# Coping with the zoomies



## GlennR (Nov 26, 2017)

Loki is almost always pretty well behaved for a puppy. However, every couple of days we get that half hour from heck where it seems no training has ever taken place and he seems to have gone crazy, running, jumping, ... well, I'm sure many of you have experienced this at some point.

What strategies do you use? On a given day some of these seem to work.

Playing fetch.

Eating from his Nina puzzle game.

Going into the backyard where he can bounce off the fences as he runs like a dog possessed.

I can't crate him during this time without him resenting it so that's out for now. He does sleep in his crate upstairs each night but daytime confinement acceptance is a work in progress.

Any suggestions are appreciated along with any offers to puppy sit during that half hour. :adore:


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

The zoomies decrease as the puppy grows up. Zoe had the zoomies twice a day for months. It decreased to once a day at about 9 months of age. Now that she is just over a year, it only occurs a few times a week and not for very long.

So just apply tincture of time. . .


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Noelle still gets the zoomies for a little while most days, but it doesn't last long. I sit back and enjoy the silly show. Around the peach tree, over the garden bench, behind the pine tree, around the pear tree and back again. I think it's something Noelle has to do or she'll explode from happiness.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

Click-N-Treat said:


> I think it's something Noelle has to do or she'll explode from happiness.


What a great way of looking at it!


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

This is where it's useful to have another dog you can throw at him. Of course, it doesn't help if she doesn't want to play. In that case, I throw a ball for him until he's got his head together enough to do some sit/stays to calm down.

Now if it's "I got all wet!!" zoomies (what's with that, anyway?) I just make sure delicate surfaces are covered and he's got lots of towels. There's no stopping a wet Archie around here.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Zoomies are fine as long as they're not from stress (usually seen in older dogs in the competition ring). So let that baby zoom


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I would just go with the flow. What you are doing is fine and as long as he is happy it is all good. The only other thing you might want to try is to channel that energy into something interactive like a flirt pole or a tug toy so that you can build in some impulse control activity with the zooming.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Yup! Those zoomies never go away they just become less frequent..........and when that happens you love to watch.........but in the meantime, I say like others before me, go with it! Make it fun for both of you by joining in with a a game of keep away or a tug toy! Relieves stress and excess energy for both of you! Silly dogs................


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Oh my! We LOVE the zoomies! Nothing makes me smile wider than seeing our thirteen year old Whippet Iris with the zoomies. Doesn't happen often anymore, but when it does, it is a joy to behold. Enjoy it Glenn. They grow old in what feels like the blink of an eye.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I love zoomies! Mine don't zoom at home - you need carpets and a sofa with space all round it for really good zoomies, they tell me - but just occasionally when the weather is right and the grass is dry and life is good off they go, and my heart sings! Since Sophy's back problems watching her zoom is a very special gift.

Puppies always seem to want to zoom just as one is ready for bed, I've found. I think it is sheer, overwhelming, exuberant energy, and like others I go with the flow. I still remember the happiness we felt when my mother joined in with our silliness, and I think that is what you need to do with zoomies. Laugh and play along and let joy be unconfined - plenty of other times for training and serious stuff!


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## GlennR (Nov 26, 2017)

I can laugh at the running and jumping as long as it's not people he's jumping on during a madcap session. I suppose the best way for me to deal with it is to simply get him outside when he zooms then there's nothing getting damaged as he lets out all that surplus energy. 

Thank you, everyone, for the supportive advice.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I read flirt pol...I just purchased one off amazon as I think it may help Renn get some of his energy out. I guess what we have experienced is zooms. He can be real good, play with you then go crazy, that when he tears my skin...Perhaps I need to start using the flirt pole, do they need to have a firm drop it or leave it before you use it?


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Thank you for this post, I think we experience the same with our 16 weeks old.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Mufar42 said:


> I read flirt pol...I just purchased one off amazon as I think it may help Renn get some of his energy out. I guess what we have experienced is zooms. He can be real good, play with you then go crazy, that when he tears my skin...Perhaps I need to start using the flirt pole, do they need to have a firm drop it or leave it before you use it?


For a newbie baby dog with a flirt pole drag it on the ground and let them chase and catch it. Then use their interest in it to teach a drop it by trading their grip on it for a treat. Let them eat the treat before playing again. If you run away from the pup with something they are really keen on it will help them to understand that coming after you is lots of fun and you then can turn that into your recall.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Thanks you!


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## GlennR (Nov 26, 2017)

It's good to know Loki is not alone in this. He loses all training or sense of how to behave nicely when the zoomies come upon him. I see a flirt pole in his near future. This has been a good thread for me to see.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

How old old isLoki?


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## GlennR (Nov 26, 2017)

Mufar42 said:


> How old old isLoki?


He's thirteen weeks old. At the moment he's in angel mode, sleeping on my feet.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

As I sit here going through my life-affirming cat's journey to the end of his time in this plane, I revel in memories of his zoomies, his somersaults in his castle, his being little brother to my late dog who helped tame and raise his precious little feral soul, his surprise chomps, and eventually, his games of tradeoff chase with Oliver once he accepted and came to love his new little Poodle bro. And then switching over to re-reading the Rainbow Bridge for the umpteenth time in my pet-owning life, I can't help but revel in your puppy's zoomies, whether they involve bouncing onto and off humans or not. I hope they mostly do.

God, the Universe, the Force, Something far beyond us, gives us our pets and children to enjoy and to learn from and to love beyond reason or measure. Go with the youth and joy, whatever it entails, and eventually you'll have a partner blazingly joyous to accompany you on any virtual or real journey you desire.

p.s. My cat, the penultimate ball player, has a version of The Catch that will never be equaled. And I caught it on camera.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Streetcar said:


> As I sit here going through my life-affirming cat's journey to the end of his time in this plane, I revel in memories of his zoomies, his somersaults in his castle, his being little brother to my late dog who helped tame and raise his precious little feral soul, his surprise chomps, and eventually, his games of tradeoff chase with Oliver once he accepted and came to love his new little Poodle bro. And then switching over to re-reading the Rainbow Bridge for the umpteenth time in my pet-owning life, I can't help but revel in your puppy's zoomies, whether they involve bouncing onto and off humans or not. I hope they mostly do.
> 
> God, the Universe, the Force, Something far beyond us, gives us our pets and children to enjoy and to learn from and to love beyond reason or measure. Go with the youth and joy, whatever it entails, and eventually you'll have a partner blazingly joyous to accompany you on any virtual or real journey you desire.
> 
> p.s. My cat, the penultimate ball player, has a version of The Catch that will never be equaled. And I caught it on camera.


Let us see it ! Please...


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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

GlennR said:


> It's good to know Loki is not alone in this. He loses all training or sense of how to behave nicely when the zoomies come upon him. I see a flirt pole in his near future. This has been a good thread for me to see.


I simply ADORE the zoomies. At 21 months old, Lizzy only has them about once a week, at most, now. I miss them terribly. Very few things can cause me to laugh out loud more than watching a dog having the zoomies. I say, enjoy and embrace them while you can!


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

I love the zoomies  Our entire first floor is either hardwood or ceramic tile. We bought an inexpensive large area rug for the family room so Gilligan can play and run without slipping, though he's mastered the art of sliding into his thrown toy 

Almost all of our entire second floor is carpet and he LOVES it up there and always gets a case of the zoomies because, well, he can run freely. So we let him until he poops himself out


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