Maggie's nightly manic behavior question

[Wendy Martinson]

My six month old labradoodle goes absolutely wild right before bed each night. She gets tons of attention and exercise each day but right before bed she goes wild. We would like her to spend time with us before she goes into her crate for bed each night but she is just to wild. My last dog was a standard poodle and she was very mellow at night. Is this the lab in Maggie? It reminds me of when my son was a toddler and would get wound up right before passing out for the night.

[Phoebe's Mom]

I personally think it is just a phase. Our Phoebe would get the zoomies every time I brought her into our lower level--even if she had followed me up the steps for a second and then we went right back down. It was frustrating but hilarious, too. She also used to get them when we came in from a rainy or windy day. About six weeks ago (she is now 9 months old), my oldest son remarked that she did not do it anymore and he was right. It had simply faded away. Hang in there, they change every day when they are young.

[Adina P]

Very common...she probably gets "the zoomies" and zoooooms around the house at lightening speed -- enjoy it while it lasts =)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri gets it...we love the zoomies! I know that it is just a phase and will go away. I will miss it actually. It cracks us up! She has gotten better and only has one per night...around 9pm. Then she passes out right after.
It will pass as everyone says and we might even end up missing it :)

[Gina and Finn]

our 6month labradoodle did this for the first time the other night .Usually he is sleeping most of the evening with us while we watch tv or whatever and then after we let him out the last time he just follows us upstairs, crawls into his crate and flops down like we have been keeping him up too late! Not the other night. Once upstairs he ran up and down the hall like a maniac, jumpimg in the air, zooming into every room ,running the hall again. It was pretty funny and he looked so happy with himself. We let him go for a few minutes and then just called him into our room and shut the door.Within 2-3 minutes flopped in the crate for the night, panting away.We don't close the door on the crate but he just stays in it until we get up in the morning.
He hasn't done it again but maybe he's just getting started?!

[Wendy Martinson]

See, I don't mind the zoomies itself. Our standard poodle would run wildly through the house several times a day until she passed away at 12 years old. We loved it and would laugh while she released her energy. What Maggie is doing when she gets the zoomies is she jumps on our bed, bites the covers (my mother's handmade quilt no less!) and bites us playfully. I know the biting is another issue but the entire evening scene is just overwhelming. We started keeping her off the bed at all times but she is confused because we use to let her on the bed. We are empty nesters and our routine is to read quietly before turning out the light. Now if we want to read we have to put her in her crate. Getting her in the crate is another wild scene. She fights it. Once she's in the crate and the door is shut she will sit up for a few minutes looking at us hoping we'll let her out. Then she resigns herself to the reality that she's in for the night and she falls asleep. I want this to be a happy time in her life but it really is a frustrating daily event for all three of us. (Maggie, my husband and me.)

[Adina P]

I guess what I would do is a pre-emptive strike and take her out for her final potty and a zoom around the yard before her usual manic time and then crate her during the manic time while you enjoy reading. She won't suffer from crating and it will help her calm down...just like some kids get crazy when they are tired, she is probably the same way.

[Phoebe's Mom]

Phoebe also mouthed us during her zoomies quite frequently. As I was thinking about my last reply, I realized that the end of the nighttime zoomies coincided with the start of our new favorite nighttime ritual with her which is a serious game of tug. I wonder if her need to mouth was channeled from us to the tug toy--which happens to be one of those long braided soft fleece tugs which she loves. She is completely worn out after about 15 minutes. We only play this game at night. Interesting.

[Laura & Chewie]

This is our problem with Chewie also. We love his zoomie moments...so funny, but when he combines it with the mouthing/nipping/biting, it becomes very frustrating. I would really welcome suggestions as to what to do to correct that behavior. When he is doing it, he is so "crazy wild" that it's often hard to get ahold of him.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

My 4 and 6 yr old sons do this too. And of course by that time of the day I am too tired to bear it. It like a last bash before the ash for them. (The catholics here throw a party to indulge before Ash Wednesday - lol).

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Bash before the ash - Love that!

[Chris & Boys]

Totally typical for zoomies at this age. But I also find Fozzy gets them when he doesn't get enough exercise now that he is older (11 months) Personally, I love to watchi him do this ~ you can see how much fun he is having and it absolutely warms my heart.....I know, bad Mommy!

[Lori]

We have a similar problem with Leo - I posted something and called it "bedtime bonkers". I think they are exactly like little kids - they get overtired and are unable to regulate/monitor their behavior anymore. We let Leo zoom for a short while but then I just put him in his crate and he immediately falls asleep. The fact that sleep comes so readily is what has led me to believe that the behavior is actually a sign of an over-tired puppy. Leo also gets aggressive with our other two dogs right before bed, something that is never a problem during the day. Now when the behavior starts, Leo goes to bed, even if it is a few minutes ahead of time.. He always goes right to sleep, so it must be working.