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Hyper puppies-when does it stop?

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6.6K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  Denlie  
#1 ·
Our pups are just over a year old and they seem to be calming down earlier in the evening than usual. When they were younger they would be playing and romping around until 9 or 9:30 every night. But lately, they pass out around 7 or 7:30. Are they at the stage when they start being less active and start sleeping earlier? Or are they bored? Or tired? They never lay down and relax unless my husband and I are. So when we get home from work, we make dinner and do some nightly chores and they're always following us around and being near us so as soon as my husband and I sit down for the night, the pups fall instantly asleep. Any ideas?
 
#4 ·
Dogs will fall into a routine (for the most part) that will depend on both you and their own behaviors/wants. Some days my girl is all over me all night and sometimes she just wants to rest. I think some days she just plays more during the day than other times. It is funny to me to see my dogs put themselves to bed but they do quite often.
 
#5 ·
They fall asleep because there is nothing good on tv that late for them. I bet if you got thier leash at 10pm to go for a ride they would bounce right up.
The routine answer I feel is the right answer.
Around 10pm when Jaxx hears me drag the spoon a around the empty ice cream bowl he will get up and start pestering me to go for our night walk
You are doing good watching and questioning thier behaviors. So many times my wife has avoided bad situations with our pets by noticing the smallest change or quirk. I've learned to listen and check it out instead of dismissing her. That only took me 20 years to do
 
#6 ·
I agree, dogs learn to adapt. i have a very high energetic boy. We take him out frequently to get some of that off of him but he learned from our routine around 8:30 9:00 its down time and he's usually at his bed dozing off, or on top of my feet (which i don't mind because it keeps them warm haha)
 
#7 ·
We are home all day so we know what he does. Darcy is 1 year old, 10 days short of 13 months. He has one active play period in late afternoon when we take him to the barn to do chores. Always a long walk (running) off leash or an active toss and fetch session. Then his evening is almost identical to yours. He's done at about 8 and asks to be put in his crate about 9. I wish he didn't want to go to bed....he gets to where he's all cuddly and quiet and then wants to sleep. I'd rather he stay in the family room with us but he loves his crate in the bedroom. sigh.....

Your pups might be having a play session when you're not there. Can you get a nanny cam and observe them for a few days to see what goes on where you're not home? Or you might be blessed with quiet pups. :)
 
#8 ·
My husband works from home and says that they have several play periods throughout the day. And they go crazy when I get home from work. They usually play for about 45 minutes to an hour while we eat dinner and clean up then we usually play fight with them on the floor for half an hour or so then they pass out shortly after that. I'm fine with the quiet sleepy pups, just wanted to get some opinions on if it seems normal for them to be sleeping around 7:30 pm.
 
#9 ·
Holly was a super hyper puppy. She didn't take naps, and the only time she'd lie down was when I put her to bed in her crate.

At around 10 months, she started to calm down slightly. Now at 14 months, she actually is starting to take light naps every so often. Still a bit hyper, but she's at least manageable :)
 
#10 ·
I wonder if it's a seasonal thing related to hours of sunshine. I noticed last fall Rosco started sleeping later in am, going to bed earlier and sleeping longer. When days were longer and more sunshine it was back to normal. Seeing the same thing with Murphy now that it gets dark so early, whereas before he'd be on the go from 3ish-9:30ish . He'll now crash for a short nap after dinner before his evening walk. He still puts himself to bed around 8:30ish. He will come out stick his head on the couch and then lie at my feet if I still haven't gone to bed after 10pm. Kinda funny.
 
#11 ·
I hate it when the sun starts to set earlier. It means that I don't get home from work until its dark now. Cassie gets sad because to her, it means I've been gone longer. So when I do get home, she's actually more hyper and excited. The worst part is that since its dark (and cold), it limits the activities we can do to work off the energy.
 
#13 ·
Sadly I think in another week or so, the only time Murphy will see daylight is when I come home at lunch. We start off in the dark and the sun sets within about an hour of getting home right now and that window is growing shorter.
 
#16 ·
Gracie didn't start to chill out until she was two. But that is also when we added a new puppy, so she just naturally seemed calmer than a 8 week old fireball.

They are 3 and 11 months right now and we have a good nighttime routine. Annabeth will go into her crate between 8-9p on her own and Gracie tends to just hang with me whenever I get ready for bed. Granted, this is the norm when they have had a typical day of exercise and play.