Case of Crazy Adolescent Doodle anyone?

[nonnie browne]

My doodle is 5 and 1/2 months old. Just losing his canine teeth and about 38 pounds (he is a large medium). We are training like crazy and he is a very good boy, totally plugged in taking beginning agility and advanced obedience. Tons of exercise every day. We passed our "trial" canine good citizen test and sit for the real test next month. That said, he has recently had these "episodes" of unpredictable crazy /goofy behavior. Tore down a picture my grandkids made for me that has been on the fridge forever. Went out to potty one evening and starting running laps around the yard then ran up to the porch and bonked straight into the storm door. Ran around the kitchen island, jumped on the sofa and leaped off the back of the sofa - for no apparent reason. I am assuming this is the crazy adolescent phase everyone has warned me about? It only shows up on occasion, is mostly funny, but rather perplexing. Anyone else seeing this and how long does it last?

[Erin and Dexter]

hahaha hi nonnie!
Ours does the same thing, he is 4 months old and we call them "maniac laps". All of the sudden he'll get up from whatever he is doing and start running full speed around the house, growling and making weird noises!! Two minutes later he is fine and back to whatever (calm) activity he was doing! Not sure why he does it and for how long but he's been doing it on occasion probably for the last month. We just laugh at it.

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

LOL - I have heard these referred to as ZOOMIES. Abby gets them too, it's so funny to watch, and she is 7 months old.

[Tricia, Shiloh, Fenway & Tessie]

I have two crazy adolescent doodles who feed off each other and the crazies seem to multiply until they are running circles around each other through the obstacle course that is my living room! Sometimes we move the activity outside....and sometimes I have to crate them for a few minutes to calm them down....but it is funny to watch.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Lucca is 7 months and STILL doing it. He goes into crazy mode for all of 15 minutes, then calms. I look at it as a way for them to calm themselves to rest. Kind of like a baby's "crying hour"...remember those!!!

[Will I Am]

Everyday "Zoomies". I like to think that they are getting their "Ya Yas" out. It seems to happen the same time each night. He also seems to be more belligerent since he has turned 7 months old. Doesn't listen to commands, hellish to walk on a leash and, for some odd reason, pants way more than usual. That being said, he is due for the dreaded neutering in two weeks. Can't wait for the electric fence so he can use 1/2 acre for Zoomage.

[Holly Southall]

Angel does the same thing. Out of blue she will run figure 8's in the yard. It is really funny. I love to watch her run. She is 5 months. I remember when my cocker spaniel puppy was this age and out of the blue she would take off running around our old aparment and leap from the sofa to the loveseat and back again. She eventually grew out of it.

I can't believe you are doing the canine good citizen test already. Kudos!!! I am interested in doing that with Angel, but am nowhere near ready. We are still in puppy class.

[Tammy & Gracie]

My Gracie got her CGC when she was 8 months old. It was more of a surprise to me than you can imagine! A friend was with me watching and said my facial expression (when the doodle downed and stayed for the correct amount of time) was funnier to watch than the test itself. A hint, we had been to the dogpark and at a dog event several hours before her test, so she was tired and calm...

[nonnie browne]

Yeah, I have been thinking too early, but my trainer keeps telling me he's ready. My strategy is same as yours, to wear him out at the dog park in the afternoon. I think for buddy, the deciding factor will be what other type dogs are testing that day. If they are reasonably quiet dogs, he will do fine. He is easily distracted by the yappy types and the ones that lunge at him unexpectedly. If that happens when we do our walkabout or our greeting, he will not pass. His basic obedience stuff is pretty solid, but it is the unexpected which of course, is the point of the whole test! I figure we've got nothing to lose and it is end of next month so he will be close to seven months. If he is having one of these crazy days, I may wave off- this zoomies behavior is short lived but I never know when it is coming! 98 % of the time I can count on him, its always the 2%!!!!

[Holly Southall]

Good Luck with the test. I am sure he will do fine. That is great. I am going to ask our dog trainers about it before the end of this class. They are both certified testers and I know they want Angel to go for it. It is more me than the dog that is not ready. Let us know how it goes.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Roo, who is 18 months, would be over the Zoomies, except his 11 month old brother still has them. They are hysterical to watch if somewhat hard on the furniture as the leap up on the bed, off the bed across the family room onto the couch, push off the back of the couch for a giant leap and run around the fireplace and then back up onto the bed. All at full doodle speed. Sometimes they stop themselves and sometimes I have to call time out. I figure we have at least six more months of it with two of them.

[nonnie browne]

You are all right, it is perfectly hilarious. The first time I saw it I freaked out because I thought, where the heck is my dog and who left this look a like at my house? It was so uncharacteristic, but he is doing more frequently now, it is just short lived thank goodness and often outside. I dont have a video camera but that would be worth capturing. Their agility to bound from edges of furnitures, beds and tables and land like a cat is really quite gymnastically remarkable!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Every Night at 9pm. We have not seen a prime-time television show in months ( not that we really care) but it is predictable. His most hilarious thing to do it take off running, tail down, and zoom around the house but every time he comes to the coffee table he jumps up and slides across on his butt or paws-Like a slide at the park. It almost seems he is trying to gain a speed so he can slide.

After 10-20 minutes he eats dinner and is out for the night. Go figure. We can't.