# Help! I can't tire her out



## Sage176

Hi Guys,

I should grateful for some advice please?

We took home our new puppy last Saturday. She was 12 weeks old yesterday (Wednesday). 

Our concern is how much she has changed since we met her. She is no longer content to cuddle up on the sofa. All she wants to do is play! I know this sounds a good thing and it is in some respects it is but it is completely tiring us out!. We have been taking her for 4, 30 mins walk a day and I tried to take her for a 5th time yesterday evening but she refused as we began to walk up the road. I tried picking her up and walking with her for a few steps as this usually propels her to keep going but she refused. I took her back inside and she just went 'mental' running around and trying to bite me playfully. I keep trying the trick of giving her toy to distract her but it doesn't take her long before she is coming over to me again. I then put her back in her crate with a struggle. This is a fight as she pushes and gets back out before I can close the door. However I finally got her back in and she went to sleep.

Have you any suggestions please on how to calm her? I start back to work tomorrow and we have a puppy sitter coming in three times a day to walk her and play but I am not enjoying the whole experience at the moment if all we are going to be able to do is walk and crate her.

Also, I am thinking of reducing her feed from 2.5 half dessert spoons of Royal Canin Mini Junior 3 times a day to 2 spoons 3 times a day to perhaps reduce her energy levels? Is this cruel or could this help?

Any comments gratefully received.

Thank you
Sage


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## Dylansmum

Puppies do love to play, but usually have plenty of quiet times as well. I definitely would not reduce her food, as that probably would not affect her energy but might hamper her growth. A hungry pup might be more restless. You could think about changing her food to one of the natural ones with no cereal, or to a raw diet, as the carbs do tend to cause hyperactivity. You could also give her a raw bone to gnaw on which might give you some peace and enable her to work off some energy. Are you walking her on or off lead? On-lead walks will not enable her to run off her energy, so I would definitely recommend off-lead, but 4 walks a day is quite a lot. If you can take her somewhere where she can run and explore off-lead then you should be able to cut the number of walks down if you want to. I would try to establish a routine, so that she gets to know what to expect. Eg.-10 minutes play, breakfast, walk, rest time, 10 minutes play, lunch, walk, rest time etc. They do learn routines really fast and then she'll start to understand the times when she is expected to amuse herself while you do other things. I work at home most of the time, and after a morning walk Dylan does not bother me at all until around 4 ish when he knows that it's getting close to afternoon walk time and will jump up every time I get up! Don't stress too much, it's early days for you yet, and she will settle down once she understands the day's schedule.


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## kendal

what food is she on.

do you have any interactive toys for her. have you let her off lead yet. even on a long line(not a flexi lead) she may just need a good run rather than a walk. have you started training with her yet.


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## Rufini

The older Vincent is getting the less he wants to cuddle and snooze the more he wants to play...!
I think the best thing to do is just try and keep up with it knowing that it won't be forever!!


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## cleo

I wonder if the problem is that you have walked her too much in the early days so now it is harder to wear her out as the older she gets the more it takes to tire her out so the more you have to walk her. This is what a friend of ours told us about Pixel which does make sense. Four walks does sound alot though, maybe you should try doing two long walks which really tire her out rather than four short walks. Pixel needs two walks a day and so gets a short one in the morning and a long one in the afternoon/evening she is very hyper if she only gets one walk.

Do you have a garden? As she tends to sprint around the garden at top speed for a while if she is on a high, or we play with her in the house as our long hall is perfect for throwing her toys down for her to fetch.

Do you let her off the lead and are you walking in the countryside where there is lots of opportunity for her to run? Sometimes Pixel gets back from a 45 minute walk and is very hyper (particularly if it's raining) so I went back to walking her for longer and this seems to work. I also allow plenty of opportunity for her to play with other dogs so she tires herself out running in circles without me needing to do anything! I also take a ball and throw it for her alot. She is pretty hyper when we are out and has tonnes of energy so everyone can tell she's a young dog but then is normally ok when we get home.

Hope it works, but at the end of the day she is a puppy and they have lots of energy.


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## Sage176

Hi Guys,

Thank you for your replies. 

We have only had her since Saturday. We didn't get any sleep for the first couple of nights so we upped the walks and this has meant she now sleeps through the night! 

We live in central Birmingham and until I am convinced that she will come back to me when I call her name, (which she is just learning) I cannot let her off the lead as the roads are too busy. 

We have a 100ft garden but until we manage to fully proof the garden we have currently put a fence 8ft into the garden on the grass. Before this is a patio area of about 25ft outside the kitchen. So she can have a run around but we have to closely supervise as the patio is edged by small stones which she frequently picks up. Also there is a cat (not ours) who stalks and is not very friendly.

My husband has the car during the week and works away and so I cannot take her to a countryside park until the weekends.

Also, because the first couple of days she barely ate anything (I did try a little ped chum to tempt her- she didn't like it) I am not keen to change her diet so soon. Therefore I think for now I should just stick with the Royal Canin but note your comment that reducing the feed could stunt her growth which I do not want to do.

Sorry any other suggestions please......


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## wellerfeller

I am afraid that as cute as they are puppies are a pain in the behind quite alot of the time 
I would take the suggestion of giving her a nice big bone to chew and get a kong toy which you can stuff with all sorts of tasties, it will keep her occupied, you could put her portion of food inside instead of feeding her from a bowl and it will take her longer to eat. Google stag bar dog chews and they are very good for puppies to munch on.

It sounds from your description that its interaction with you that she wants as she refused to walk again for a 5th time, 4 walks a day is loads for a puppy.If you think only last week she was spending all day playing with her siblings, its a big change to be on their own and not get bored. Its brain exercise your little pup is asking for rather than phsical exercise, all of the things above will keep her busy for a while, good luck


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## kendal

stay, well clear of ped or bakers. she just needs to learn to amuse herself. teach her to be on her own. leave a light lead on her so you can get controle of her without touching her. it is early days so things will settle down.


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## Dylansmum

Even in the centre of Birmingham, are there not any small parks or playing fields within reach where you could let her run around? You don't need a huge country park. Or do you know any other local dog owners who you could join and hitch a ride with? I'm sure she would enjoy the company too. If you are nervous about letting her off lead then I would suggest a long 10 metre training line. You can hold the end and let the rest drag so she feels like she is off-lead. You can practice your recall until you are confident that she comes back, then let go of the end. If you need to catch her, it's easy with the line dragging behind her - you only need to grab the line. I would be a little wary of too long a walk though, as long walks are not recommended for young puppies.


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## Sage176

Again thank you all for your comments. I really appreciate the support.

We live close to a couple of small parks but they are all close to busy roads and so while I can take her there I cannot let her off the lead. I will look at getting a training line though.

Maddie does have a Kong in her crate and a toy whale. I have also put my husband and my worn t shirts in with her crate. I will look at getting some Stag Bar Dog Chews too. Can you leave a puppy unsupervised with one?

I am still really worried about tomorrow. These are my plans. I will take her for a walk first thing about 0715 for 20 minutes. Come back and give her some food. I intend to play with some toys with her for another 5 minutes and then put her in her crate. I will have my breakfast and leave her then until our dog walker comes at 1030. She will either then take her for another walk or play for 40 minutes. Maddie will then go back into her crate until the dog walker comes back at midday for feeding and playtime. At about 4pm the dog walker will return and play/walk again for 40 minutes. I should get home about 630 and feed, play and take for a walk. I would love at this time for her to be able to sit with me on the sofa until bedtime. Do you think this will work or am I living in cloud cuckoo land!


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## wellerfeller

No!!!!! You will definately get to that, she is just too young at the moment that will be at least a couple of months away, there is a whole lot of puppyhood to live through first
Your routine sounds really good to me, she just needs time to learn it, perseverance is the key


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## Sage176

Thank you Karen. I am really quite depressed at the moment and to think I was so excited last weekend. I just want the best for Maddie but I am struggling to find the way to do it whilst keeping us all happy.
Sage (aka Helen)


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## Jedicrazy

Hi Sage, I think someone already mentioned it but I would concentrate more on mental stimulation than physical exercise at this stage. As your puppy is so young they shouldn't be over walked anyway. In some of the time you have scheduled for 'play' get some training treats and focus on teaching a new command or trick. When Obi was younger he always seemed to have a mad hour in the early evening, usually after I had put the kids to bed and I just wanted to sit down! My trainer advised me to mentally tire him out with training so each evening I taught him something new or recovered something he wasn't doing so well. It worked really well. After 30 mins of training (which could be inside or outside) he was ready to settle down and snuggle next to me on the sofa.


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## Sage176

Thank you Clare - I can hear that Maddie has just woken upand so I am going to go to her now, put her lead on and armed with some treats try to teach her, her name. It's a start at least!


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## wellerfeller

Helen I know exactl how you feel, I mean you choose a lovely puppy amd so look forward to bringing them home and then..........................all hell lets loose!!!!!!
Our house was awful when we first bought Weller home and stayed like that for 2 months. Kids hated him because he was biting them, hubby hated him because he was biting the kids,he was eating anything and everything including washing hanging on the line, we were arguing as I was trying to tell him its all normal and he would grow out of it, secretly thinking I had made a huge mistake!!!! It really was hard work and don't mind telling you I shed many tears along the way BUT it does change, it just settles down, bit by bit.
So it will be hard for a while but if you expect that and then any thing good that happens or that she learns is such a huge bonus. Baby steps, well puppy steps, don't expect too much and then she can't fail to please you xx


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## Sage176

Thank you Karen for your kind words. I am just tired (wish Maddie was!). I hope we get there soooon.
Helen
x


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## Mogdog

Helen, I agree with the others about mental stimulation ... first things they will learn is: their name, recall, sit, walk to heel ... once you are at training classes you will know exactly what to practice ... all with tasty treats.

I have found, perversely, that if they are physically exercised more, they become more hyper ... so maybe less walking and more mental stimulation/play. Some good chew toys are helpful too ... and you should find she sleeps a fair bit at that age too. Its really very early days for you ... it will all settle into a routine, and you will be able to enjoy her then.

Hope things improve ... keep us posted. Sue x


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## Sage176

Thank you Sue. I think she is already mastering her name today and she seems 70% of the time to fetch a ball I have thrown to her if she gets a rewarding treat. I just need to find a way to distract her as she is quite keen on eating plants in the garden even when we are playing with the ball. She is a terror with picking up stones too. I always seem to have my hand in her mouth!


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## ali-s.j.

We've all been there in some way Helen, I can remember pacing the floor with my 5 week old son sobbing and begging him to sleep. The good thing about puppies is a) they go through phases much quicker b) you can crate them and leave them for a bit if it all gets too much! It sounds like you have a good plan, I'd echo what the others have said about having things for Maddie to do - Izzy will chew happily on one of her bones so we can eat our supper in relative peace. Try to catch up on some sleep - it's amazing how much easier it all is if you can get a good night's sleep :hug:


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## tessybear

Cockapoos are certainly are very active. Dexter has 3 half hour walks a day on weekdays, longer ones at weekends and tears around non-stop on all of them! He is rarely tired when we get back from his walks. What really does tire him out though is when he plays with other lively dogs so perhaps meet up with some other dogs of similar age/energy and walk them together. He has always slept very well at night so I can't complain!


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## cleo

Firstly, i would give her her food before her walk as this will give her energy which she can then burn off on the walk. I would have thought giving her food when you get back will give her an energy boost when you want her to calm down before she goes in her crate. 

Why not keep her out whilst you are having breakfast? Then she can have some love and attention if she snuggles up to you in the morning. I love my snuggle time with Pixel before I go to woek. Although, it can be tricky when she tries to eat my breakfast for me! I try and keep Pixel out until the last possible moment when she has to go in as I have to go.

It sounds like the problem is that even though the dog walker is walking her she is in her crate for long periods where she is probably only sleeping so then she will be really hyper the rest of the time. It sounds like she is left a very long time. Is there anywhere else she can go which is a bigger area so atleast she could run/play a little instead of lying down the whole time? Maybe get her a play pen rather than being in her cage.

I agree that it sounds like she wants physical contact with you rather than just a walk, expecially if she doesn't get much in the day. I would really try and sort out the garden as soon as you can as it sounds like she doesn't have anywhere to go to get rid of her pent up energy and have a mad 10 minutes. Once you have secured the garden maybe get a cat/dog door so she can come and go as she likes. Pixel has access to the garden whenever she is out her crate and runs around it like a mad thing sometimes.

It may be too difficult but maybe see if you can get access to a car sometime in the week so she can go on walks where you feel she would be safe off her lead. I have found letting Pixel off the lead in the early days made her much better at coming to me later on.

Hope tomorrow goes ok.


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## Sage176

Thanks Tess, I have taken your advice and have spoken to our dog sitter who starts tomorrow. She was originally going to come 3 times a day Mon to Fri but now Maddie is going to be picked up and stay at the sitters between 10.30 and 3.30 each day so she will get to socialise with other dogs and may learn some manners from them when they go for walks. Here's hoping anyway!


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## wellerfeller

brilliant....that will wear her out no problem and do her the world of good, relax and enjoy. Maddie has a good mummy x


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## MillieDog

Have you been to any puppy training classes, that may give you more confidence to let her off the lead in time.


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## RubyCockapoo

Hi Sage

I'd like to let you know that our lovely little Ruby (now almost 15 months) was EXACTLY like this when she was a puppy. She was a real handful and never stopped from 5am until 10:30pm EVERY day - she never did the puppy thing of running around and then falling asleep.

Our pup was on Royal Canin too, and when we needed to move her up to the next size, I checked the ingredients and noticed Taurine in it - this is the energy part of Red Bull (I think it's what gives it its name too - Taurine/Taurus and the red colour, I might be wrong) - so I didn't fancy giving my already hyper nutter of a dog Red Bull, and that's when we moved to another food with no nasty stuff in it (Natural Dog Food Company in our case)

It wasn't an immediate change, but things did get better (it may have had nothing to do with the food of course)

Just wanted to say, hang in there, you've probably just got a feisty one like ours - now, she's amazing and is lying at my feet as I type this, about to leave for agility class with my girlfriend.


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## Sage176

Hi Cleo,

Thanks for your email. Just a quick email whilst I am having my lunch at work.

Unfortunately I cannot let Maddie out on her own currently because however much I try to distract Maddie with toys her attention is drawn to the plants which border the patio and she starts to nibble and eat the leaves. I am not aware that any of them are poisionous but they cannot be good for her and could cause splinters or cut her tongue. Also we have a small stone border round the border and she likes to pick the stones up and chew them. Again not good! 

So as you can see I cannot let her go out unsupervised and it means I have to crate her whilst I have my breakfast otherwise I don't get to eat!

Any one got any suggestions how I could overcome this problem? My husband is getting a training line today so we should be able to let her run in the garden beyond the bit we have temporary fence put up to keep her contained next to the patio. (This is just until the new fence is put along the hedge border to stop her getting through which should be done next week). 

Helen


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## Laura(L)Izzie

RubyCockapoo said:


> Hi Sage
> 
> I'd like to let you know that our lovely little Ruby (now almost 15 months) was EXACTLY like this when she was a puppy. She was a real handful and never stopped from 5am until 10:30pm EVERY day - she never did the puppy thing of running around and then falling asleep.
> 
> Our pup was on Royal Canin too, and when we needed to move her up to the next size, I checked the ingredients and noticed Taurine in it - this is the energy part of Red Bull (I think it's what gives it its name too - Taurine/Taurus and the red colour, I might be wrong) - so I didn't fancy giving my already hyper nutter of a dog Red Bull, and that's when we moved to another food with no nasty stuff in it (Natural Dog Food Company in our case)
> 
> It wasn't an immediate change, but things did get better (it may have had nothing to do with the food of course)
> 
> Just wanted to say, hang in there, you've probably just got a feisty one like ours - now, she's amazing and is lying at my feet as I type this, about to leave for agility class with my girlfriend.


Hi,
I just read this & thought that if it is true that the ingredient that gives the energy to red bull & it is in royal canin food, then maybe thinking about looking for other foods could help with the situation? Obviously it is early doors having her home, but it could benefit everyone in the long run if this is the cause of the problem? It may be worth a change just to rule it out as a reason if it isn't the reason (which if it is-it should calm her down a lot!)
Just a thought, obviously it's down to what you think, I just thought that it may be worth a try...
Good luck!


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## DONNA

Ive not read what everyone else has put but im sure they will be pretty similar but i think 4 walks a day is too much 2 30min walks should be fine sometimes Buddy just has an hour walk in the morning then a play with the ball in the evening in the garden.
I thought Buddy was quite hyper at first till my trainer told me puppies should be sleeping a hell of a lot and she thought he wasnt getting enough sleep and so getting over tired and hyper.So i make sure if hes not slept much in the day because hes following us around etc that i pop him in his crate for a while,also when you play with them they only need short bursts of 5 mins play then they need time out this way he wont get over exicted.
If non of this helps id look at his food and maybe try something else ??
Hope this helps dx


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## DONNA

Forgot to mention if you have a friend with a puppy or dog then that is the best form of exercise Buddy is always exhausted after a play date with his friend and usually sleeps all afternoon after dx


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## caradunne

Hi Sage, I think you are brilliant, all the arrangements you have made for your new puppy whilst you work, you are obviously a very thoughtful and caring new mummy, so much better than leaving her crated. This phase will pass, not that that helps now! I had a dreadful time with my little Izzy until she was about 5/6 months old, I had many desperate weeping sessions of pure frustration. She ate the small stones and plants in our garden and the vet made it very clear to me that the stones could cause serious health problems. In the end we bought chicken wire and cut up some cheap wooden 1inch x 1inch lengths and fenced it off. We also fenced off an area as a run to play ball where I could leave her without worry as there were no stones or plants in the run, until she was able to jump over the fence (about 6 months old). I only took the flower bed fences down when she was about a year old and hurray, no more stone or plant eating - but still chews up the bark chippings. It did cost to do it, but it was worth the loss of worry - it is a shame you don't live close by I could lend you the fences! Good luck, it will change xx


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## Emily's mommy

Emily also is very energetic. I read online that toy cockapoos need only a 20 minute walk per day! Not mine!! After we walk for 30 to 40 minutes, she runs immediately to the backyard where I let her run free with a long lead trailing (we have some spaces where I fear she can escape our fence) and she can play for another 30 minutes easily! Usually i only have time for another 10 though. After that I have found that 2 additional shorter walks do the trick for the remainder of the day.


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## cleo

Pixel has loads of enery she needs a walk for an hour in the evening or she s hyper. She s quite hyper in the evenings too especially after my hubby gets home as he tends to wind her up. She can go mad running around the house but because she has the garden its fine. She goes mad on walks too and runs wild. I find letting her play or throwing her ball for her works the best. 

I hadn t thought about the fact she might not be mentally tired interesting. 

Pixel eats plants and stones in our garden. I leave her to it but do say no firmly. She hasn t died yet.


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## Dawny

hi dont worry it does get better as they get older, just stick with it and be the boss!  i live in birmingham too (kingstanding) where abouts are you maybe we could meet up 1 day and have some cockapoo fun.  x


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## Dexter1011

*Taurine Good or Bad?*

Hello, I also have a 12 week old puppy who has been fed Royal Canin since birth. I give him 50ml three times a day. I know that Taurine is in Red Bull but it is not a bad thing like cafine and some of the other substances in Red Bull. Dexter is very laid back.

I found this that I thought you might like to read it incase you are worried about the food. I know my vet recommended I kept Dexter on it.


•Heart disease. An often-fatal heart disease in cats and some dogs is now known to be caused by a deficiency of the amino acid taurine. Blindness is another symptom of taurine deficiency. This deficiency was due to inadequate amounts of taurine in cat food formulas, which in turn had occurred due to decreased amounts of animal proteins and increased reliance on carbohydrates. Cat foods are now supplemented with taurine. New research suggests that some dog breeds are susceptible to the same condition. Supplementing taurine may also be helpful for dogs, but as yet few manufacturers are adding extra taurine to dog food.



Hope it is of help.

Alison


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