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Hi Everyone,

I am facing some issues with my 4 month old male shih tzu. Around the time of 6-8 P.M almost everyday some devil takes over him and he is completely out of control. He barks non stop, bites are feet, bites are hands(if we try to tame him), growls and is not his usual self. Usually he is a very relaxed and loving puppy. He is potty trained and has learnt the basic tricks also. He loves food and treats and everyone loves him in the house.  

But his behavior in the evening is beyond my understanding, since I am at work and my mum is taking care of him it gets very difficult for her to take care of such an aggressive little puppy. He has bit her often and now its getting out of hand as this is not acceptable. Even if I am home on weekends I have seen this behavior and if he does it in front of me I give him the be in the room alone for 5-10 mins treatment(But that doesn't work always). I do take him for a walk every morning and he is absolutely fine throughout the day, just the evenings he goes crazy

I need your help people what could be the reason behind this behavior, is it teething or what is it please help as I dont wish to give him away.

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Pawz4me

Welcome!

It's very common for puppies and young adult dogs to have a period of activity in the early evening. It's often referred to as the zoomies or FRAPs (frenetic random activity periods). Of course I can't know for sure, but it sounds to me as if that's what's happening with your puppy. My Yogi is five and he still has an active period somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. What I would do is either try to tire him out a bit more during the day or have your mom if possible devote some time to playing with him when he gets rowdy like that. It can be difficult during those active times to get them to play nicely--they really do seem to feel absolutely full of themselves! We usually play along with it -- we "jump" at him to get him running (zooming) around the house until he tires himself out fairly quickly (unlike medium/large breed puppies who can go on and on and on with the zooming for a very long time). Putting him in a room alone is probably the worst thing you can do, as he likely really needs (physically and mentally) to work off that evening energy, and he won't do it by himself

Also, I feel the need to caution you that four months old is very, very much still a baby. You (and your mom) may need to lower your expectations quite a bit for a few more weeks or even months. Just like you can't expect a baby human to behave like an adult, you can't expect that from a dog, either. They have to go through their developmental periods before they get to the good part.

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Crinkly

Hi and welcome.

You say this happens at the same time every day, is it after food?  In that case, it could be a reaction to the food itself, whether that is a sugar rush (is the food high in carbohydrate, grains, potato, sweet potato?) or a food intolerance (grain, protein type, flavouring, colouring or additive).

Having said that, does your pup get enough exercise, stimulation and activity during the day?

I have an exceedingly bouncy 2 year old.  We walk her almost every day.  A nice long (up to 3 miles, but usually 1-2 miles) walk in interesting surroundings.  She sniffs, she runs, she bounces and explores.  On those days, she is a delightful, sweet natured, chillaxed little love.

On days when we are unable to walk her (weather, ill health, awkward scheduling) she is fine all day, until we hit the middle of the evening, usually after her food.  At that point she goes BALLISTIC.  Charging about the house like a cartoon dog, wheels spinning.  Barking.  Bouncing.  Her bite inhibition deteriorates. She tries to pull Cato off my lap by his tail.  Killing toys.  Going out into the garden to bark at the sky...

She is just letting off steam because she needs the stimulation and exercise that a daily walk gives her.  Without it, she goes stir crazy and has masses of pent up energy.

I have learned that the only way to deal with it is to match her - wrestling.  toy throwing.  calling her backwards and forwards from room to room, training sessions.

I do NOT tell her off.  It isn't her fault that she is a healthy, fit, active healthy young creature who NEEDS stimulation and exercise. - and as soon as we have allowed her to 'let off steam' in a positive, fun way, she relaxes, and settles down again.

Hope that helps.

(probably worth mentioning that 4 month old puppies shouldn't be walked 1-3 miles a day! :) they do better with short bursts of training and fun and games, along with much shorter walks :) so you may find a dramatic improvement if you walk him when you get home from work, every evening.)

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Shihtzumummy2
14 minutes ago, rishkum said:

Hi Everyone,

I am facing some issues with my 4 month old male shih tzu. Around the time of 6-8 P.M almost everyday some devil takes over him and he is completely out of control. He barks non stop, bites are feet, bites are hands(if we try to tame him), growls and is not his usual self. Usually he is a very relaxed and loving puppy. He is potty trained and has learnt the basic tricks also. He loves food and treats and everyone loves him in the house.  

But his behavior in the evening is beyond my understanding, since I am at work and my mum is taking care of him it gets very difficult for her to take care of such an aggressive little puppy. He has bit her often and now its getting out of hand as this is not acceptable. Even if I am home on weekends I have seen this behavior and if he does it in front of me I give him the be in the room alone for 5-10 mins treatment(But that doesn't work always). I do take him for a walk every morning and he is absolutely fine throughout the day, just the evenings he goes crazy

I need your help people what could be the reason behind this behavior, is it teething or what is it please help as I dont wish to give him away.

It is my experience that all young animals, not matter if they are domesticated or otherwise have a mad period just before the sun goes down. We have cattle, and sheep, they go grazy too out in the paddocks at the same time my dogs go nutty.  The stage your puppy is at is the stage that demands you to take control, your puppy needs to be taught not to bite. I have a five month old puppy who has bitten all of our family members at various times. Even now if she gets too excited she will attempt to bite, but thinks better of it now.We have all taught her bite restraint, She no longer bites but still is mouthing as if she is going to, It's just a developmental stage, and during this phase they are teething too. Patience is the key here, tolerance and heaps of patience. A sharp NO is absolutely necessary and this needs to be repeated often. Martha my little puppy is growing out of it thank goodness, she's lost most of her puppy teeth, and now has the kinder rounded adult teeth. It takes time to train a little puppy, time and patience, but ultimately the robust mad evening outbursts are normal for most animals, even my older 6 year old dog has his mad evening outbursts too. We look forward to it, it's their time for fun, and our time to observe it and to enjoy it .Good luck 

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ParadiseTzu

First of all, welcome to this lovely board!  I wholeheartedly agree with all the above statements.  Your baby is still such a puppy at four months old.  He is most likely teething and so biting is most always present at that age. You must consistently work on it tho so it wont develop into a lingering habit. A tap on the nose with a "no biting" works but again must be consistent. I have a 22 month old shih tzu that has long stopped his obsessive biting EXCEPT around my husband who played 'roughhouse' with him rather than disciplining him so when hubby is sitting in his recliner watching tv, Willie will come flying up biting his hands.  Willie wouldnt think about doing that to anyone else, at his age now.  Again, all must consistently work on this with your puppy now.

As far as evening behavior, both my dogs, the other one is six, will go tearing around the den floor, barking, growling, running and pouncing on toys and each other. Just working off energy. We love to watch it, to us it means they are feeling good.

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PipsMom

Hi and welcome to our family. 

Wont go into length because most have already gave you sound advice. First thing I thought of was food related adrenaline rush and also that time of evening he needs to expel excess energy  to unwind and sleep the night, all normal.

Try taking him for a walk right before that time so he gets tired and able to rid himself of excess energy and see if it helps with behaviour.

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Anonymous

I have a four month old Shih Tzu puppy and he does the same thing.

I agree with everyone else, it's a combo of the time of day and his age. Definitely try to increase the exercise throughout the day and in the evening. 

 

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Jo-Anne
7 hours ago, rishkum said:

Hi Everyone,

he is completely out of control. He barks non stop, bites are feet, bites are hands(if we try to tame him), growls and is not his usual self. Usually he is a very relaxed and loving puppy. He is potty trained and has learnt the basic tricks also. He loves food and treats and everyone loves him in the house.  

But his behavior in the evening is beyond my understanding, since I am at work and my mum is taking care of him it gets very difficult for her to take care of such an aggressive little puppy. He has bit her often and now its getting out of hand as this is not acceptable. Even if I am home on weekends I have seen this behavior and if he does it in front of me I give him the be in the room alone for 5-10 mins treatment(But that doesn't work always). I do take him for a walk every morning and he is absolutely fine throughout the day, just the evenings he goes crazy

 

 You have a healthy Shih-Tzu who has the Zoomies..doggie.gif:D there is nothing wrong with him..they also can do it when they had their baths. But I can understand how you feel if you don`t know what is happening. I do so agree with Pawz4 that putting Ruffy in a room is not an option at all! He is just being a puppy getting all his energy out. Now with a small dog mostly it doesn`t give any problems with the speed they run around with, but with my shepards I always open the back door to the garden :oDon`t try and tame him with your hands and avoid whacking your dog on the  nose. Keep your hands and your feet still while he has the zoomies. Your hands are for petting your paw..loving him. And as suggested give him a squeeking toy but not while  he is nipping your hands or feet, then you call AU with a high voice. One of those dog treat maze balls is maybe an option too. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DOG-TREAT-MAZE-BALL-ADJUSTABLE-HOLES-GREAT-FOR-EXERCISE-HELPS-STOP-BOREDOM-/161509205262 Also I think it is great your puppy is trained and he allready learned the basic tricks, but it doesn`t end there, I am Mom of a 7 year old Shih-Tzu boy who still suprises me.. and that is so much fun. 

So the next time he is "in front of you" as you say, maybe you can try a few of the suggestions made here by members today.. he is just a little baby still who is growing up and needs his dad.

Puppytime goes fast..and of course there are things that we rather skip..but it is so much fun too..

 

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minabey

Yup, yup. We get also get zoomies after bath and in the evening. Monkey just go stir-crazy. Just a little egging would get him going, complete with growling or grunting and going 100 miles, jumping up and down furnitures. I join in and chase him around, hide in corners and surprise him. After a while, he'll just plop down belly to floor, tongue hanging. That's my signal that's he's had enough and we get him a drink of cold water. Then he chills out on his perch.

For the times I'm too lazy to run around with him, I have broken tent pole with the string and tied to the end of the string is a little stuffy and I go "fishing". He chases the toy and I stay in place trying to be quick enough for him to not catch the stuff and make him chase it around. 

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Sophie's Haven

This happens at my house also.......especially when they have been house bound for a few days. It does not matter the time of day either when one starts they all join in........it helps to let them go outside and blow off their excess energy.....I open the back door and it is like 7 cannon balls have been shot thru the air......they run and play and do lots of sniffing and in the end it makes for a very quiet evening as they are all tuckered out.......

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Missysmom

same here with the tzu 500, i just cheer her on! love your fishing pole idea Minabey will have to try that!

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Crinkly

2 days of no walk (its been raining constantly) and Tara just did this.  Hysterical! Cato just sat and watched, barking in her face when she tried to charge him.  Lol.

she kept it up for 20 minutes, then keeled over.  She is now snoring. Loudly.

tomorrow we WALK!!! :D

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