Struggling with your dog’s energy when you get home from work? Do they seem to go up a few notches in the evening?
This is the “witching hour” and it’s very real. Don’t worry, it’s normal and you’re not alone! It usually hits in the late afternoon or evening, when they get an energy spike + overstimulation + overtiredness all at once.
Here are some practical ways to make it easier for any of you facing this:
🐶 1. Meet Their Needs Before the Witching Hour
Spot the early warning signs and try a short routine leading up to the usual chaos window:
- Break in the garden to toilet and explore
- Short walk or sniffari
- A bit of training or mental work
A tired mind is more effective than a tired body.
🎾 2. When Zoomies Happen: Let Them Zoom (Safely)
Zoomies are normal! Give them a safe space:
- A hallway for supervised runs
- A fenced garden
- Clear the floor of obstacles
Try not to overstimulate with rough play during this time — that usually backfires.
🧠 3. Use Mental Enrichment
When the zoomies hit, offer something that redirects all that energy into focus:
- Frozen Kongs
- Licky mats
- Snuffle mats
These help lower arousal and encourage calm behaviors. (Supervise)
💤 4. Overstimulation Fix: Encourage Rest
Puppies often need a nap when they’re acting wild. Try:
- A chew (Pizzle, Trachea, yak chew, etc.) in their bed (If they struggle to calm, then hold one end so they can’t run around with it)
- Calming background noise
- Low lights
- A crate or pen they associate with relaxation
Don’t force sleep, but set up the environment so it’s an easy choice.
🐾 5. Stay Calm Yourself
If you react with frustration or lots of noise, puppies can interpret it as:
“Excellent! More excitement!”
Keep your voice soft and movements slow.
📅 6. Build a Predictable Evening Routine
Puppies thrive on structure. Something like:
- 6:00 light walk
- 6:30 dinner
- 7:00 toilet
- 7:15 training / enrichment
- 8:00 calm cuddle or chew time
Predictability reduces chaos. Make sure, as most dogs are bred to work with us, that part of your routine includes some interactive play and calmness. This could be including a calm game of tug, then doing some fun focused training, and then sitting down and holding the chew while your dog chews the other end, before you let go and they continue chewing on their own.
✨ 7. Remember: This Is Temporary
Most puppies outgrow the witching hour phase by 6–12 months as they learn self-regulation.