Settling down in the evening?

[Sandy]

At what point in his life might I expect Toby to settle down for 5 minutes in the evening so that I can relax? It's not like he sleeps all day or anything, but seriously, he is a raging lunatic from about 7:30 till 11:00. He gets walked twice a day, and has a fence yard to goof around in, but still, oh man. He's 4 1/2 months old. Tonight he's had the major zoomies. Oh my goodness. My carpet is going to have a zoomie path burned into it.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Roo is 14 months and was a major evening zoomer. Settled down at just about one year. Still has a zoomer attack every morning, just after his dinner and when we come home. But I can actually sit for quite a bit in the evening and he lays near me either sleeping, chewing a toy or sometimes on my lap. I thought for sure I had a defective doodle as he showed no sign of cuddling from 3 months until just the last month or two. Tiggger who is 7 months is a big cuddler, although he too, has his zoomer times. We call it the children's hour in the evening as it is just like our children were in that last hour before the betime ritual began, trying to extract the most possible from the last of the day. Just be patient and invest in a lot of chew toys. I used up a lot of flossies and no odor bully sticks with Roo in that first year.

[Sandy]

Can't wait for the one year mark then! Toby isn't much of a cuddler yet either....I'm waiting. He definitely shows love, just not always with cuddles. A bully stick definitely calms him down, but those get expensive after a while.

[IDOGMa]

Dogs by nature are Crepuscular. Which means that they are primarily active during the mornings and evenings. When dogs are pups this activity tends to be more obvious. As the dog matures and adjusts to the home that they live in they will often adjust a bit within the environment. Thus, you may not be so aware of their Crepuscular tendencies as they mature. So a pup who is totally driven by his nature will adjust. It just takes some maturity and some understanding.

Recognize the nature and do things such as training and walking during those times. After the walking and training provide low key activities. Certainly dont get mad at the dog and start doing punishing reactions. When the pup goes into zoomie mode, just ignore which will eventually send a signal that at least the humans are not reinforcing it.

Time tends to be the best "solution".

[GBK]

A good early evening walk, and maybe something like a bully stick to chew on when you are finally ready to settle down to a movie. If you make it a habit of some chew time in the later evening, Toby will adjust and look forward to it too :)

[sbis0oszc95r]

save his favorite treat dispensing toy and give it to him when he gets the crazies....our puppy gets a peanut butter filled kong when I need some quiet time....it's good for about 20 minutes....

[Sandy]

We usually walk him around 6 or 6:30 in the evening. He likes bully sticks, but not after they get "old". And by old I mean I gave it to him two days ago. I guess the fresh smell isn't on it anymore. They are too pricey to buy a new one every two days..... I always have his Kong filled and frozen, which I bring out around 9 o'clock for a few minutes of peace for us. :)

[Sandy]

Funny thing - I buy the long ones, and my husband cuts them in half with a hack saw. It's cheaper than buying short ones. If I hold his bully stick collection in my hand (he has five on the go now) he can always pick out the newest one. So I don't think he'd go for an old one I just brought out again. :)

[IDOGMa]

Run some water over the old bully stick. That can often activate the smells and re-attract the dog to the bully stick.

[Mary Beth Sancomb-Moran]

Casey settled down at about a year or so. He would have the zoomies, and then would torture his "sisters" which would leave us alone to just watch the show. Maybe Toby needs a puppy! ; )

[Sandy]

Oh mercy - I cannot even imagine a second dog. One is plenty!

[Jackie]

Beckett still zooms aroung the house at night. He's 8 months old. I was also wondering when he'd settle down alittle..lol

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas still does zoomies - a little bit every night, but it doesn't last very long. He has bursts of playful energy, and then he's pretty relaxed. I remember when he was really young, I would interact with him most of the evening, which it sounds like you're doing now with Toby. We'd play, practice obedience stuff, or I'd watch him amuse himself and praise him for being a good boy and playing nice. They say dogs crave attention, whether positive or negative, so I always tried to make sure I gave him a lot of positive reinforcement and good attention when he was just amusing himself. Now that he's a little older, I have a lot more time to do the stuff I need to do. He may follow me around the house, and we'll take play breaks, but he can also amuse himself with a chew toy. Or just lay by my computer chair while I spend an hour on DK. He's about 15 1/2 months old now, so he still has a lot of puppy in him, but he definitely relaxes and cuddles more now that he's a little older. All the time you spend with him now will definitely pay off later, because you'll have a well-adjusted dog.