The Wild Child

[Guest posting as: Scully'sMom]

(I used to be 'Trep but it wouldn't take my sign-on so now I'm Scully'sMom)

Scully was spayed last week and it sure did NOT slow her down any...LOL! If anything, and maybe it's because she spent 3 nights in a crate and has never been in one, she is urinating a lot since she got home. She gets her stitches out tomorrow so I'm going to ask about it.

Scully tends to not sit too long in one spot, except on her daddy's lap. She's still into the nipping (she's five months) but if you give her something else she'll stop doing it. Two things I'm a little confused on and perhaps I can get some insight.

1) She plays quietly and very nicely either alone or with us at night until about 8:00 when we come up from the family room and into the living room. My husband will go upstairs to watch TV in the bedroom and from 8:00 p.m. on she's like a wild child. She's biting, she's up on the chairs, climbing on the sofa onto a table, etc. Finally I put her upstairs about 8:45 with her dad and she goes to sleep. Does anyone else's pups have this tremendous energy surge???

2) She can be playing very nicely with you, or sitting on your lap and all of a sudden she'll jump up towards our face. This one time she got me on the nose. It's not like something startled her. Is it an attention thing? She doesn't do it a lot but it's scaring me.

[Mama Kim]

Piper does both of the above. She is 7 months old. Her 'wild' time is every evening from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. We call it crazy time. Our previous cairn, Lucy, did this as a pup too. At 8:30 pm, almost like magic, she lies down with a chew bone for about 20 minutes and then she's down for the night. I read in a dog training book that the time between 6:00 to 9:00 pm is often a puppy's most 'awake' time. On the plus side, the biting has all but stopped. But when she is having her crazy time, she will sometimes jump at your face. She doesn't bite, but I'm thinking this is how puppies may play with each other. She also does this when she plays with the neighbor dog. I think she thinks I'm just a big dog, lol!! As far as I can tell, since this is our second cairn, it is normal behavior.

[Guest CarCarDawn]

Hi! Riley also exhibits this type of behavior - - he is almost 8 months old. We just yell - - - "he's nuts"!!!! - - and everyone in the house gets out of his way. He will run erratically from room to room, jumping on everyone and everything in sight!! - - this usually happens between 7 and 9 at night. Sometimes he will try to bite us even tho we thought his biting days were over - - it is not always a bite - - sometimes just a little playful nip - - I read that these dogs do this to entice you to join in on their playtime!!! They react a lot with their mouths - - not so much to hurt but to play!! That is part of the joy of owning a Cairn - - they are so CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Scully'sMom]

I AM SO RELIEVED!!!!

I was so afraid to come back in here and find that you all told me I had a lunatic dog. I think what scared me is that (a) my other Cairn never did a single thing like Scully and ( I had a few people poo-poo the idea of getting a pure-bred dog because they can be nuts. I had visions of having Devil Dog as our puppy.

We just absolutely love and adore her - it's just those two things that worried me.

There is nothing better than coming home from work and see the sheer joy on her face (and her peeing on the floor at the same time....LOL). It makes the stress of the day disappear.

Thanks for helping!

[bradl]

A book I read used the term FRAP for those bursts of racing around the room (or wherever): Frenetic Random Activity Period. If you have multiple dogs sometimes, even often, one dog can induce the others into joining in. Nothing like a high-speed bullet-train of dogs caroming around your family room

The lunge for the nose sure sounds like an inducement to play or an attempt to 'kiss' you (an act of submission) as Mama Kim and CarCarDawn suggested. Our boy will wait for you to present your ear for licking, but two of the girls will have none of it...they want to lick your lips or nothing, and when they think they can reach, the effect is a lunge.

Apropos of nothing, this is one reason why puppies and children should not be allowed to play unsupervised.

[Toto times 2]

The boys (8 & 9 yrs.) still have crazy dog time in the evenings. We feed them about 5 and they settle down but after we eat one goes and grabs a toy and incites the other to chase around the house. They prefer if we play with them at that time too. I guess they want the whole pack to play. One of them likes to jump at my face but usually has the world's longest tongue out for a slurp on the lips.

[Mama Kim]

Scully's Mom, I had to laugh when I read your second post since one of my nicknames for Piper has been "Devil Dog."

[Melanie]

Oh my goodness to "Toto times2"! I had thought that maybe after Max hits around 2 years that he would settle a bit. Hmnnnn...now I am pretty much thinking that his spiratic maniacness will be with him forever. haha Max is now 16months and I have learned to enjoy his craziness very much. I just lift my legs up as I am walking not to let him run into my legs and let him finish before I begin to straighten all the scatter rugs in the house!!

It is quite amazing and unless you have a Cairn...you are just missing out!

Melanie

[wags]

Wes races through the house like a maniac when he is wet. I think he just wants to outrun his skin.