You are just sitting there and, out of nowhere, your dog started to run in circles around the room like a ghost is after him/her. Don’t panic, dogs get zoomies.
Zoomies, FRAP, or Frenetic Random Activity Periods; all are names for the energy that is in your dog, and he/she can’t contain. Dogs get zoomies, especially, when they are not getting enough exercises, and they have excess energy they need to get out.
Actually, I think we also get this sometimes, maybe one day I will write an article about why do people, suddenly, get the feeling of jumping, running, or listening to very loud music? Who knows!
Anyways, lets, for now, focus on why do dogs get zoomies, what to do when your dogs get zoomies, and is it related to a specific age or not.
Table of Contents
Is it safe when dogs get zoomies?
Dogs get zoomies when they have a lot of energy inside them, and they need to get it out. It happens a lot if your dog didn’t have enough exercises for the day, or he didn’t play enough with other dogs or even with you.
Zoomies are safe as long as your dog doesn’t hit him/herself while running, also, it will be really nice of you to remove anything that could hurt him/her while he/she is running around the coffee table. So, yes, please remove that expensive vase.
However, dogs usually get zoomies once or twice a day, if your dog gets zoomies all the time, you feel him/her so stressed, or he/she gets zoomies a lot that it makes you worried about him/her; ask an experienced veterinarian if there is something wrong about him/her.
What should you do if your dogs get zoomies?
The first thing you should do when your dogs get zoomies is making an exercising or playing plan for him/her; because zoomies indicate that your dog has a lot of energy that needs to get out.
Therefore, you need to make sure you gave him/her the space to run, play, and get exhausted. You may also get him/her some dog friends to play with him/her in the garden.
Besides, you need to make sure that nothing is stressing him/her out. Check if he/she is not comfortable in his/her house, and check if there are any different sounds, smells, or people around him/her that stresses your dog out.
In what age dogs get zoomies?
Well, there is a basic a guideline to pup’s activity levels; once they open their eyes they become very curious animals, just like human babies. Puppies in that age want to know everything about anything, they are curious about playing, running, knowing, and learning.
In the adolescent phase( 10-16 Weeks), puppies are still curious and excited about everything, they break rules, and they put themselves in a lot of trouble. Besides, they have a lot of energy at that age.
Growing up from the puppyhood phase and teenage phase to the adult phase (4-6 Months), your dog is going throw a different kind of energy and gets involved in different kinds of experiences. Then they reach their approximate adult size in their (6-12 Months) of age; with different kind of challenges, energy, and more stubborn head.
After all of those phases, challenges, and energy levels they become mature and fully grown and they become a year to two years old.
In every phase, your dog experience a new level of energy. However, dogs get zoomies while they are in their puppyhood more often than they do in their adulthood because when they are little puppies, they are younger, full of energy, more curious.
Do senior dogs get zoomies?
Zoomies are normal behavior, dogs in any age get zoomies. However, senior dogs sleep more that puppies do, they like to take more naps and rest more. Of course, sometimes they need to get zoomies, run around a tree, table, or even themselves to exert energy, but not like pups.
How to help my dog burn off energy?
Dogs need to get their daily walks, exercise, fun, and good food; to be able to spend a happy and healthy day. Therefore, you need to pay attention to what your dog eats every meal and to stay away from poisonous food, even if that food is the healthiest for you.
Besides healthy food, that can help your dog live a happy life, there are also other things you need to pay attention to; to maintain a healthy life for your dog, and burn off his/her energy:
Games
You need to keep your dog busy, that will not just burn off his/her energy and decrease times he/ she gets zoomies; games also can make your dog smarter, healthier, and stronger.
Playing games with your dog doesn’t just help him/her get rid of zoomies behavior, it also helps you have a better relationship with your dog, feel closer to him/her, and get to know each other more even if you both don’t speak the same language.
If you are wondering what games you can play with your dog, you can check this article, and you will find the 9 absolute best toys in 2019. And if you are wondering whether you should play with your dog indoor or outdoor; it doesn’t really matter, the most important thing is that your dog gets to play and have fun.
Exercise
All dogs, even those cute small dogs, need to exercise daily. That will not just help your dog feeling better and healthier; it also gives him/her the chance to test his/her limits, try new things, feel stronger and it stimulates their mind as well.
There are plenty of exercises you can with your dog outdoors: hiking, running, walking, and also biking.
I know that some of the
Walking
If you are a super busy person, and you can’t have enough time doing a lot of exercises with your dog, it is okay. All you have to do now is walking with your dog around the neighborhood for about half an hour every day.
And, on the other hand, those little walks are not just good for your dog and will help you get rid of that zoomies behavior, it also is the best thing to do for yourself after a
Training
Some dog owners think that what we mean by training a dog is only to train him/her to pee in a certain place, train him to walk on a leash or even train him to do some tricks like winking. However, what we really mean by training is spending more time with your dog knowing his/her capability of learning new things, obey your commands, and behave.
Training will not only work on your dog’s behavior and attitude
How training will help the dog with his/her zoomies?
If your dog spent a lot of time training, exercising, playing and busy; he/she will not have extra energy to do zoomies. In fact, he/she will just have enough time to go to sleep after this long, exhausting day.
To sum things up:
Zoomies are not something you should worry about, it is a common behavior, especially during winter when there is no much time to do a lot of exercises because of the weather. Moreover, dogs usually have fun doing it, so you should have fun watching them doing it, too.
So, the next time you see your dog spinning around
Related Questions:
What is bath zoomie s?
Some dogs baths drive them crazy. So, once they finish their bath, they will spin around themselves. Which is fine as long as they are doing it indoors, because, believe me, if you let your dog get his/her zoomies outdoors; you will have to put him/her in the bath again.
What happens before dogs get zoomies?
Some of them get a glint in his/her eyes. However, you will not have the time to see what happens before the zoomies happen; you will only see that your dog suddenly starts to run everywhere, spinning around something, or trying to catch his/her own tail.
Should I run with my dog till he/she finishes?
Not a good idea. I believe that you are thinking that he/she might hurt him/herself, so I have to stop him/her. Well, your dog doesn’t see it that way; in that case, he/she will think that you are playing with him/her and he/she will keep running.
Also, give your dog a chance to get rid of the negative energy, don’t stop him/her.
Now, tell us about how you reacted when you saw your dog getting zoomies for the first time? You freaked out, right? For me, I thought my dog lost his mind and asked for my brother’s help.
