Why does my puppy go hyperactive at 9pm at night?
 

Hi there
We have just got a 12 week old puppy called Jack. Hes settled in to our home very good however every night at around 9pm at night he gets very hyperactive eg, running around, biting, playing for hours etc. Why is this? Is there anything I can do to try and break him out of the habit? We take him for walks but that does not help
Your help much appriciated
Many thanks
Alison

can someone play with him earlier like at 7pm and really tire him out?
to see if that makes a difference?
does he get up late in the mornings?

Ali,

I just got two puppy Shih Tzu's in late summer and was running into the same problem. Now, I don't work so it may be easier for me to do this than someone who is. But I give them "power naps" throughout the day. What started as several has gone down to two. So, basically, they are up EARLY and eat and then play. Then I put them in their crates from 9:00 am until about 11:00 or 12:00. Then the play until about 3:00 or 4:00 when I put them down again for another hour; after that they play for a long time, eat, do their business...by 9:00 they are ready for sleep.

My husband, I should say, earlier on, was letting them play all day. So, of course they were ready to sleep by 6:00 PM and when that happened there was no putting them to sleep by 9:00 PM LOL!

I really think what works is having them take the two naps each day. Your pup is younger so he may want more than just two naps a day. Oh, and doing it this way, with the crates, is much easier for pottier training. When they come out, they are ready to go! :)

Hi Jo,
Many thanks for your help.
Jack (my springer spaniel puppy) wakes up at about 6.30am so he does get up early, he then jumps off my bed, scrats at the door to tell my mom that he needs a wee or a poo.
We do play with him during the day, however he does go to sleep early afternoon for a couple of hours. We then have to wake him up at 3pm for his dinner and then my mom lets him in the garden and we play with him again. We usually take him a ride in our car at about 5.30, and come back about 6.30, we then have our dinner and play with Jack until about 7.30, he then cuddles up next to us on our sofa like butter wont melt.
At about 8.30 he wakes up and starts to run around the house, bite our toes (its not helping me because I suffer from RSD in my left leg), play etc. Last night he was playing until about 1am in the morning. We put him in a large crate to see whether that would settle him down but he started crying so we had to let him out and as soon as he came out of the crate he became a devil again.
Jack also suffers from travel sickness if we take him in the car for more than an hour, will he suffer from this all of his life? Is there something I can give him to stop him vomiting?
Many thanks.
Alison

Hi Kathi,
Many thanks for all your help. I hope your Shih Tzu's are Ok.
My mom is off work at the moment looking after me, as I suffer from RSD, so Jack does get plenty of excercise/playtime etc, but no matter how much we play with him he is still a monster at night lol!
I will try the power napping, they sound a really good idea.
When my dad gets in from work at around 10.30pm he takes him a short walk but that still does not make him tiered, we really don't know what to do lol!
Will try the power napping today.
Jacks playing with a cup at the moment, hes got a thing about them and plant pots. He also eats slugs in our back garden, no matter how much we try to stop him he still does it.
Many thanks
Alison

sounds like you have
 

a healthy happy puppy.

You know mammals, and people go thru developmental stages. With human babies, there are times they stop sleeping thru the night, as the brain changes.

I don't know what happens with dogs, but I'd expect some growth adjustments.

Spaniels are hunting dogs, and if you watch The Dog Whisperer at all over there, he is really keen on keeping the dog's mind occupied. So a hunting dog, would be seeking the prey that the master just shot.

There are toys here in USA and probably where you live, that have hidden food treat pockets in them. Training Jack to seek and find, would exercise his mind as well as his body, and help him be less hyper I would think. This would take the physically walking exercising thing off your shoulders a bit. And would be fun for Jack too, I bet!;)

Ali,

My pups are fine. :)

The one thing I wanted to mention about crates...

First, my Vet is a firm believer in them for SEVERAL reasons. And, just like babies when put into their cribs, they might cry a bit. You just have to let them whimper a bit. It may sound cruel...but do NOT go back to the crate UNLESS it goes on for quite awhile. I allowed my own about 5-10 minutes maybe even a bit longer. The older pup has ALWAYS loved his crate; went into the night I bought him LOL! But I always made crate training fun...kind made it into a playplen...and ALWAYS a small puppy treat and a soft chew toy. The youngest one doesn't quite like it but will go in. He might cry for just a bit...but that's it he quickly settles down. I have to do it this way since my husband travels a lot and I need my own rest. So, they know...once they do their business for the night and put in their crates and lights out...that's it. :)

The thing is and I had to learn this hard way several years ago. They simply know how to manipulate and get their own way LOL! And, yep, I had accidents of the potty kind ALL the time...because I wasn't using the crate as OFTEN as I should have. I knew better this time around...so once out of the crate...it is outside. This can take a few weeks as Shih Tzus are one of the most stubborn dogs to train...and that is a fact. Actually, when my Vet first told me to do this I thought it was the most cruel thing I had ever heard of and I refused to use a crate. But I was WRONG I eventually had to get two of them! And I shouldn't have been so concerned then either...because as the Vet said...they will view them as dens. And they did! I think the key is just in making it fun.

Mrs. D had some good suggestions to. My pups have a ton of toys because my husband spoils them. :eek::) But two of their favorites are ones that are soft, plush houses and have birds or squirrels in them. They spend hours trying to get those things out. So, yes, keeping their minds and body busy is important.

Other than that we just had a fence installed so that they can run and play whenever they want to. We didn't have that before so this is making life much easier on me and more fun for them.