You have just added a new puppy into your family, and you notice that the puppy gets wild and frantic every now and then. At first, you might just think it’s a happy dog, full of energy, but as it continues, you might think the dog is weird or crazy. Don’t’ worry! The puppy is completely fine; it is just going through its witching hour. Dog owners’ usual question is when do puppies grow out of witching hour?
For a puppy, the witching hour phases out by the time they are four to five months old. However, the puppies can phase out of witching hour differently as per the breed of the dog.
Let us learn more about the witching hour and what you can do to ease or aid your puppy.
What Is Puppy Witching Hour?
During the witching hour, you will notice that your new puppy is exhibiting unruly behavior, does not listen to you, acts crazy, shows tantrums, and zooms around restlessly. If you notice such behavior quite often, then understand that your dog goes through the witching hour.
If you observe closely, your dog will exhibit such behavior at a specific time of the day, especially during the evenings. Such behaviors are what is usually referred to at zoomie or witching hour.
You might be worried about how to discipline a puppy during the witching hour or if you can discipline a puppy. Yes, you can, and it is discussed in the section below.
When Do Puppies Grow Out of Witching Hour?
You will be relieved to know that your puppies eventually grow out of witching hour and can be easily disciplined. Witching hours do not last long, and dogs phase out of it.
For puppies, the witching hour starts to end by four months, and in some cases, it can last till five months. It is not uncommon to see adult dogs exhibiting witching behaviors. However, it is much more common in puppies. Even adult dogs do eventually phase out of it.
One need also to remember the duration might not be the same with every puppy as the breed of the puppy also affects the puppy’s behavior. Some breeds do tend to take longer than the period mentioned above.
What Time Does the Witching Hour Start?
Not all dogs exhibit at a given specific time. However, dog owners usually notice their puppy’s behavior change in the evenings. Some usually say that they exhibit zoomies somewhere around 7 pm.
There are also dog owners who say they see the witching hours early in the morning. In adult dogs, witching hour does not usually happen, and if they do, it phases out faster than puppies. Like I mentioned above, every dog exhibits tantrums at different hours as personality and breed vary.
How Long Do Witching Hours Last?
The witching hour can happen either in the mornings or evenings for puppies.
Dog owners say that when puppies do have their witching hour, it can last from 30 minutes to an hour. In some breeds puppies, witching hour can last even up to three hours.
Why Do Puppies Have a Witching Hour?
There are a few reasons why puppies have witching hours. For highly energetic breeds, the reason for witching hour is lack of exercise, both physically but certainly also mentally.
Every dog does need a certain amount of exercise in a day to drain out its energy. Doing so helps the dog in having calmer behavior and lesser tantrums.
If the energy is not stimulated, the puppies tend to show tantrums, bark, bite, etc. It can also happen that the dog can show such behavior if they are overstimulated. Your puppy may also be having its witching hour because it is not used to the sleeping schedules. Some puppies do not get accustomed to sleeping at night, and they might start getting restless.
How Do Puppies Behave During the Witching Hour?
You can easily identify if your puppy is going through the witching hour by simple observation. Some behaviors can be biting, barking, running around the house pointlessly, not listening to you, showing tantrums, and sometimes exhibiting aggression. Their behaviors can be unruly and crazy most times.
Observe the timing as and when these behaviors show so that you are well prepared to tackle the behavior. If you know the timings of the witching hour, it can better equip you in phasing out the witching hour.
Is Zoomies or Temper Tantrum the Same With Witching Hour?
Most dog owners use zoomies, temper tantrums, and witching hours interchangeably. The behavior patterns are almost the same, which is why they are interchangeably used. However, each has its nuances, but they are not very different from each other.
What to Do When Puppies Have Witching Hour?
You can do several things as a dog owner when your puppy is experiencing witching hours. Instead of letting the puppy go on during witching hours, you can help him calm and tame his behavior.
You don’t necessarily need to panic or get worried as to how to discipline a puppy when they are having a witching hour. Here are some of the things you can do as a dog parent for your puppy during witching hours.
- One of the first things you can do is stay calm. The dog is already at high energy, showing temper and tantrums, barking or just running around the house. Worrying and trying to discipline the dog aggressively will only worsen the situation.
Besides, dogs are very perceptive about human nature. If we remain calm, then the dog eventually settles down. A calm approach from you can work a long way in calming your dog.
- Knowing your breed- calming your puppy and phasing out the witching hour can be a much better approached if you know your dog’s breed. You can get better research done to calm them if you know your breed. Some breeds tend to have longer phases of witching hours than others.
- Holding the puppy still- this might actually sound weird and hard to pull out because they might bite you. However, holding them still can actually actively help them calm down.
Puppies and even dogs usually tend to lose control, and holding them still can make them aware of their environment and calm them. Besides, it can help them take a breather from the crazy frantic movement.
- When your puppy is having an episode of witching hours, make sure you clear away any obstacle on the way. While frantically running around the house, your puppy might knock down things that can easily scare the dog and even result in some unwanted accidents.
- Observe the timing- if a matter of days, you can easily observe if your dog is going through witching hours. You will notice it has a pattern and timing. If you know the expected timing of witching, then you can be better aware and prepared.
- Get them exercised well- as mentioned above, one of the main reasons puppies get witching hours is due to excess energy. Your puppies are probably not getting enough exercise for the day, and as a way to release their energy, they start exhibiting witching hours behavior.
A proper way to prevent your puppies from getting zoomies is by giving them enough exercise required in a day. Knowing your dog breed becomes all the more important as some dog breeds have higher levels of energy.
If you are a person who works during the day, make time for your puppy in the morning or the evenings to get them exercised.
- Teaching them to calm down- one of the more practical ways of handling your puppies during witching hour is by teaching them skills and disciplining. For example, you can teach them to calm down by rewarding them whenever they sit still. Such reward-oriented training can help you tame and discipline your dog.
- If you need then take them to the veterinary. Professional help may sometimes be needed to better assit your dog.
Should I Ignore When My Puppy Is Having a Witching Hour?
While witching hour is not something which is alarming yet it cannot be ignored entirely. As a dog parent, one needs to understand that your puppy is either uncomfortable or in distress.
Instead of ignoring, you can actively take part to help calm your dog by following the above-mentioned tips. Doing so will help your puppy get over it faster and also prevent it.
Conclusion
If you are a new dog parent, then you can get the help of dog owners who have experienced puppies having witching hours. You can also get a lot of information from the internet through brief research, or you can get a better consultation from a professional by taking them to the vet.
Witching hours for puppies are a natural process. Since you now know it does eventually phase out, as dog owners and parents, we can patiently wait for them to phase out, and we can further aid them and help them calm down.
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