# Does your puppy have a witching hour?



## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

We're trying to decide what's going on with our 9-month-old pup, Casper. This isn't really a new problem, but it's becoming more clear it's a pattern. Around 8pm he starts to lose it. He gets bitey, restless, and pants. I take him for his last walk of the day to tire him out. I do some grooming and petting to relax him, though he doesn't find it as relaxing as he used to. He starts grabbing toys and trying to jump on top of us on the couch. He wants on the couch so he can have "special time" with his "special toy" (humping). While he's standing on us on the couch. Uh, no. Of course, there is lots of "off, off, off." And he gets bitey. We take away his special toy, and then he just wanders around making trouble and panting. Finally around 10:30 he collapses on the floor and goes to sleep.

We are trying to decided if we should put him in the kitchen or in his kennel earlier in the evening. We tried the sitting on the leash for a couple of days, just to keep him off the couch. That did keep him off the couch, and he spent a little time laying on the floor. So we could do that.

He is not like this the rest of the day. Active and playful, sure. 

I guess my question is - is he tired and can't figure out how to go to sleep? Seems to me a dog would know he's tired and needs to go to sleep. None of our other dogs ever did this.


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## marshallsmom (Dec 22, 2011)

Our pup used to do this at night too. Acts like a totally cranky toddler and then passes out for the night so we assumed that maybe they are just like babies (can be cranky when sleepy). When he was a puppy it seemed like he would do it many times during the day and then crashes and the older he gets slowly only does this at night. Now he is 9.5 months and he only does this occasionally, usually when he does not get enough exercise during the day.


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## Golden Lady (Aug 30, 2011)

My 10 month old Mia does the same thing. It starts around 8:00. I'll take her for her walk and she still acts up then finally crashes on the floor. I hope this will pass.


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## MurrayPup (Apr 10, 2012)

Murray does it too - he'll be like a slug at night until 8 or 9 then starts zooming around and wanting to play. We try to tire him out but even that doesn't work! It's like an inner clock ticks on and says "time to be obnoxious" right when we're trying to settle down and relax!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Yep, like clock work!! 8:00...on the dot. That's the good news.

The bad news was that until she was about a year, it started at 3 in the afternoon and ended at 8!! A long 5 hours!


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## Goldens R Great (Aug 19, 2010)

Casper sounds similar to my dog Finn who is also 9 months old. Finn justs keep going and going even when I know he's tired, but he simply won't lay down and relax or go to sleep. :hyper: Once I put him in his crate (a/k/a his man cave) he totally relaxes and falls asleep quickly. He actually seems relieved once he gets in his crate. I know I am!


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## marshallsmom (Dec 22, 2011)

Ah this just reminded me there was a stretch of time that it would go from 5-8pm for us (so we try not to leave him alone unless he is crated at this time for fear that he might destroy something).

Its like they are so tired and wired at the same time and can't make up their mind if they want to keep playing or fall asleep. These days, I would indulge his silliness but after and hour I would step out of room for a few minutes, I come back and find him snoring


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## ms_summer (Mar 23, 2012)

I know the feeling!

Summer becomes a little monster from 7:30-9:30 PM when she finally goes sleep. Idk why she is so hyper at night, when all day she behaves like a little angel and i know she is tired lol!


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## JDK (Jul 30, 2011)

JJ's is between the hours of 6am and 11pm


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Yes, Tucker does that in the evening. About 9 or 10. Wait! Thats right now on the West Coast! Tuckerrrrrr---stop thaaaaat!!!!!


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Must be a dog thing. For mine it is about 6 pm right after their long-leash training. They come in wired, both hump each other, growly bitey face time and generally all over the place. We try to keep them playing outside until supper is ready but each night it differs when they plop down for sleep. Late is also our zoomie time and a mess to get both outside to run it off. Fun for them, but by then I am pooped.


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## MILLIESMOM (Aug 13, 2006)

My Schitzu/Rat Terrier Cricket does this every night at 7. She is 20 months old and weighs 6 lbs. She runs around,tortures Pearl picks up her favorite toy gets up in our laps and shoves it in our face. If we try to ignore her she tries to put it in your hand. I play tug of war with her for about twenty minutes straight. All of a sudden she will lay down and pass out.


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## MaMaHoricon (May 22, 2012)

Everett is only 8 weeks and his very noticable "witching hour" is right around 8pm. Thank goodness for my husband though! Last night I was just overwhelmed with getting bitten, pushing him off of me when he tried to hump me, etc. I had tried to wear him out with free-run time and training, but he was still wild!
So DH decided it was time for Everett to sleep. So he went into the kitchen with him, relaxed, and just kept speaking low and calmly "Settle Down." Every time Everett tried to shove a toy in his face, bite him, etc, DH just gently and calmly pushed him away and ignored him, all the while calmly saying "Settle Down."
After just a short while, Everett laid down by DH's feet, started licking his toes (gross haha), and then fell asleep. DH scooped him up and put him in his kennel.

I was so impressed! I'm sure it's easier that he's so small and only 8 1/2 weeks old, but BOY! I wasn't getting results like that. I think it'll be my turn to try it tonight.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Good to know we're not the only ones! I was thinking "like a toddler", but I really try not to compare the dog to the kids too much. As it is, I have to constantly remind the kids (now in college) that, yes, we did cuddle and coo at them just as much as we do the puppy now.

I took Casper on a hike today. Made it half-way to the lake, which was pretty good, all things considered. He took a nice 2 hour nap when we got home. Then woke up promptly at 7:30 for his dinner and then got all wound up. He's calm now since I gave him a bone. Buying time...


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## Cappie (May 31, 2012)

I'm not sure I'd call it a witching hour, but Cappie fraps every night at around 11pm. After several circuits around the living room, she drinks water and plops down to get ready for bed. 

Her full name is Cappuccino, Cappie for short. But when she's in her crazy state, we call her Frappuccino or Frappie.


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## Jingers mom (Feb 10, 2012)

Riley (11 weeks old today) gets crazy early, early in the morning (4-6AM) and then he's good until about 8PM when he gets crazy for a second time.


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## sarahlauren (Jun 10, 2012)

JDK said:


> JJ's is between the hours of 6am and 11pm


lol, that's awesome.


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## jaxdepo (Jun 21, 2012)

I am so happy to hear this is normal!! I admitt I have put Jax to bed for 9:00 because I can't take it any longer. I don't want to do that often because he spends most of the day in his crate.... He is only 8 weeks, I guess I have a long time to go still LOL. He sleeps right through till 5 or 6 though without a peep.


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## Womn2Blame (Jan 8, 2012)

Yep, our 8-month-old Nugget drives us batty just about every night from 8:00 to about 10:00, and then, if we're lucky, she craps out. Hubby and I want to settle in and watch tv or read, and Nugget gets that wild look in her eyes. She jumps on the couch and wants to bite and nip at me, and when I make her get down, she gets the zoomies. Round and round the room, up on the couch, slams into me, back around the room, and on and on till she runs down. Then, she starts her thieving ways - stealing things off the kitchen counters and taunting us to chase her for them.  I try to have a stuffed and frozen Kong ready, or a new bone for her to work on. 

When she just won't settle down, and we've had enough, I put her to bed in her crate in the kitchen. Turn out all the lights, close the doors to the family room, and she usually doesn't complain much. I liken her to a little child who's tired but just won't give up and go to sleep. On the plus side, she's definitely not a morning dog - she's happy to sleep in till we want to get up.


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