Night-time Crazyness

[Stacy89431]

I need help!!! I have an 8-9 month old BC that I rescued from the pound. He's wonderful during the day, but at night seems to go absolutely crazy; running, barking and just causing trouble in the house. My parents are at their wits-end and have told me to either figure out how to calm him at night (without giving him calming pills) or I have to find him a new home. I'm willing to try ANYTHING so I don't have to get rid of him. He's a wonderful dog, but I need some help!!

[Kitch]

First, I would suggest moving this post to the General Border Collie Discusion section as you are more likely to get replies there - this section is for people doing agility, etc.

 

Second, we are going to need a bit more info:

 

How long have you had him?

 

What training does he have? (Basic obedience, etc)

 

What does he get to do during the day?

 

How much exercise does he get?

 

How often do you train with him?

 

Mine will occasionally go bonkers in the house, but it is usually only when I have gotten lazy and not taken him for his evening run.

 

Also, his age is a factor - he is basically going through his teenage years right now (and it is during this time that many BCs get turned into shelters)

 

BCs need a lot of physical exercise, but that doesn't mean they have to be run to exhaustion. Mental exercise is much more likely to tire them out. Do you clicker train? That is a fairly easy way to train your dog and keep him mentally active. Try training for 20 minutes at night (with breaks in between like a quick game of tug)

 

Also, there are toys like the Buster Cude or Kongs that can keep them occupied for short breaks in their crate...

 

BTW, Welcome to the boards!! And I am happy to see you are doing research to find out how to help your dog instead of just giving up on him! What is his name?

[Stacy89431]

Kerry,

 

I've had Socks about 4 months now, and not knowing what kind of life he had before I got him makes it difficult.

 

He's just completed basic obedience with flying colors.

 

He gets plenty of excersise during the day; playing games, chewing on his Kong toy and anything else to keep him from getting bored.

 

He goes for an hour walk in the morning and an hour - 2 hour walk at night (hoping he'll get tired enough to sleep)

 

And training, that's an everyday thing for him. I don't want a BC that has gone through school to not act like it. I do have a clicker and I'm going to start using that more frequently that I have.

 

Thank you for any advise you can offer.

[Kitch]

Well, so far everything sounds good. The walks won't tired him out (as I have learned) but they will let him burn off some energy. I usually take mine to a fenced in area and play an intense game of fetch for at least 30 minutes - this allows Dublin to run much, much faster than he ever can with me holding his leash and it will tire him out more than hours of walking.

 

As for training, reinforcing what is already learned in class is really good (I need to do more of that myself) but maybe you can add a new trick a week so he is constantly being challenged to learn more - there is a ton a stuff on this site about new things to teach, as well as books and stuff on the web. There are also "Click a Trick" classes offered by PetSmart (and other places as well).

 

One thing I wanted to mention - the kongs and other things 'to keep him from being bored' are good, but they aren't exercise and won't tire him out. If at the end of the day, he still has energy to burn, that is where the craziness happens.

[Carson Crazies]

I agree with Kerry, you may get more traffic in the general section.

 

I recall that at about that age, my BC mix pup was a spaz in the evenings (or any other time for that matter). Is it happening when the rest of you are trying to sleep?

 

Is he crate trained? It may be to his benefit to do that so he will have a safe place to go for down time, and to keep him out of trouble while you're sleeping (and the parents are trying to).

 

You know, it is *possible* that he may be overstimulated during the day. Is he taking any naps during the day at all? A lot of pups will get like ornery children who have missed their naps sometimes if they don't get any down time.

 

More info.

[Stacy89431]

It seems to be only happening when all of us are getting ready to go to sleep, once the lights are out, he's out. We tried to crate train him, but ugh...that was a nightmare. He made it sound as if he was being skinned alive. But he does have his own bed where so he knows that when it IS time to settle, that's where he goes (that is, once he's done being a pycho pup). I've told my parents that when he acts up, DON'T give in to him. He's figured that when he does this, he gets attention. He does take naps during the day, that's another thing, when he does get tired, he drops and he's out. It's like he just goes & goes and finally runs out of gas. With me working during the day, it's hard for me to give him the excersise he needs, so my Mom does what she can. But she's a push-over. If he's in his kennel outside and starts barking, she lets him out. And I've told her & my dad, that they can't do that. That gives Socks all the power over them. I absolutely REFUSE to give up on him, I know he's just a puppy, I just wish they would realize it.

[Kitch]

You're in a tough spot because a lot of your 'issues' are caused by people you can't control (parents). BCs are smart and it takes them no time at all to learn how to get what they want. As you have found out, by giving in to the behavior, it only encourages it.

 

It sound like you need to take another shot at crate training him. He will whine something fierce at first but you need to outlast him...it may take a few days but once he realizes whining won't work, he'll settle down. There is a bunch of stuff on these boards about crate training/tips as this is a question that comes up often. Go to the top of the page and click on the search button (under Post Reply) and do a search for 'crate' or 'crate training' (make sure the search is set to look under all sections, not just this one)

[Stacy89431]

Thank you so much for all your information. I have had a talk with my parents about how they allow him to get away with that behavior and that I, as the owner, won't put up with it. I mean, he has absolutely no problem obeying me, but yeah, when it's my parents, it's a completely different story. Geez...I feel as though I'm raising kids! And I don't even have any!!

[Deanna in OR]

Is there any way you can have him go to a doggy daycare, even for half-days a couple days a week?

 

That just totally exhausts my border collie. She only goes when my husband is out of town (he usually works at home and is there with her), but she always comes home from daycare and goes right to bed!

 

Deanna in OR

[BigD]

Can you put up baby gates to confine him at night and keep him away from your parents so that they can't reinforce that behavior?

 

Once Socks learns that his actions get him nothing, he will stop. But you need to be consistent with it.

 

Good luck.

 

Denise

[2 Devils]

Sounds like your parents are the main problem. I say give the parents a treat every time they listen you about how to deal with Socks

 

Seriously, my bc/mix is 11 months old. When he is tired he starts to get into trouble. Then he'll have about 3 minutes of the zooms and then is out for teh count at about 9pm at night.

 

You need to teach Socks how to settle inside the house. The cute behaviors as puppies aren't as cute when they get older.

 

Maybe give him something to chew on close to bedtime so he knows it is time to settle. Bribery is a good thing.

 

I also reiterate trying the crate thing again. It can take a few days but it will help. Start by just feeding in or near the crate with the door open and the top possibly off. The crate should never be used as punishment. Once you can feed in the crate, close the door while eating, etc... Start increasing the time spent in the crate. Give bones, kongs, etc... to chew on while in the crate. You get the drift.

 

I love crating dogs. It also helps when they are just getting on your nerves so instead of yelling constantly, you can just put them away for a few. The puppy still eats in his crate and I leave him there anywhere from 30min to an hour and then he is out until he crashes.

[Will C]

Originally posted by Stacy89431:

I need help!!! I have an 8-9 month old BC that I rescued from the pound. He's wonderful during the day, but at night seems to go absolutely crazy; running, barking and just causing trouble in the house.

Stacy,

 

Tucker is 9 months old and he has been at our house for only 5 days. We purchased a crate/kennel to keep him in at night and when we are gone. In 5 days he has gone from barking for 15 minutes to barking twice at bedtime after everyone has gone to bed, and not barking at all when we leave the house or when I have to sleep during the day. I personally would not let a 9 month old dog run free in the house at night or when unattended. Injury, Chewing, and other damage can occur and I don't want an injured dog or another problem to solve.

 

Also, Tucker goes out to play for about 45 minutes during the morning and then goes for a walk. Again at about 1:00 p.m. we go out and play again. I bring him in and have him lay down for a good brushing. Brushing really seems to relax him. In fact he is laying at my feet sleeping right now.

 

I leave again for work at about 2:20 p.m.. I work a split shift. When I leave he might bark once from inside his crate. My daughter comes home from school about 40 minutes later and she lets him out and he is out of his crate for the afternoon and evening. When I get home at about 5:30 p.m.. I take him out to relieve himself and then we play again. At about 8:00p.m. we go for another walk. Our walks are only about 1 to 1 1/2 miles. We come back and we have a petting session to calm him down for the night.

 

He seems to be getting better everyday that he is here. Exercise is good but I also think that they have to have that quiet time and it has to be something that they like and want. Brushing works well for us.

 

I hope this helps...and sorry for the long reply.

 

Will

[BCCrazy?]

With create training you must outlast the noise!

Don't give in and let him out when he is being loud. Also, ignore him when he is in there and in time he will realize he won't get his own way by being loud. Try putting the crate in a room where there are people, whether sleeping people or awake people! They like being with their pack members and sometimes the isolation of being alone in a room in a crate is too much. Try starting a routine at night when you go to bed. Stuff a kong the night before with some peanut butter, yogurt and cottage cheese with a treat stuck in the middle and freeze it. Give that to him when he goes in the crate at night. Before long he should be looking forward to going to bed at night! Works for all 4 of mine.

Candice, Jamaica, Rex, Luke & Tucky(The BC Brats)

[sandra s.]

Does he like music? This may sound silly but my Kessie likes the same kind of music as I do, which makes me the happiest little rock fan in the world. When she's having a serious case of the zooms, I play her something relaxing like Pink Floyd's Division Bell or Eric Clapton unplugged, and in no time at all she's stretched out full length, grinning. A belly-rub makes it perfect.

And I'm not going to say what I would like to do with your parents :mad:

[codypup]

When my Cody was that age he was so full of energy no matter what I did. Some one here once said they had a rescue that never learned it was ok to relax. After I read that I began to teach Cody to take time and relax. He had quiet time in his crate for short bits of time and usually he would fall right to sleep. Today he is 2 1/2 years old and can now enjoy quiet time on his own or when I tell him to go lay down. Yes, there are still times when the zoomies set in but I think learning how to relax was extremely helpful.