Every dog owner has experienced a version of “that moment.” Your dog gets all wild-eyed, takes off at full tilt and acts like his dinner was laced with amphetamines, and has lost his everloving mind.
He may have ripped through the house, caromed off of the furniture like a ping-pong ball, or bounced off you and other human residents like he is auditioning for American Gladiator.
Some folks call it “the zoomies,” some others have more colorful euphemisms.
I always caution folks to be careful with what they allow in this regard, since the behavior is highly addictive and permitting it to continue unchecked can lead to a heavy schedule of self-reinforcement.
The trouble with the term “zoomies” is that it has become a cavalier phrase with a multitude of meanings, like “reactive” or “aggressive.” Never entirely accurate, and can allude to things that don’t really exist in any particular dog. People use it for a dog who makes a few loose, happy laps after a bath, or they use it for the puppy who turns into a biting, barking, frantic nuisance every night after dinner. They use it for a dog who steals a sock, starts a game of keep-away, ignores every directive to stop, and becomes more aroused as everyone around him becomes more aroused.
These behaviors may not be related, nor do they stem from the same source, and therefore should not be viewed or treated the same way.
The formal name frequently attached to the classic sudden burst of hyper arousal is frenetic random activity periods, or FRAPs. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine notes that there is no single known cause. A burst can follow play, excitement, training, grooming, a period of confinement, defecating, or a long day. It may be a release of pent-up energy or stress.
That information may tell us something useful, but not enough to address the problem. “No single known cause” does not mean the answer is to stand aside and let the dog rehearse uncontrolled behavior in the house. A dog can be enthusiastic without being out of control. The point is not to eliminate a dog’s joyfulness. The point is to teach him that excitement does not cancel obedience, boundaries, or self-control.
What People Mean by “Zoomies”
A normal burst of activity is usually brief, undirected, and easy to recognize. The dog may tuck his rear, make a few fast turns, play-bow, bounce, and be over it. When he slows down, he looks relieved or happy; eyes are soft, body posture is loose and relaxed . He can still hear you. He will still respond to you. He easily returns to himself.
PetMD describes zoomies as sudden activity that can include running, spinning, play bows, and vocalization. It also notes that the behavior can be associated with excitement, play, frustration, stress, or overtiredness, not merely “too much energy.”
That distinction matters because the word alone doesn’t tell you what you are looking at.
A short burst of running around after a bath may simply be a dog releasing excitement. A dog who becomes mouthy, grabs clothes, crashes through the room, barks at people, and cannot settle every evening is showing a broader problem. He may be overtired. He may be overstimulated. He may be anticipating a predictable event. He may have learned that turning himself into a small tornado creates a feedback loop from most if not all the members of the household. And who doesn’t like being the center of attention.
Having the zoomies isn’t a capital crime, but left unchecked, it can quickly become more than a cute thing your dog does occasionally.
When a Burst of Energy Is Just a Burst of Energy
Not every ‘zoomy’ dog needs a correction, a lecture, or a formal training session. Dogs run. Dogs play. Young dogs in particular can be physically exuberant. A brief episode in which the dog remains loose, recovers quickly, and does not create danger or chaos is not implying that normal activity is a problem.
Safety still matters. A dog racing around without much regard for his surroundings can slip on a slick floor, hit furniture, run down stairs, collide with a person, or injure himself in a cramped space. Cornell advises paying attention to footing and to the dog’s body language, particularly if he appears fearful, tense, or unable to settle afterward.
Safety is not the whole answer. Zoomy-proofing your house isn’t a solution. Clearing a path through the living room may keep a dog from hitting a table, but it also acts as a tacit endorsement for behavior that left unchecked, can and will manifest into something bigger and less entertaining very quickly. Overstimulation becomes self-reinforcing, and self-reinforcing behaviors are the most difficult to extinguish.
The question is not whether a dog should ever run hard or play without restriction. The question is whether he can still respect boundaries and not dismiss human feedback when his energy rises. If he can’t, then the behavior is no longer just something to make room for, it’s something that needs remediation.
When “Zoomies” Become Self-Reinforcing
Dogs do not need ‘treats’ to be rewarded. The behavior itself can be very rewarding.
Racing through the house can be very exciting. Sharp turns, reckless speed, barking, and grabbing things can be super stimulating. A stolen sock can start a game of keep-away. Grabbing a pant leg enlists the direct feedback of the human in the room. Barking becomes a tacit signal where the dog knows feedback will occur. Jumping on furniture or bouncing into people may be rewarding simply because it electrifies the whole atmosphere.
Pretty soon everybody is involved.
The dog hears its name in excited, elevated tones. Someone may chase him. The same person may laugh. Someone tries to grab at the thing the dog possesses or throws a toy to redirect him. Someone repeatedly shouts “no,” “off,” or “quiet.” To the dog, all of that becomes fuel for excitement. The more wildly he behaves, the more active and stimulating his immediate world becomes.
That doesn’t mean the dog is being manipulative or plotting against the household. It does mean he is learning how to influence his environment. It produces excitement, movement, access, and some form of direct feedback. Behavior that works is always repeated.
Most resources for dog training acknowledge that human ‘participation’ can absolutely help reinforce zoomie-like behavior by contributing to the excitement through chasing the dog, yelling, laughing or making the situation more exciting.
The point is not that every burst of excitement is a serious behavior problem. The point is that it can become one when the dog repeatedly practices being more aroused, less responsive, and harder to interrupt.
A dog who learns that loss of control starts a game is not learning how to relax. He is becoming an endorphin junkie.
Excitement Doesn’t Excuse Disobedience
A dog does not have to become a statue in order to be trained. He can be happy, energetic, playful, and expressive. There is no reason he can’t run, wrestle, and enjoy himself.
But, he must also remain controllable.
An excited dog should still be able to slow down. He should be able to recall away from a person, an object, or an interesting space. He should recognize and respond to established cues. He should not be allowed to knock people over, grab clothing, bounce off furniture, steal objects, or ignore every other boundary just because he got excited.
The useful question is not, “Does he have the zoomies?”, it is, “Will he listen to me when he gets excited?”
If the answer is no, then training can’t start during these explosions of behavior. You can’t teach a dog self-control while he’s working himself into a lather. You train for skills in advance of your need for them. You introduce skills methodically in neutral environments and then proof them over time by introducing or compounding distractions designed to compete for the dog’s attention.
A dog needs to understand that a recall command still means to come to you when he is ripping around like a maniac. An appropriate response is still required, even when something looks fun. Boundaries around people, furniture, doors, and household objects still exist when arousal is imminent. A dog who knows a retreat command, for example, should learn that going to his place is not a punishment for feeling excited. It is part of learning how to cope with stimulation and make good choices.
This is why it doesn’t help to wait until the dog is completely tuned out and then start shouting commands he has no chance of following. The goal isn’t to overpower excitement. It is to teach the dog that excitement and self-control can exist at the same time.
The “Puppy Witching Hour”
The puppy witching hour is where people most often miscategorize the “zoomies.”
A puppy who spins a few happy laps after dinner may simply be having a burst of activity. But the phrase “puppy witching hour” usually describes something wholly different: a predictable time, often late afternoon or evening, when the puppy becomes overstimulated and impossible to control.
He may become mouthy, grabbing hands, sleeves, shoes, or furniture. He may bark, demand attention, pester other pets, jump on people, steal objects, ignore known cues, or seem unable to settle no matter what you try.
PetMD notes that many dogs have an evening burst after dinner and before bedtime, with triggers being stacked by the assembly of the entire family after school or work, more activity, the approach of mealtime, and the inevitable conclusion framed by an approaching ‘bedtime’. It’s useful to know triggers, but it rarely translates into providing more exercise, walks or other stimulation.
It may seem like tired puppies are easier to take care of, but the energy expenditure in human costs is compounded by time, and you really have to critically assess what type of dog you are building; a super athlete endorphin junkie, or the calm, obedient companion you hope you and your family can enjoy many trouble-free years with.
It’s possible, that much like children, the puppy is simply over-tired. Growing puppies need to sleep. A lot. Healthy, normal growth is predicated on adequate rest, and for a puppy, that looks a lot like brief periods of activity followed by hours of sleep. The average 12 week old puppy requires up to 18 hours of sleep a day.
Sometimes, a pup may have had too little appropriate activity and has learned to manufacture his own entertainment. The answer to that is finding suitable activities; framing those activities around moderate stimulation or an earlier opportunity to settle.
What does not solve the underlying problem is repeatedly allowing the puppy to self-reinforce for a lack of self control by chasing, roughhousing, over-arousal and fueled by over-excited responses from family members. You cannot out-exercise a dog who has learned that arousal is exciting and effective. Compounding arousal with more arousal is never a successful formula.
Don’t Wait Until the Dog Is Overwhelmed
The most useful work happens before the dog crosses the line into chaos.
Pay attention to the time of day. Notice what happens in the fifteen or twenty minutes before the usual escalation. What rung of the arousal ladder has the puppy reached? Is there more movement than usual? Is The puppy pestering other animals in the home, or other family members? Is he getting mouthy? A nuisance in the kitchen as meals are being prepared?
Take note of the human contribution to this building of energy. Are the members of the family becoming louder and more animated? When exactly is the puppy getting more stimulated? Before or after meals, walks, visitors, or has he had a long period of time without the opportunity to rest?
Those early signs give you a chance to intervene while the dog can still think.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Before the usual trouble begins, control the environment. Make sure the dog has had an opportunity to relieve himself. Use a 4 to 6 foot leash attached to your dog’s collar to enforce a pause in play, establish controlled contact with humans and other pets, initiate a retreat behavior to a dog bed or crate. Demand respect for space. Execute control before the dog starts bouncing off the walls, not after he’s been doing it for 15 minutes.
It is both inappropriate and silly to try to punish a puppy for being a puppy. The goal is to stop reinforcing inappropriate behavior that can and will develop into a much larger issue. Stop reinforcing keep-away games, barking, mouthing, stealing and other adrenaline-triggering activities. Don’t wait until you’re angry and your puppy is too overstimulated to intervene, and then expect him to learn from your red-faced confrontation.
What behaviors need to be established to navigate through the rough spots are defined by your expectations. If you want a dog that matures into a calm, obedient companion, then establish routines that encourage that behavior when the dog is young and before bad habits are established. It really isn’t that difficult. Leash and collar management when you are present mentally and physically, and crate confinement when you are preoccupied with other tasks.
Teach the dog how to ignore distractions, which may include the presence of other people, animals in the home, the kids’ toys, your shoes, etc. Teach the dog to retreat to a specific location in whatever room you occupy and to remain there until released. Help your dog understand that the evening is a time of relaxation, and that attention will be forthcoming in the form of reinforcement for calm and appropriate behavior.
If the pattern is difficult to sort out, a short video of the few minutes before the dog escalates can be more useful than a description given after the fact. That kind of real-life footage is also useful in online dog training, where the work takes place with the dog in his normal environment.
When It Isn’t a Training Problem
Not every manic episode is an obedience problem, however.
A dog who suddenly hides, trembles, or appears to be in pain and reacts fearfully should not be dismissed. Cornell recommends veterinary attention when a dog seems frightened, anxious, or in pain during this type of activity.
A sudden behavior change can be a symptom of something else. The same is true of a dog who appears panicked, resists being controlled, or becomes dangerous around people or other animals.
Most owners do not need to choose between pretending nothing is happening and treating every burst of energy as a crisis. They need to pay closer attention to their dog.
A brief burst of running around happily may be exactly what it looks like: a dog having a good time. A nightly tsunami of barking, biting, stealing, and ignoring people is not explained away by calling it the zoomies. It is a ritualized pattern of behavior that needs to change.
You are not crushing the ‘spirit’ out of your dog by requiring that he behave calmly in the evenings, when the whole family is assembled after a long day. It’s okay to acknowledge that the dog doesn’t understand your long daily absences and sudden nightly re-appearances, but it is not okay for the dog to create chaos because of it.
Training specifically addresses that arousal state and how to control it effectively. If you need help, I am only an email away.
