (I think he is trying to mouth not bite...or i hope so) barks, chews everything he can, bounces off all the furniture and runs around like mad, sometimes he growls as well.

What should we do during these times?
We have tired...
1) ignoring his barks/jumping up but he is pretty persistant, when he is quiet/sat down few a few seconds we reward him with our attention but the mouthing, barking and jumping just starts again.
2)Playing with him-with his tug toys or ball etc but he becomes uninterested in the toy and tries to get at hands instead, if we move away the barking / jumping begins and we do as above.
3) Training him. We started using the clicker today when he seemed to need somthing to do, at first he was quite engaged but soon became over excited. We took this to mean maybe we had done to much (only 2 mins) finished on a positive and stopped. But again the barking and jumping started seemingly in an attempt to get more treats, he did try sitting and looking expectantly to try and get more (bless him) but soon got tired of this.

There doesnt seem to be a pattern to these moments, today it was 5mins after we came in from going to the shop, last night it happened when we went to go to bed, sometimes its when we wakes up or after he has eaten. It always happens though when we play with him, he gets over excited and away he goes.

(it doesnt happen when my sister or mum play with him)

These moments last between 20mins to an hour.

Today when I walked into the room after going into kitchen he growled at me. We bought his a stuffed bone today so im thinking maybe he was worried I was going to take it away, or do dogs do that when they want to play?

Sorry for the long post, but look forward to hearing your ideas!

Thanks

Nettle · Post by **Nettle** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:33 am

The crazy half hour is normal puppy behaviour and they all grow out of it

During this time (usually occurs when new owners are worn to a frazzle and just want to sob quietly) don't interact with puppy in any way: just let it all happen until it is finished. Once puppy has quietened, interact with him again.

Growling when puppy has something nice is also normal. If puppy never has his things taken from him, he will not feel he has to growl. Pups should be allowed to growl as this is communication: the dog punished for growling (not saying you do, but many think they should) raises the game until a bite occurs.

If you ever need to take anything from puppy that puppy values, either take the puppy from the 'thing' ie by calling him away from it and offering something better, or by swapping for something better.

How much better? Swap a hundred dollar item for a five dollar possession. Something really yummy and special that he would not ordinarily have.

Sarah83 · Post by **Sarah83** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 12:47 pm

The crazy half hour is normal puppy behaviour and they all grow out of it Very Happy

When does that happen? Ruperts almost 7 and still has these moments

To be fair he has learned to grab a toy and not us though.

or do dogs do that when they want to play?

Some do. Mine's a big growler and standing over an object and growling is him trying to get me to play rather than him getting funny about me being near the toy. I think as you get to know your dog you learn what are play growls and what aren't. I know there's also a thread somewhere on here with links to someone (Jean Donaldson is it?) talking about and showing different body language and what they mean. Might be useful to take a look at that if you can find it.

When I got Rupe he was a year old and I had no idea whether he was guardy over possessions. I did what Nettle said, trading him an item he had for a better thing. Along with that I'd also toss small treats near his food bowl while he was eating and worked up to putting my hand in the bowl to put the treat in. The only thing Rupe does seem to worry about people going near is his bed. And then it's only if we sit near it, walking past or standing by it is fine

sez88 · Post by **sez88** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:58 pm

I have tried ignoring Charlie when he gets like this as suggested but he just keeps on jumping up barking and then nips hands.
Should I leave the room, or put him in another room?

Im sure he just has too much energy and I cant wait untill we can take him out to run off some of this energy!!

Leigha · Post by **Leigha** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 7:24 pm

It depends on the situation and what's easiest for you I guess. When my boy gets really bored he'll jump at my hands, or grab at my shoes or pants legs. He especially finds it great fun to do this when I'm going up or down the stairs. For times like that it's easier for me to remove myself because otherwise he thinks I'm playing with him. So I usually put myself in the bathroom if I'm downstairs or bedroom if I'm upstairs for a few minutes, then try again. If I can make a clean shot to his collar without him getting the chance to bob & weave and think I'm playing with him I'll put him in the bathroom for a time-out.