puppy running crazily in the hse

Question
sometimes my 4 mth old maltese will just suddenly run crazily within the play compound. Why is this so? Sometimes when she bite me, i will growl at her, then she also will run crazily round and round. Am i scaring her?

Answer
Dear Shannon,

Almost all pups at this age get what I call the "puppy crazies" a couple times a day, and there's not a lot you can do about it.  I believe the reason they do this is to get rid of the extra energy they have, since they have so much during their first year of life.  Walking her more than you are, or playing vigorous running games like fetch, chase, or hide 'n' seek can definitely reduce her energy level (as would bringing her to a reputable cage-free dog daycare where she can run to her heart's content all day).  But often you'll find that your dog gets the "crazies" right after a walk or some other physical activity, simply because they're so jazzed about having run around a bit.

Is the crazy running around causing problems?  Larger pups like Labs or Mastiffs can knock lamps or even couches over in their crazies, but I'd guess your little gal isn't causing too much trouble in your house.  I'm not sure what the play compound is, but my feeling is hey, if she wants to run around a bit, let her.  Usually this puppy behavior dies out by the time they get to be 7-8 months old anyway.

Growling at her is probably just riling her up a little more, but I wouldn't worry about the fact that you've done it.  It's hard to say whether your growling is scaring her or not without observing your growl and her reaction, but you might want to stop it since it's probably not making any difference anyway, and it is a form of reinforcement because it is a form of attention.  Any behavior will increase with reinforcement, and any behavior will die without reinforcment, so do your best to simply ignore her when she does something you don't like, and give her lots of attention when she does something you do like (ex. praise and pet and even treat her every time she lies down or sits), and you'll see her growing up enjoying the things that you enjoy.

Good luck and thanks for writing.
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysUSA.com