# When do they start calming down? lol



## CM Katie

Carl is almost 11 weeks old and usually around 6:30-7:00 pm he gets really hyper. We're always watching TV or hanging out in the living room at this time so we have him with us, with a blanket and all his toys for him to play with. But he gets really hyper and likes to chew on the carpet and bite people and run around like a crazy boy!  If we put him in the kitchen with his toys he cries and cries to come out and play.
I know it's because he's a puppy and he can't help it- but my mom's getting frustrated at his hyperactivity lol.
At what age do they usually calm down more; mellow out a little? 

I know that chi's get the zoomies and spurts of energy, but my guy has a spurt of energy for like...30 minutes straight at night lol.


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## Katie

he sounds like a normal puppy to me  . i havent noticed my chis being more hyper than most dogs their age (actually bigger dogs seem to be more hyper to me) but i think it mainly depends on the personality of each dog. maybe you should have him run around a little more during the day so hes not super hyper later in the evening. you could try a nice long walk too.


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## peanutlover

peanut gets really hyper at night too. but i have noticed when i take him on long walks during the day, or when he plays with another dog, he is very calm at night, and pretty sleepy. maybe your puppy just needs to go on a long walk to get rid of some of that extra energy. they say a well excersised puppy is a lot easier to train as well.


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## foxywench

haha, we call it the zoomies...and it NEVER ends *evil laugh*
for us it usually occirs about 10-10:30 pm at night (yup right before bedtime) and lasts anything between 1/2 hour and 45 mins on average. at which point they run round crazy talk alot (dodger is a talker) trow things about and generally zoom and crash into walls or table legs...or people legs...lol
we find it quite comical to watch, especially since my parents 3 yr old spaniel also gets the zoomies. around the same time.

its very normal, however the only rela way to combat the zoomies and lessen them is to make sure he gets LOTS of excersize during the day... my kids go out for a 1/2 hour outside playtime most days and 1 hr one day a weekend. and they still get the zoomies...

id try and sit back and enjoy it...lol its quite funny to watch.

hell probbaly start mellowing around 5-6 yrs old but even that mellowing usually isnt too much, these little guys dont realy slow down much untill there teens...and your looking at a lifespan of somewhere around 25 yrs with these little guys if not more...so they take a little longer to slow down


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## kimmiek915

Definitely normal for puppies to get all hyper. My baby runs a little marathon each night. I call it the "zoomies," as do some other people on this forum because my baby "zooms" around at 100 mph and nothing can stop her once she starts. It's probably a puppy thing, but chihuahuas can be pretty hyper active. I personally find it to be very entertaining when my baby does this, and she usually ends up wearing herself down and then she's definitely ready to hit the sack at bedtime. Good luck with your baby and enjoy!! =)


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## iluvmyvikin

Beenie still gets hyper moments, he is a year and a half.
He has calm moments as well.. Seems he has mixed temperaments


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## 2pups622

austin is 6 months and he still has his crazy times but he acts more like an adult dog already he will always have his crazy times hes just haveing fun


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## harleysmama

Well, my Harley has just turned 6 mos. old and he still does exactly that. Last night was one of those nights. He had the zoomies something fierce. He can really be a sight when he's in that hyper mood.


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## goldie

Tico has two different styles of his hyper craziness...

1.) He will at least once a day run around the couch about 10 times in a row _really_ fast. Half the time he will have some toy or blanket in his mouth that will get dropped 1/2 way thru & picked up the next time around - or change directions to pick it up. 

2.) He will want to play tuge-of-war with whatever you have or are wearing :evil: while still going _really _fast. If he starts acting like this, if I take him outside - even for a short walk around the apartment building, he will return to _normal_ & not act like an attacking shark.

A little bit of fresh air does WONDERS!


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## CM Katie

Zoomies are fine but I think what Carl is doing is more puppy-ness. Like biting things and grabbing things he shouldn't and chewing on carpet and nipping.
He hasn't really gotten the zoomies where he runs around and around something; I think this is more puppy behavior where he's just hyper.

I take him out during the day to run around the yard for like 15 minutes and we work on "come" then but I don't like to at night since it's dark and I can't really see him. I have to train him to walk nicely on his leash and harness because since he's used to running around freely he always squirms and yanks on his leash.

He's usually calmer in the kitchen, if someone's sitting in there with him he'll run around with his toys, but he stays out of trouble. But in the living room or basement he likes to get into the plants and eat carpet. :roll:


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## Katie

puppies think anything in their sight is for them. the only way hell stop getting into things he shouldnt is with training and that does take time. hang in there and watch him like a hawk. try distracting him when hes doing something he shouldnt. good luck! puppies are a lot of work but the love you get from them is like nothing else


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## goldie

Tico used to pull on his harness ALOT and I switched to a Premiere brand Easy Walk harness & it made a huge difference. It's leash hook is on the chest instead of the shoulders, so when they go too far forward, it pretty much turns them around to facing you & they stop.

Looks like this & PetSmart has them by their dog training area, not with the other collars & harnesses, but was just under $30. Can find them online for around $17 also.


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## CM Katie

Ooo thanks Melinda!! Now my next problem is that I can't put his coat on over (or under) his harness...

And I can't really take him for a walk since he hasn't had all his shots. But we play in the yard and he likes to run around there.

He's fine most of the day, it's just around 7:00, right before dinner, that he's crazy!!


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## peanutlover

i think he would be ok on a walk, just keep him away from other dogs, and dont let him smell places where u see poop and stuff. maybe just keep him on the concrete. i dont know, peanut has been going on walks since he had his second set of shots, and he has been fine


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## CM Katie

Thanks peanutlover- now I just have to get him a new harness.
Around 8:30 tonight he was being hyper so I put on his harness and leash and coat and we went for a (very) short walk outside, just to get some fresh air.
Well I know he hates when I pull the harness back off over his ears so I loosened it so it would slide off easier, but he _growled_ at me and I thought he was going to bite me!! 
Are there harness that don't have to be pulled over the head? It's just the pulling it off back over his ears that he doesn't like. Or should I not avoid the problem and somehow teach him to let me pull it over his ears?
I don't want my baby to be mean!


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## Ed&EmsMom

Just make sure to be firm with him. A stern no when he growls or bites at you can be enough to make him behave better. If you let him get away with it now, he'll be a little terror later! My guys don't particularily like things being pulled up over the ears or face either but they get used to it fairly quickly, and put up with it if if means going outside for a walk!


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## peanutlover

i have no idea about the training part, this is my first dog ever. but i do know that they sell step in harnesses, they are actually a lot easier to find in the small sizes then the ones that go around the neck. petsmart has them


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## goldie

the one I have (from image above), it has clasps to either undo the belly strap or the shoulder strap.
I found it easier with Tico to put it over his head and buckle the strap under his belly than to get him to step thru it, but that could just be him.


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## CM Katie

My harness pulls over his head, then I stick his left leg through a loop and then buckle it under him. He's totally fine getting it put on, but once I pull it off he gets hostile and grrrowls. 
So I should keep pulling it over his head so he gets used to it, right? 
Ed&EmsMom: I like what you said about how your chi's don't particularly like it, but they tolerate it. I guess I'll just keep getting him used to it. He just hates when I have to yank it over his ears.

His ears are pretty dirty- could they be hurting him and that's why he doesn't like the harness being pulled back over them? He's going to the vet on Saturday so hopefully the vet can clean those nasty ears! :shock:


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