Why does my puppy go crazy in the evenings?!
My sweet, little puppy becomes a complete psycho around 7 p.m.
We know to start enjoying for “the demon” to come out around this time every night.
Typical behaviors from my Demon Puppy during the “witching hour” include barking, growling, biting and desperately trying to find things to shred.
He torments the cats, bites the leash and is just a complete terror.
He forgets all training and chases “imaginary friends.” My puppy goes completely nuts, running around with “the zoomies.”
Lyder dette velkendt? (Please say yes!)
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Why does my puppy go crazy in the evenings?
Why does my puppy go nuts before bed?
How to manage your crazy puppy in the evenings
1. stay calm when your puppy gets wild!
2. choose a kicking back walk to calm your wild puppy
3. A note on night time puppy zoomies!
4. Don’t expect your wild puppy to focus on training
5. give the crazy puppy something to chew
6. Tether the puppy when he’s wild
7. put the puppy in his crate when he’s too wild
8. plenty of walks and play for your puppy during the day
When do puppies grow out of the witching hour? When will my puppy calm down?
Our favorite products for Puppies
Why does my puppy go crazy in the evenings?
I hear it’s normal for puppies to become downright WILD at night as I’ve read person after person describing the exact same thing. Some people are very concerned about this puppy madness! no one alerted them about it!
So, is the puppy’s evening WILDNESS from being overly worn out or is it from not enough exercise?
I think, usually, it’s a little of both.
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Why does my puppy go nuts before bed?
Why does my puppy go crazy in the evenings?
One of my readers said the wild puppy behavior at night happens because the puppy is actually overly tired. instead of needing a lot more exercise he is ready for bed. (Think of little kids throwing tantrums in the evenings when they’re tired.)
In our case, I think this is true. Remy is acting wild from being overly tired.
Remy falls asleep as soon as I put him in his kennel. He does get plenty of exercise and interaction, play and training throughout each day so I do not feel bad about putting him to bed in his kennel at 9 p.m. hver nat.
On the other hand, you do want to make sure your puppy or young pet dog is getting the exercise he needs earlier in the day. That way, when he gets his evening “crazies” you know you’ve done your part and don’t have to feel guilty about crating him!
How to manage your crazy puppy in the evenings
Why does my puppy go crazy in the evenings?
Clearly I could use some ideas myself, but here are my suggestions. Can’t wait to read yours too. Please add them in the comments (we could all use the help!).
1. stay calm when your puppy gets wild!
Oh my God, this is my greatest challenges as I can lose my patience pretty swiftly when my puppy goes mad.
As reader Jessi said recently in the comments of this post:
“I got so frustrated with him (my puppy) on Friday night that I yelled at him and stuffed him in his crate, because apparently I am about as mature as my 4-month-old puppy.”
Yep, me too … me too.
I try not to get mad and yell at my puppy. Yelling is not really going to help. It’s also not the best time to engage in exciting games like fetch or tug. If I do play these games in the evenings, I keep the play to just a few minutes so it’s controlled.
2. choose a kicking back walk to calm your wild puppy
I’ve recently moved Remy’s walk from 5 p.m. to about 7:30 p.m. This helps manage the craziness. We get back at 8:15 or 8:30 and I only have to put up with him for another 40 minutes or so before I put him to bed. Færdig.
Since a lot of puppies can’t go running yet or on really long walks, it can help to have them on a longer leash to give them a bit a lot more freedom to run and step around. Rotate between structured, training walks and “fun” walks where they can sniff and explore.
See my posts:
How far can I walk my puppy?
Exercise ideas for puppies
3. A note on night time puppy zoomies!
If you have a fenced yard, the evening might be a good time to just let your puppy zoom around the yard for 15 minutes like a mad man. then he might be able to calm down afterwards!
Cute, but crazy.
4. Don’t expect your wild puppy to focus on training
You’d think working on some calming training exercises like down/stay would be valuable during this time. If that works for you, great! absolutely do that.
In our case, Remy seems to forget everything he’s learned and it doesn’t work well for me to practice basic training at this time. We just get frustrated with each other and he ends up biting and flailing around while I wrangle him. just not worth it.
What does work is to practice a lot more training during the middle of the day when he’s able to focus.
I use a treat bag on walks to reward him for paying attention or doing basic obedience. That way, come evening, I don’t have to feel guilty about not spending quality training time with him. using high-valued treats your puppy loves makes a big difference with focus, too.
5. give the crazy puppy something to chew
It can really help if you give your hyper puppy something to chew on in the evenings. Some good options include:
Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter
Bully sticks
Lick mat
If you freeze the Kong, the cold sensation might feel good on his teeth and gums if he’s teething. Plus, this makes the treat last longer.
You can put a leash on your puppy if that helps him clear up down. For example, if you’re sitting on the couch enjoying TV. Although, some will just freak out and chew the leash, ideal Remy?
This would be a good time to get out any of your puzzle toys or interactive toys. A Kong Wobbler is another good puzzle option. The puppy has to push it around to get dry food or treats to fall out.
For a lot more ideas, see the best puzzle toys for dogs.
“Åh hej. I chew up pet dog beds, so I don’t get a bed. I get an old sheet.”
6. Tether the puppy when he’s wild
You could simply try leashing your puppy up and stepping on the leash to help clear up him down.
If that doesn’t work, you can also try tethering the pup to something heavy, assuming he won’t chew whatever he’s tethered too. I recommend a chew proof leash or a chain leash. and of course you must still be in the room to supervise your puppy.
Confession: often we tether Remy to our two 30-pound dumbbells and set him across the room for us while we enjoy TV.
Some will think this looks like pet dog abuse. I call it puppy management. ?
I don’t recommend this if your puppy is getting frustrated and barking or pulling, but it can work well if he’s able to stay on a blanket chewing a bone.
*If you just got a new puppy, download my complimentary puppy training guide. Klik her
7. put the puppy in his crate when he’s too wild
As I’ve said, the routine that works for us is to feed Remy around 6:45 p.m., walk him from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. and then in the crate he goes at 9 p.m. every night (weekends too).
I simply can’t take it anymore by 9 and we all need some time to kick back without the puppy. (Pretty sure myself, my spouse and our 3 senior animals all let out a substantial sigh of relief once Remy goes to bed.)
I do let him out again for a quick potty break before I go to bed around 10 or 10:30.
If you don’t have a crate for your puppy, I recommend a fold-up wire crate. You could also consider an ex-pen or puppy play pen when you need a break, especially if you have a smaller breed.
8. plenty of walks and play for your puppy during the day
If you supply your puppy with at least an hour or so of walks, play and training throughout the day then he must have less pent-up energy at night.
Or, if your puppy is still going nuts in the evenings, at least you know you’ve done your part! If he’s still going mad in the evenings, he’s not acting out due to lack of exercise. He’s just a growing pup who is overly worn out or overly stimulated.
Again, a long leash is really valuable for letting your pup run around and explore during the day.
When do puppies grow out of the witching hour? When will my puppy calm down?
You may be wondering, when will my 12 week old puppy calm down? godt spørgsmål! I’d love to hear your answers to that one in the comments!
I think so much depends on the individual puppy and things like breed, personality, daily activities, etc.
Why does my puppy go crazy in the evenings?
Larger breeds – especially sporting breeds like Labs, weimaraners, German shorthairs and golden retrievers – do tend to mentally “mature” a little slower.
The same might be true with higher-energy working breeds in general. So much just depends on the individual dog, however.
With my weimaraner, he was pretty wild in the evenings until he was about a year and a half old.
At that time, we did notice asignificant difference. instead of a full evening of puppy shenanigans, he was only wild for about 20 minutes after he ate dinner.
Now my pet dog is 4 years old and we do not have to deal with this witching hour anymore, thank goodness.
Sometimes we think back on it and laugh, saying, “Remember when he became a psycho every single evening?” Haha! So … there’s hope for you too!
Weimaraners are known for being pretty immature until they are at least 2 years old though. Some breeds mature much faster!
What else would you add to this list? Why does my puppy go crazy in the evenings?
In the comment section below, I would love to hear what breed of pet dog you have and how old your puppy is.
It does seem like all breeds and types of dogs have a “witching hour” where they go completely nuts. So, for what it’s worth, you are not alone! held og lykke!
Please tell me some of you have dealt with this kind of behavior! ?
*If you just got a new puppy, download my complimentary puppy training guide. Klik her
Our favorite products for Puppies
1. long Leash:A 15 or 30-ft long leash allows your puppy to explore, run and play on his own when you don’t have a fenced area.
2. treat Pouch:A treat pouch allows you to easily carry treats so you can help your puppy focus. This is valuable on walks as well as for short training sessions.
3. Kong Flier Fetch ToyThe Kong Flier Frisbee is a long lasting toy that’s soft on the puppy’s mouth. It’s terrific for playing fetch in the yard and getting in some much-needed activity!
4. healthy Raw pet dog FoodDarwin’s – I started feeding my puppy raw food from Darwin’s. Get 75% off your first 10 pounds here. No code required.
Other resources:
When you regret getting a puppy
Hjælp! I’m doing everything wrong with my puppy!
Puppy crate training tips
How long do puppies cry at night?
How to stop a puppy’s jumping
Stop puppy biting and nipping
5 ideas to survive puppy adolescence (My GBGV Life)
Get all of our puppy training ideas HERE.
Lindsay Stordahl is the founder of That Mutt. She writes about pet dog training, pet dog exercise and feeding a healthy raw diet.