Happy Hour

by jackie
(liverpool)

Roxy, my Rottie puppy, has a really mad hour at 7.00am she goes nuts. Chews everything in the house that she has been told not to touch all day eg table, couch chairs,and everyones hands.And you can be as firm as you like but she is not listening not in this hour. It is happy hour for her, but not me, is this normal.

She is so good all through the day. We play, she plays with the children they keep her busy,we can't take her out yet until she has her needles I have taught her to sit and stay with treats (she is so clever)But what is this mad hour about?



Hi Jackie
Actually yes, the 'puppy crazies' as we call them is a very normal phenomenon. You said at 7am but I'm wondering if you perhaps meant pm? Usually this craziness happens in the evening, around dinner time.

It seems to be just a build up of nervous energy during the day, and it gets to a point where the puppy just has to 'get it out'! It usually involves a lot of tearing around in circles, barking, nipping, chewing and so on. It's kind of funny to watch sometimes but can definitely be challenging.

The running around and so on is okay, but biting (often seen as snapping at things as the puppy races past) is a no-no. I know that it's difficult to get her to focus when she's in this mood, and often anything you do or say tends to wind her up more, but it's important not to allow her to bite at you or the kids during these mad phases.

If she does do that, catch her (without running after her and getting her more excited, be ready to grab her when this happens). Hold each of her 'cheeks' and look her right in the eye and tell her "No Bite" very firmly. If she wriggles and squirms a lot, don't worry, just lift her front feet up off the floor as you hold her, it puts her off balance a little and may slow her down. Do this every time she does it.

It's difficult to let a puppy wear herself out indoors, and of course you can't expose her to any illnesses until she's vaccinated, but if you have a back garden that she could run around in it would definitely do her good to get some exercise. Although they're big dogs, rottweilers aren't very high energy as adults, and even the pups will wear out pretty quickly. Playing fetch or frisbee or something similar is a good way for her to use up her extra energy and does help to reduce the 'crazies' a little.

This is also where a crate/kennel comes in very useful. If your pup gets too overheated and you just can't get her to listen or calm down, it's one of the times when you use the crate as a method of behavior modification! Just get her a good chew toy and put her in the crate until she calms down. It's like sending a kid to their room.

Dinner time in the evening is prime time for this crazy behavior, and it's similar to the whining and difficult behavior of toddlers and younger kids at that time of day. They're tired, overstimulated, hungry and everyone is a little stressed out. Puppies pick up on this just like kids do, so try extra hard to keep things calm and quiet at that time of day. She will respond to raised noise levels and excitement with her own brand of craziness.

If it's happening at 7am, that's more difficult to take, but the same rules apply.

She will outgrow this behavior and once she's had her vaccinations and can get more exercise etc. it will be easier for her to wear herself out during the day.

It generally sounds as though she's doing really well, and so are you, so keep up the good work and don't worry, this phase will pass just try to follow the guidelines above and be consistent.

Good luck!