# Help! I have the energizer puppy!



## domino_angel (Apr 17, 2008)

I love my baby Chloe to pieces, but She's 3 months old and she is super hyper active. I didn't expect her to be SO energetic. She gets to play with us a LOT, and we go for at least one pretty long walk a day. She is usually pretty tired by the end of the walk. But...we get home, and five minutes later she is up and going crazy again! We know this because we do her training (sit, down etc) after walks so she will be more attentive and less wild. Training is usually five minutes if we're lucky. 

Is that normal? I thought puppies usually needed quite a bit of sleep...she doesn't seem to. We put her in her room for "naps" but she doesn't usually nap, she usually plays with her toys by herself. Is this just normal puppy-ness that will die down later? I suppose she is fine, but what makes it a little frustrating is that she *never* wants to sit and cuddle, she just wants to play/bite/wiggle/flail around wildly!

Will she ever chill out? When??


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Every dog has a different temperament. Soda is the same type of temperament and he is not into sitting and cuddling, never has been. But, he's a GREAT dog. 

As a pup, the most important thing was sticking to a schedule that included lots of mental exercise. We did a short walk in the morning and a long walk in the evening. I did 2-3 short (5 min or under) training sessions per day. We played lots of tug and fetch games with mental stimulation - so not just tossing the toy. The dog has to sit, down, take the toy, tug, out, ready along with throwing and tugging. I got lots of interactive toys - kongs, busy buddy toys, hollow bones to stuff, etc. And down time was in the crate with just a plain old boring nylabone. I found enforced down time with no stimulation made him really rest. He did need that rest, he just wasn't capable of enforcing it himself. It decreased the psycho factor where he was overtired. I'd crate him in another room and throw a light sheet over the crate. 

If you can find another dog for her to play with, that is also a good way to help tired her out yet also stimulate her brain.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

ohh my, how do you think minionette got her nick name "the mini-monster"??? LOL!! she's always on the go and she's now 21 months old. well, she did mellow out a bit, she's not _quite_ as spastic, but she's definitely not as mellow as my mass-man. lol.

the puppy stage lasts quite a while, but she's still young. i'm sure things will calm down....eventually. lol..

:grouphug:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Soda is 2 1/2 and is an awesome working dog. I think he'd drive the average pet owner crazy. I picked him specifically for his temperament which is perfect for me.


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## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

Tillie will be 2 years old in September and she is still very busy! I nicknamed her Tillie-Monster...LOL! Tango is much more laid back than her. Sometimes I think the females have more energy than the males!


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## dogloverx3 (Apr 14, 2006)

P.C is almost 5 - and she still runs , all day every day  My Maltese Arabella is truly hyperactive , as a puppy she rarely napped and aged 16 months she never sits still for longer than 5 seconds . Welcome to the world of energetic dog ownership  Sarah


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## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

With Zippy being my 4th maltese, I can say they are just simply active little busy-bodies. Zippy is the most active of any breed that has ever owned me. 

They calm some with age, but my 12 yr old that died about a year and a half ago was still going strong, and as curious as a puppy. She had to know everything that was going on. 

Zippy is 1 yr old now, but as a young puppy, she would go and go until she just dropped. JMM is right...she just couldn't make herself rest lol. she would sleep for a few min, but when those eyes opened...watch out!

I really like the temperament tho. I think the more you just let them be themselves, the more they mentally and physically develop. I love to see a dog that thinks...even tho it might get them into trouble lol. That is one thing I love about maltese...they are thinkers.

My other 3 would figure things out...but Zippy's motto is that if you can't figure it out in the first 2 seconds, just chew your way through it!

Everyday is a new day filled with opportunites play, love, and learn...just ask Zippy


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## bonniesmom (Jun 2, 2008)

QUOTE (domino_angel @ Jun 15 2008, 02:49 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=591324


> I love my baby Chloe to pieces, but She's 3 months old and she is super hyper active. I didn't expect her to be SO energetic. She gets to play with us a LOT, and we go for at least one pretty long walk a day. She is usually pretty tired by the end of the walk. But...we get home, and five minutes later she is up and going crazy again! We know this because we do her training (sit, down etc) after walks so she will be more attentive and less wild. Training is usually five minutes if we're lucky.
> 
> Is that normal? I thought puppies usually needed quite a bit of sleep...she doesn't seem to. We put her in her room for "naps" but she doesn't usually nap, she usually plays with her toys by herself. Is this just normal puppy-ness that will die down later? I suppose she is fine, but what makes it a little frustrating is that she *never* wants to sit and cuddle, she just wants to play/bite/wiggle/flail around wildly!
> 
> Will she ever chill out? When??[/B]


Probably by the time she's three. Just kidding, I really don't know. They are all different - my Eloise was very hyper all of
her short life (6-1/2) until she got sick, although she did calm down some at around 3 - 4 years. Bonnie is much more calm,
and although she has plenty of energy when she's in the mood, it's not such a constant thing. It sounds like you're doing
pretty much everything you can - maybe a little more intellectual stimulation, as one of the other posters wrote - but other
than that, just hang in there and wait it out. :bysmilie:


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## domino_angel (Apr 17, 2008)

Thanks for the input. She was supposed to be the most laid back of the litter! I think she might chill out a bit eventually...someday!

I wanted to take her for 2 walks a day, but it just keeps RAINING!! :smpullhair: We went this morning with the anticipation of going again this evening, and it rained. If I hadn't gone early, there would have been no walk. 

We are working extra hard on our tricks, and have sit, down and up all pretty well learned. We are about half way to learning "bang"/play dead. "Stay" is a big mess...any tips on that one??


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## I found nemo (Feb 23, 2006)

Nemo was also a nut, now at almost 3 he is so calm and just a good boy  
Chloe is a puppy so you have a long wait, but she will mellow out :biggrin:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Stay has 2 components:
time
distance

I suggest working on time first. Have your dog on leash. Have them sit right in front of you. Use your stay cue (I use a clear exaggerated hand signal and a verbal). Reward after a second. Slowly increase the time, varying it (2 seconds, 10 seconds, 4 seconds). Giving the treat ends the behavior. I like to use a release word, too. Mine is "okay". If your dog moves, calmly say "uh oh" and place them back where they belong.

Once your dog understands staying for a period of time, then you can add distance, a step at a time on your 6 ft leash until you get to the end. Then you can get a long line and work further away. Remember, take it slow. A step or 1/2 step a day is good. No rush. Always remember not to release your dog until you get back to them (step back, pause, step forward, release).


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Tilly, at 2, is still called the "Energizer Bunny". Now, I have seen her slow down (but only slightly) and she is still so much more active than Lacie ever was -- or even Nellie, our lab -- and labs are full of energy.

Tilly is a sweetheart and I love her dearly -- but does that girl have E-N-E-R-G-Y to spare!!!! :sHa_banana: :sHa_banana: :chili: :chili: :chili:


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## MrBentleysMom (Dec 19, 2007)

My advice: Doggie Daycare or some type of playgroup. Bentley loves it and he comes home SO tired that he naps almost all day for a day or two after. He gets to use up all of his energy in a positive way. Bentley was the same way, but over the last few months has really mellowed out. He used to HATE to cuddle, but now he LOVES snuggling and just being lazy with us.


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## frankie (Mar 6, 2008)

well read all the post .so i see my jessica is normal after all lol.  .she love to play so hyper.i got toy poodle pup before her last year and he not like her.but i am so happy that she is like she is so fun to watch her has a good time.


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## Moxie'smom (Dec 16, 2007)

It's so funny how quickly things change. The only thing I can say is strangely enjoy it while it lasts..LOL

I remember calling Chrisman and asking if Moxie's Sire and Dam were hyper because he wouldn't stop running and wouldn't cuddle etc. He told me, and rightly so, enjoy it, it won't last long. And he was right. 

It will take a while, but eventually she will calm down and cuddle, lie on the couch etc. I remember asking my husband if he thought Mox was ever going to do those things like my other malt. After all, I loved lying on the couch and cuddling after a long day. My Moxie certainly at 10 months has a lot of "moxie' but he is still a puppy. Not as crazy as he use to be. But he has had a lot of training and structure. Like JMM said, a schedule is really important. We crated him twice for 2 1/2 hours a day for a nap, Covered the crate and he would go to sleep. Note the cover part. Was very important. Even now, Moxie will get crazy, usually at night on our bed when he starts the nutty behavior it's time for him to go to bed. It reminds me of a kid on sugar! 

The mental training will also tire her out. Even in 5 minute segments. We actually started using a hoola hoop. After we introduced him to it he would jump through it for a treat on the other side. He loved the attention and it would also tire him out. You just can't hold the hoola hoop high because jumping too high is not a good thing for their little legs. Do it on a carpet so there is a soft landing and don't raise it very high at all. It will burn off some energy as they jump through one way then the other etc. . The fetch, tug toys and other toys that JMM mentioned also worked really well.

Walks are also good. Whatever you can do to mentally or physically tire them out. A tired puppy is a good puppy.

But really, the puppy zoom thing will continue, so will the bursts of energy, but it will calm down one of these days. Do try to enjoy it because they are only a puppy once!


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Oh, this was just the best topic for us as we constantly ask ourselves "when will our little Chrissy" settle down"? Our late Angel was so calm and laid back and one hardly ever knew that she was around. She just loved to cuddle and get close. Since our Chrissy is only going on six months of age, we keep telling ourselves that "she is still a puppy, and will most likely settle down after she gets a bit older". She will also be getting spayed at the end of the month and that might help her to calm down as well. I guess that we will just have to wait and see. She has settled down somewhat since we got her in February.

Chrissy does take naps though a few times a day which is good but does keep pretty busy playing with her ball and bringing to me to throw and we start all over again. She also has her favorite toy that she plays with most often. Chrissy does spend a lot of time out of her crate while I am up in the Den. We have a little fleece bed for her and some toys to play with. However, when I see that she is getting too wound up, it's in the crate for a "time out" period. We all play with her which she seems to enjoy. She certainly keeps us all on our toes!!!

JMM had some very good suggestions that we will follow as far as training is concerned. We have a large back yard and Chrissy goes out there to run around. Walks in the neighborhood do not happen because she wants to put everything that she sees in her mouth. Hopefully we can work on that issue as time goes by.

Enjoy your little one as they don't stay "puppies" forever.

Snuggle's & Chrissy's Mom


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## jacksonsmomma (Aug 23, 2007)

Jackson is 1 ... (tomorrow!  ) and he absolutely is a nut ball, too. We go on LONG walks - at least 45 minutes - and he does the exact same thing - perks up as soon as we get inside the door and wants to play some more. He has started to mellow out a bit - but he still is very puppy like in his behavior. 

Play groups work really well for Jackson. And the other thing that has some sort of affect (at least when it comes to bedtime at night) are walks where 80 percent of the time (if not more) he is walking nicely: completely behind my left foot - stopping at curbs - stopping when I stop - sitting and waiting (with my assistance, of course!) when other dogs go by, being polite when other people come to say hi, etc. Our walks are really active - I try to engage his mind as much as possible while we walk to mentally tire him out some. I can totally notice the difference between these types of walks and walks where he's just doing a free for all.


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