The Perfect Pup

Your pup comes sprinting through your living room, running in large, wide circles with seemingly no desire to stop… It’s the DOG ZOOMIES!

And while this slightly ‘crazy’ behavior can be confusing at first, we’re here to break down everything you need to know about dog (or puppy) zoomies!

While dog zoomies is the most common term you’ll hear, there is actually a more technical term for this fascinating display of energy put on by your pup!

FRAPs or FRAP. This stands for frenetic random activity periods. And while I think this term is spot on, “zoomies” is more fun!

Just like the real name says, the zoomies are a spurt of energy (often at seemingly random times) from your dog. 

Dog (or puppy) zoomies often include (but is not limited to) things like this… ⬇️

-Running as fast as possible

-Running in no clear direction or with no clear purpose

-Barking, howling or making other vocal forms of communication

-Jumping on and off of things like couches, beds, nearby toddlers, chairs, etc.

-Spinning wildly in circles (yes, this happens)

-Trying to get you (or other dogs) to chase them, often encouraged by a play bow

-Just overall being a little bit hyper and uncontrollable for a short burst of time

The question of why do dogs get the zoomies gets a lot of attention in our private Facebook community and on our social media pages!

And while there may not be a hard and fast rule as to why it happens, there are some ideas as to why.

When our pups encounter prolonged periods of boredom, confinement, or even stress, it can create a pent-up amount of energy. And when you get a pent-up amount of energy and a desire to relieve stress… THE ZOOMIES!

Most of the time our dogs get the zoomies after they’ve been forced to be not active for quite a while. 

Additionally, it can happen after stressful situations. Think bath time, vet visits, and even new guests coming to your home!

And while the zoomies can really happen to your pup at any time, you’ll often see it after a period of boredom/confinement (like in a crate) or after stressful situations.

Just like undesired car repairs, the zoomies can happen at any time! And, it’s often when you aren’t expecting it.

While these random bursts of energy can happen spontaneously, there are instances when dogs are more likely to get the zoomies. Here are a few ⬇️

-After being crated

-After visiting the vet

-After visiting the groomer

-After a bath/shower at home

-After being on a leash for an extended period of time

-When they hear you say something they love like walk, park, dinner, treats, etc.

-When you come home after a long period of time

-When your dog knows you are about to leave

-When your dog becomes extremely bored

-When your dog knows it is about bedtime

-When your dog doesn’t have enough outlets for physical and/or mental activity

Those are just a few times when dogs get the zoomies!

Before we answer how to stop the zoomies, we really should ask should we want to stop the zoomies?

While it’s understandable to sometimes need your dog to chill out, shouldn’t we be excited when our pups get the zoomies?! 

I mean we all want a tired, relaxed, and chilled out pup and doesn’t exercise help with that? 

When my dogs get the zoomies, I’m stoked! 

Why?

Because they’re making my life easier. And as a human being, I like when my life is easier.

They get to run around, go crazy, and get some energy out all while I often sit and enjoy the spectacle from the comfort of my couch!

But if you do need to stop the zoomies, redirect to something less intense like a lick mat!

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While you might already be familiar with enrichment, do you know the types of enrichment for dogs?

In this episode, I’ll give you 5 specific types of enrichment with examples for each type. 

Understanding the types of enrichment for your pup will help you improve on each one and give your dog a more fulfilled life. And when a dog lives an enriching life, they behave better!

5 Types of Enrichment for Dogs

While enrichment can be a catch-all term, there are 5 specific types you should know about.

1. Social enrichment

2. Occupational enrichment

3. Physical enrichment

4. Sensory enrichment

5. Nutritional enrichment

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While we often like to think that our dogs love everything we do, there are some common human behaviors that dogs do NOT enjoy.

And while these things may not be “make or break” for your relationship with your dog, it’s important to try and keep your interactions with your pup as positive as possible.

Another note. If you are currently doing any of these 3 things, that is okay! My main goal is to just help you be aware that it may potentially be something your dog doesn’t enjoy.

#1- Hugging

While the temptation to give our dogs a big bear hug can be strong, it may not be the best decision.

Many dogs can be uncomfortable about having people in their personal space. Especially when that involves people being near and around their face.

So going up to a dog and giving them a hug around the neck/chest area can be concerning for them, especially if they feel trapped.

When a dog gets put into a situation where they don’t feel in control of their ability to move, it can lead to very negative situations. 

If you’re still wanting to hug your dog, be very aware of their body language.

Is your dog trying to pull away?

Is your dog moving their head away from yours?

Is your dog licking their lips?

Is your dog giving you whale eye (or side-eye)?

Is your dog stiffening up, especially on his/her tail?

All of those dog body language signals can be signs that your dog is uncomfortable with the current situation.

#2- Not Letting Them Sniff

Think of your favorite store to go for some leisurely shopping (Nordstrom Rack anyone?)... 

You’re excited to see what’s on sale, what is available in your size, and you’ve been hoping to find some nice dress shoes.

As you round the corner and see a nice pair of heels you tell your friend you’re with, ‘Oh, I’d love to check those out!’.

You both walk close and as you flip them over to check out the price, your friend yanks you away from the beloved shoes.

Now, repeat that about 57 times.

I can imagine you’d very quickly want your friend to leave so you could enjoy some shopping.

Are you doing that to your dog?

When we go on walks with our pups it’s an opportunity to not only let them go potty but also to sniff and explore the world!

Going out for a walk is a lot like you heading to your favorite department store to shop. There are a lot of items they’re looking to check out, but if they get yanked away as soon as they’re checking it out they’ll probably get frustrated!

It’s like letting them look at a nice pair of shoes but not check out the price tag. 

And while there are times that our walks are more rushed, try your best to give your dog ample opportunities to sniff and take in the world around them.

Our dog’s noses are how they learn and explore. Let them shop! ;)

#3- Dressing Them Up

While we do have articles on our site about costume ideas for your dog, that doesn’t mean every dog will love it!

Some dogs truly hate the experience of being dressed up.

That can include jackets, costumes, booties, hats, and any other arrangement of human-concocted accessories.

For some dogs, the feeling of being constricted in a jacket or booties can be a serious mental hangup for them.

So, just like with all things that may be uncomfortable for your pup, start slow! 

Work on desensitizing your pup to any clothes you may want them to wear. And if your dog gets uncomfortable, don’t continue.

Again, keep an eye on your pup’s body language and look out for things like yawning, lip licking, moving their body away from yours, etc.

If you’ve found yourself wondering why your pup has started to ‘rebel’ or digress with their behaviors, you may be experiencing the puppy teenage phase.

Do Dogs Actually Have a Teenage Phase?

A group of researchers set out to determine if the teenage, rebellious phase was a real thing or just a term. What they found was that there is a strong connection between certain time periods of a dog’s life, and how they behave. You can read the full study here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0097

Generally speaking, puppies go through the ‘teenage phase’ at about 7-10 months. But keep in mind, that time frame will vary depending on a host of factors including gender, breed, environment, etc.

What the researchers found is that when compared to a puppy’s behavior at 5 months, many pups willingly defied cues from their pup parent at around 8 months old.

Additionally, many self-surveyed pup parents reported an increase of rebellious behavior from their pups around that same time period.

So, yes… the puppy teenage phase is real.

Can You Avoid the Teenage Phase

While there are some things you can do to make the rebellious phase less rebellious, this phase is often out of your control.

Your dog’s hormones, chemicals, brain activities, etc. are often playing a role in this teenage phase and that is completely out of your control.

How to Survive the Teenage Phase

While there isn’t one silver-bullet answer to surviving this phase, there are some things you can do to help make the time more successful.

1. Decrease freedom

2. Increase training 

3. Try new things

#1 - Decrease Freedom

Often right as our pups are starting to get better at certain behaviors, we start to give more freedom.

That can be freedom in the home, freedom off-leash, freedom with choices, and other things.

Unfortunately, when you combine a rebellious teenage phase with newly added freedoms, you create a recipe for disaster!

While it can be enticing to want to give your pup more freedom, I recommended sticking to what you know has worked for the first months of your pup’s life. That means sticking to crating your dog while you aren’t home, not letting them off-leash, and generally keeping boundaries for your pup.

#2 - Increase Training

Similar to decreased freedom, often a helpful solution for the puppy teenage phase is to increase your training routine.

Again, we often start getting complacent with our pup’s behavior right about the time they’re going to hit the teenage phase. We start to think they’re performing well, and we get lazier with our training.

That is totally normal, but should be avoided if possible!

The 7-10 month age range is the perfect time to buckle down on training and really commit to consistency. If you can keep up with training consistently for the entire first year of your dog’s life you will be so happy you did!

#3 - Try New Things

The first 6 months of my dog Scout’s life, she couldn’t care less about fetch. 

We tried everything to get her interested, but it didn’t stick.

And then right when she hit about 7 or so months, a switch flipped. She fell in LOVE fetch!

Just because something worked (or didn’t work) at the beginning of your puppy’s life, doesn’t mean it will always be that way.

So if you find your pup going through a particularly rebellious phase, try out some new things. Introduce new training techniques, play new games, try new toys, test out new treats, etc.!

Dogs change, and we should try to lean into that change as much as possible!

Dogs are challenging. No matter the age, breed, or size of your dog there will be situations and behaviors that will drive you absolutely crazy. And guess what, that's totally normal.

I have gone through the ups and downs of being a pup parent in many ways. My wife and I have raised two high-energy Labrador Retrievers, all alongside a Senior Puggle who recently passed away. No matter the age of our dogs, there have always been behaviors and situations that test our patience with our dogs!

When moments pop up that test your patience with your pup, try out these 3 things to keep your sanity.

#1- Get Some Space

As with many things in life, if you try to "fix" a situation in the heat of the moment you'll likely not make the wisest decisions.

If your pup is starting to do things and you can feel your patience running thin, take a break. Get yourself some physical distance between yourself and your pup and regroup. 

This can be done by putting your dog into a crate (don't use it as a punishment though), in another room, or using a playpen or baby gate.

Taking a few moments away from your dog can help you reassess the situation and calm down.

#2- Do Something Fun

Once you've taken a moment or two of space away from your dog, re-engage with something fun. 

You know your dog best, so do something that you know both you and your pup will enjoy. It could be playing tug, throwing a ball, or even some fun (not structured) trick training.

For many of us as pup parents, we originally chose to get a dog because we envisioned the fun moments and memories that come with being a pup parent. So, finding a way to reconnect with that "goal" can be a great way to gain your sanity back with your dog.

Plus, taking part in a fun activity with your pup will help both of your moods and outlooks on the situation.

#3- Make a Plan

This is the most important step. You have to make a plan on how you will improve the behaviors that are driving you up a wall.

If, for example, you get frustrated whenever you go on walks because your dog barks at other dogs then you can make a plan to combat that.

When will you train that behavior?

What resources will you use?

How often will you practice that training?

How long will you practice when you do the training?

The challenge with many "annoying" dog behaviors is that we often only think about them when they happen. But the truth is, you're not going to train out a problem behavior in the heat of the moment. 

Instead, you need to practice the situations the lead to problem behaviors on their own.

So if your dog always barks when people come to the door, don't think you can train that when a stranger knocks on the door. Instead, practice having someone (a neighbor, friend, etc.) come to the door while you are engaged in a training session with a specific plan.

Recap

Although our dogs mean the world to us, they can do things that drive us a little bit crazy. So when this happens, take the time to get some space, re-engage with something fun, and then make a plan to help overcome the problem behaviors causing you stress!

If you're looking for in-depth resources to help overcome challenging behaviors, you can find the techniques as part of Pupford Academy. Access it here: https://pfrd.site/academy-accesss

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While recall is a behavior that takes a lot of practice and persistence, there are some things you may be doing that are actually RUINING your dog's recall... 😳

One of the most common mistakes I see with recall is when pup parents call their dog to them, and then they do something not enjoyable for their pup. 

For example, calling your dog to you, they come, and then you put him/her on a leash and leave the park. Well, if you do that enough... your dog is going to start associating the recall cue with the "bad" thing of leaving the park.

Or, calling your dog to you and then putting them in the bath.

Or, calling your dog to you and then brushing their teeth.

Or, calling your dog to you and then clipping their nails.

You give a cue, they perform the desired behavior, and then... BOOM, a negative experience (in their mind). 

When this happens too many times, your dog will start to associate "come" with negative things. And when that happens, your dog will STOP wanting to come back to you.

So, instead of calling your dog to you when you're gonna do something they may not like, YOU should go to them. Or, if you must call them first, give a couple of other cues in between the "come" and the not desirable thing.

If I'm at the park and need to leave, I don't call my dog to me and then instantly leash her up. Instead, I'll call her to me, give a few short throws of her ball once she comes, and then go to her and clip her on the leash.

Simply put, every time (seriously) your dog comes to you there should be a positive experience. Don't let negative experiences immediately follow when your dog successfully comes back to you.

For more recall tips, check out the Recall Mastery Course here: https://pfrd.site/course-recall

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Welcoming a new puppy (or older dog) into your home is a time of excitement, nervousness, and oftentimes, stress! While you will certainly make mistakes along the way (and that's okay), here are 3 mistakes you should try to avoid!

And not only will avoiding these mistakes make YOUR life easier, but they will also help your pup live a happy and healthier life as well.

Mistake #1 - Potty Training Overconfidence

One of the first things you likely think of when training a new puppy is potty training. Because let's face it, no one wants their carpets, rugs, and floors ruined!

And often in the first couple of weeks, you are on top of the potty training! You set timers, take your pup out frequently, reward good potty breaks outside, etc... And then, overconfidence creeps in!

You might start to get lazy with setting timers, and you might generally start to feel that your puppy has the hang of potty training. And inevitably, accidents will start to occur again!

One of the biggest puppy mistakes you can make is to get overconfident with your pup's potty training abilities! While there isn't a hard and fast rule, I would say that your pup isn't fully potty trained until he/she hasn't had an accident in the home for 3 months.

Yup, 3 months.

Again, learn from my mistakes and don't become overconfident with your dog's potty training abilities. Stick to a schedule, be adamant about potty breaks, and continue to reward the right behavior to avoid accidents in the home!

Mistake #2 - Expecting Your Puppy to "Outgrow" Behaviors

You've likely heard people say something like "oh, they're just a puppy... they'll outgrow that". Ahhh, what a mistake!

While there are behaviors and things your pup will become better at naturally over time, you can NOT expect them to just outgrow behaviors. 

Every behavior that your pup might struggle with needs training. You must put in the work.

And while it's true that an older dog will often mellow out and become less hyper, that doesn't mean they will magically outgrow things like puppy nipping, potty accidents, or poor recall.

Don't plan on your pup just outgrowing something, work on it and train it! 

Mistake #3 - Giving Too Much Freedom

While this mistake is similar to mistake #1, there is a bit of a difference.

I can still remember this costly mistake like it was yesterday...

Our puppy Sunny had started to do really well with not chewing up objects. She had started to learn what was and wasn't okay to have in her mouth. And let me tell you, we were feeling GREAT about that!

Fast forward a few days and we brought home a new custom table for the nook area of our home. It was a beautiful piece of woodwork honestly.

And, of course, it just so happened that we had a lot going on that day and had to leave Sunny for a little bit longer than usual without supervision. Well, I'm sure you can guess what happened...

We gave Sunny too much freedom and she chewed up the edge of our brand new table. We were FURIOUS.

But whose fault was that? Sunny's? Certainly not... she was still a puppy and had never ever been left alone around a nice tasty wood table.

We made the mistake of thinking she was 'better' than she really was with chewing objects, and we gave her too much freedom. Not a fun lesson to learn!

And this type of situation can be applied to off-leash behavior especially. I can almost promise you that if you think your puppy's recall is good enough for off-leash behavior, that means you should wait at least 3 more months.

While mistakes are inevitable (and part of the process), I hope you can learn from these mistakes that I made as a new pup parent!

Need help training your new pup? Download the FREE Pupford app here!

Term #1- Recall

Recall is interchangeable with 'come when called'. So basically, recall refers to your dog's ability to come back to you when you call him/her.

Recall is one of the most important behaviors you can teach your dog!

Term #2- Marking/Clicker

If you hear the term 'mark the behavior' that simply means to give your dog a distinct indicator of exactly when the correct behavior occurred. 

So for example, if you are teaching your dog to sit you would 'mark' that behavior the instant your dog's butt hits the ground.

Marking can be done by using a 'marker word' like "yes" or "good" or by using a training clicker. A clicker is a simple tool that gives a distinct "click" noise when pressed.

By using a marker word or clicker while training, you can more clearly help your dog identify the exact moment they did a behavior correctly. And when they understand the timing of when they did something right, the more likely they'll be to do it again in the future!

Term #3- Zoomies

While this isn't a "technical" term, it's one you will hear quite often. 

The zoomies are essentially when your pup gets a burst of energy and runs wildly around. It can involve running back and forth, spinning in circles, overall just acting a little wild.

It often happens right before your dog is getting ready for bed, when you come home, and/or after a bath.

The only cure for the zoomies is letting your dog zoom around 😅

Term #4- Bite Inhibition

Bite inhibition is your dog's ability to control the force of their mouth/bite. This is sometimes referred to as "soft mouth", while those terms are slightly different generally.

Bite inhibition is best learned by doing proper training when your pup bites. 

But the most effective way to teach bite inhibition is by having your puppy play with other dogs. Dogs have a natural way of letting other dogs know when bites are too hard and painful.

Don't skip out on puppy play dates!

Term #5- Capturing

Capturing is simply a technique of 'marking' (see above) a behavior your dog naturally does.

For example, if you're trying to teach your dog to lay down you might wait for them to lay down on their own and then 'mark' and reward that behavior. After doing that a few times, you can start adding a cue word (lay down) so your dog pairs the behavior with a term.

Capturing is a very effective way to turn natural behaviors into behaviors you can ask for on cue!

Term #6- Jackpotting

A big part of dog training is keeping your dog guessing and WANTING to listen to you. And jackpotting makes that happen!

Jackpotting is simply giving your dog a better reward (think real steak vs normal treats) or giving your dog more of their normal reward.

For example, instead of just giving one or two treats like you normally would you could give 4-5 treats when your dog does something you really want from them.

Jackpotting is a great way to more strongly reinforce behaviors!

Term #7- Intermittent Reinforcement

Similar to the above, keeping your dog guessing can be a very valuable tool when training!

Intermittent reinforcement is simply giving your dog rewards at a random interval.

So, instead of giving a treat every time your dog does a trick, you only give a reward/treat every 2 or 3 times. Of course, at the beginning of teaching a new behavior, you'll want to reward each time.

But as your dog progresses with that behavior, you can start to randomize the reward interval to help keep your pup guessing and wanting to listen!

Download the FREE Pupford app here: https://pfrd.site/pupapphere

Ahh prey drive, the thing our dogs are born with that can make life slightly complicated.

Many people find themselves wondering, should I try to reduce my dog's prey drive, or should I be using it?

In this episode, we'll dive into what prey drive is, whether you should try to reduce it, and how you can turn it into a MASSIVE reinforcer for your pup.

WHAT IS PREY DRIVE?

Prey drive is essentially our dogs' innate desire to search, stalk, chase, and bite objects. And typically, those objects are moving.

In a simplistic sense, it's why your dog might love to chase squirrels or even a tennis ball.

And while prey drive often has a somewhat negative connotation, it really is an important part of our dog's DNA. In the early types of dogs, they had to hunt for food. So prey drive was a matter of life and death.

Nowadays, our dogs aren't hunting for their food... but the prey drive is there nonetheless.

SHOULD YOU REDUCE OR USE YOUR DOG'S PREY DRIVE?

While there isn't one answer for every situation, in most cases you should strive to utilize your dog's prey drive in a controlled manner.

So that often means your dog will still "use" their prey drive, but just in a controlled and desirable way.

I will note here... If you have a dog with an extremely strong prey drive, I would recommend getting the help of a professional dog trainer. They can help you understand your dog's behavior more thoroughly and learn how to tap into that drive for your dog's benefit.

USING PREY DRIVE AS A REWARD

My dog Scout loves to fetch. She would fetch for hours if she was given the opportunity (I've only seen her willingly stop playing fetch a couple of times in her whole life).

She LOVES the chase. And many times in her life, that has gotten her into some troublesome situations (most if not all of which were my fault for giving too much freedom).

When dogs like Scout lock onto something, their brain is literally wired to stalk and chase that item. And then when they aren't "allowed" to it can cause leash, fence, and other frustrations. Or it can get them into trouble like running to places or towards people/objects they shouldn't.

One of the best ways we learned to utilize Scout's prey drive is by using fetch and flirt poles as part of our training and rewarding process. Here is what we have done consistently for over a year now.

In a controlled and safe environment, start to play fetch. Once you do a few throws, grab the ball as if to throw and ask your dog to come to you. (It may feel foreign to your dog at first, so if they struggle just shorten your distance for the 'come' and continue.)

Once your dog comes to you, give your marker word (or clicker) and throw the ball for them to fetch. The fetch is the reward!!

I have been doing that process consistently every time I play fetch (not every throw, but every time we play fetch) and Scout's recall has improved dramatically! And in conjunction with other training, it's also helped to improve her ability to focus outside and has helped reduce her reactivity to other dogs, skateboards, bikes, etc.

This took a lot of time and practice generally, but learning to use fetch (prey drive) as a reward for other behaviors made it so Scout ACTUALLY cared about listening to us while outside!

Please leave a review, thanks for listening!

Download the FREE Pupford App here: https://pfrd.site/pupappfree

While mental enrichment can feel like a fun 'buzzword', it's important to know what research has shown about mental exercise for dogs!

In this episode, I give a synopsis and my opinions on research done by Lidewij L.Schipper (amongst others) in 2008. Here's a link to the article where you can learn more about the research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159108000038

Note: The researchers themselves said that the study is not completely thorough, could use more work, and had a relatively small sample size. Nonetheless, the findings are valuable.

The researchers ran the tests on 8 dogs in shelters. They gave the dogs Kong toys filled with treats to test the effects that interaction had on the dog's behavior. 

In the researchers' words, here is what they had to say:

"This study demonstrated that the presence of these food enrichment toys stimulates appetitive behaviours and increases the level of activity (exercise), measured in terms of time budgets and the total number of behavioural transitions. Moreover, it also appears to result into lower barking frequencies."

That is a GREAT finding!

Appetitive behavior is essentially behaviors that proceed eating and are a signal of 'desire'. This can include sniffing, foraging, working for food, etc.

So, enrichment for dogs can help them have a greater desire to work for food, increase their activity level (especially important in shelter dogs) and can even help decrease barking.

Those are all AMAZING results from just the simple use of a Kong! 

Hopefully, this study gives you added reasoning to give your pup mental exercise! 

If you're looking for tools for mental enrichment, you can shop our full range here: https://pfrd.site/enrichmenttoyss

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