Going Crazy!!!

[Sara_Clara]

Another crazy cocker here too Pam.  Pebbles seems to be worse first thing in the morning (understandable) but then again in the evening.  She runs full speed round the garden and house (if I can't catch her  )  also all over the flower beds which is really annoying.  Then she finally flops down and goes to sleep.  The cat is decidely unimpressed and just sits out of her reach with a look on her face as if to say 'what do you think you are doing?' 

She is 20 weeks tomorrow and no sign of getting much calmer.  Hopefully will come with age 

[Monstersspaniel]

Millie was stir crazy when she was an infant she had at least 4 zooms a day!!

I found out it was down to diet and her hyperactivity got less and less especially when i stopped giving her Pedigree chum products. I switched to wainwrites and she does the one time when mum comes home or about a half hour after

[elaine]

Mine too!  Sweep is 2 in December and still has her "moments".  Generally, right from being a puppy, she would have certain times a day when she was completely crazy and then it was best if I just gave into it and went and stood in the garden and threw lots of balls for her.  Alternatively, massaging the back of her neck and her shoulders has always worked a treat - three rubs and she is yawning, about five rubs and she's a floppy heap!  By far the worst "crazy" times for her are when she is overtired and just will not give in to it, she is so like a human toddler at those times - whites of her eyes go red, she can't or won't hear me etc., etc.  Have found that the best thing to do is what I would have done when my children were toddlers - I will sit at the table with a book, or in at the computer, shut her in there with me, then she will come and sit at the side of me (wherever I stand or sit she will be at the side of me anyway) and within a couple of minutes of her actually being still and quiet she just completely flakes out - out like a light and has a good long deep sleep - and then once she is rested she is her usual gentle calm self again.  give it a try.

[Pam501]

Thanks for your posts.  I know it probably sounds stupid but I've noticed that Toby races round and round the garden just before he poos . 

He is still terrorising my grandchildren though.  It was so bad over the weekend that I had to keep telling him off and eventually shut him in the kitchen with the baby gate closed.  I don't know what to do with him.  He's fine with adults but he won't leave their feet alone and really bites hard.  My grandchildren are so afraid that they won't put their feet on the ground.  I can't let him out with them. 

[Toni-UK]

Just keep them apart for the time being Pam,if you look up ""Hurtwood Dogs" she has made some excellent posts on puppies and children and how to manage them.

A baby gate is an absoloute must with a puppy and there is nothing wrong with using it for time out   

[Pam501]

Thanks for the advice Toni, I'll look Hardwood Dogs up.

[Toni-UK]

Thanks for the advice Toni, I'll look Hardwood Dogs up.

Ermm,it's "Hurtwood"   

[Pam501]

  Ooops! Maybe wishful thinking!  Put it down to lack of sleep.

[pennylopey]

Sounds very familiar Pam! We had a huge shock to the system when we bought Alfie home, we knew it would be a learning curve as neither of us are very experienced with any dogs, let alone cockers, but it was so much harder than I thought it would be. I also had no idea about the cocker zoomies and was pretty stunned the first time it happened, I actually thought we'd got a 'bad' dog!

We have young children and had exactly the same problem with Alfie and their feet as you have with your grandchildren. My poor son was terrified about walking in his own house and would spend most of his time with his feet up on the sofa or Alfie would go for them. I just assumed dogs and kids would be fine together! I can definitely recommend Hurtwood Dogs posts. We spent a lot of time in the early days trying to distract Alfie or the kids would go and play upstairs, or Alfie would be in his crate and I felt VERY guilty all round. Having read Hurtwood Dogs posts I now know that keeping Alfie in his crate a lot of the time is not a bad thing at all as it means he gets the sleep he needs, and already at almost 18 weeks the difference in their relationship is amazing. He doesn't mind being in his crate but gets very upset at not being in the room, and now they can spend the odd 5 or 10 minutes together and no biting will occur (unless he's having a bad day with his teeth but that's another story!  ).

He's still very much crazy but now that he can go for slightly longer walks he seems to use up his craziness running around the field and seems to be much calmer at home.

It's still hard work, but I can see a chink of light at the end of the tunnel!!!

[Luke D]

I have the same problem with my Dex.

Early evening he'll start trying to play bite, and he just generally gets more and more aggressive. Eventually his facial expression will change and we will look very aggressive.

I've tried everything, and all we do now is put him in his crate to calm down.

But he still does this nearly every evening, being hyper isn't a problem. Its the aggressiveness he shows towards us.

The rest of the time he's perfectly behaved.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: He's 7 months.

[Pam501]

I'm a complete novice with Cockers and have had German Shepherds years ago when my kids were young and didn't have half as much trouble with them, but I do wonder if these pups do it when they get overtired.  I've found with Toby that he gets much more bitey and sometimes gets completely out of hand when he's really tired.  Dont know what anyone else things?

Oops, I meant thinks

[Karma]

Yes, biting can get worse when they are tired...

Luke - It's *not* aggression.... it's perfectly normal (though does need to be dealt with).  You say it's generally in the evening - is this during the "wall of death" time? ...as generally it's best to just let them run about madly for a while (in an appropriate place) rather than try to calm them down.
It would be a good idea for you to read the recent threads on "mouthing" and "adolescent behaviour"  in this same section of the forum as there was a lot of advice given there.   

[LurcherGirl]

I have the same problem with my Dex.

Early evening he'll start trying to play bite, and he just generally gets more and more aggressive. Eventually his facial expression will change and we will look very aggressive.

I've tried everything, and all we do now is put him in his crate to calm down.

But he still does this nearly every evening, being hyper isn't a problem. Its the aggressiveness he shows towards us.

The rest of the time he's perfectly behaved.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: He's 7 months.

I think you are doing the exact right thing with putting him in the crate! It gives him a chance to calm down and switch out of the crazyness.

Also, what I don't think anyone has mentioned here: puppies need a lot of rest and if they don't get any, they get very tired and with that often very crazy. So it is important that if your puppy doesn't voluntarily rest during the day, to enforce a couple of rest periods for them; e.g. an hour after each meal, a couple of hours at lunch time etc.

[Pam501]

I'm sure that lack of sleep is a lot of the problem.  I work Monday - Wednesday and have a pet sitter come in twice a day and Toby is lot calmer when I get home from work than when I am at home all day.  He gets his excercise and his rest.  The problem with me is that I have to stay out of the room when he's in his crate as he is up the minute I walk in and won't rest at all.  It's OK if you  have a large house and can put the crate in a quiet room, but Toby's crate is in the kitchen so it's difficult.  Normally when I'm at home I put him in his crate and go upstairs on the PC for an hour or so in the morning, but I can't stay out of the kitchen on other occasions, it's just not practical.  I suppose the amount of sleep they need varies from pup to pup.  Toby is 4 months old and whilst I am at home probably has a sleep twice a day and that's only if I am out of the way and he's in his crate or if I sit on the sofa with him.  Maybe he's just completely spoilt  .

[Sara_Clara]

Pebbles is definetely far, far worse when she's overtired.  Just like an overtired child.  I really, really never realised what hard work a puppy is and yet have had dogs nearly all my life (never a puppy).  I know it will be worth it in the end but wow it's difficult.