Wesley Snapped !!!!

[janet909]

Oh my,
So, we've had Wesley for 9 weeks tomorrow and he's been soooo mellow. A chewer and playful but overall, in the evening "settles" nicely with minimal "parental control". I'm the one who drove from western Colorado to Las Vegas to pick him up so he met me first and bonded quite nicely. In fact, my husband always calls him mama's boy. He watches us both but seems especially interested in what I'm doing and where I am at all times.
Today, we missed his usual one hour training hike in the desert which I realizes expends a lot of energy but he's only 1 1/2 so even with his walk he has a lot of energy in the evening. We missed it because my husband, who is a commercial fisherman in Alaska, left for a 12 week fishing period. We played with Wes in the yard all day, took Mark to the airport and then I played with Wes when we got hom.
I want the name of the person who slipped him the "puppy upper" because suddenly this evening, my perfect little rescue puppy snapped.....like a twig. He got into the irrigation, dug a hole (his first one in nine weeks), was covered in mud, ran into the dog door, shook in the dining room, tore THROUGH the screen door, ran psycho circles in his yard, tried to dig a hole through his swimming pool with water going everywhere and on and on and on. I've never seen this side of him. Was he waiting all this time, tricking me into thinking he was mellow until Mark got on the plane?????
Poor Moby found his old pink octopus toy that he used as a comfort toy as a puppy, brought it into his bed, wrapped his front legs in the 8 octopus legs and sucked on it's head (which is plastered hard from sucking as a puppy) in a Zen like experience trying to escape the energy that he clearly didn't appreciate. Wes kept egging him on and while MOby didn't snap or bite, he had this deep gutteral thing going that clearly meant....don't mess with me.
My geriatric heeler tried to bite him every time he grabbed her tail but she just doesn't spin on a dime any more.
So, did Wesley know that something huge had changed??? Is he that smart???? Was he pretending to be mama's boy so that dad would leave and he could take control of the house??? What's going on in that doggy brain?????

[Annabelle]

Hmm I can't really say. It sounds like a case of the Zoomies for sure. Jack's three now but still occasionally goes back into the past to pull up some of his past tricks. Since the weather has warmed up he is full of beans and so far has chewed three holes in my fleecies (they were completely clean but had contained dog kibble in them before going through the wash). Maybe Wes just had extra energy and burned it off?

[janet909]

He's closed his eyes for two seconds so I'm back on line. I decided that I either needed a glass of wine or to find someone in the phone book who does exorcisms.....I opted for wine. After my last post, he spent 30 minutes trying to steel the pink octopus from Moby.....that's THE sacred toy. I have bought an unbelievable amount of toys for Wes (forgot what's it's like to have a puppy) so that no matter WHAT room we're in, when he puts something unacceptable in his mouth, we can replace it with an acceptable dog toy. With ALL his toys, he had to have THE pink octopus. Moby had hackles up, a leer in his eye and was moaning. A dog fight was going to happen. It was all I could do to get Wes to "settle". The Zoomies huh?? I've read about them in the posts and always laughed. Moby never had the zoomies......I guess the laugh is on me

[adele]

Well, that'll teach you to skip a puppy walk! Sounds like he was a bit excited.. he knew things were different on that day. He had a bit of stored up energy, he felt the emotion in the air, there was a change in routine and voila... zoomies. Lola's 3 and she still gets zoomies whenever the routine is different (never through a screen door but I guess I'm just lucky).

Oh and that pink octopus... I'd prepare for the worst... he's a gonner for sure.

[Barb Wright]

.... because suddenly this evening, my perfect little rescue puppy snapped...

Wesley had an epiphany he suddenly realized he was HOMEHOMEHOME, safe, secure, and happy Expect to see this evidence of ecstasy from time to time

p.s. Rescue dogs usually become a "different" dog as they settle in, learn the ropes, relax, begin to enjoy lives of love, good care, being part of a "pack" It sometimes takes a while, but their true personalities eventually emerge

[janet909]

Well, I let him run free in the desert for an hour this morning and my little angel boy is back.....Mr. Mellow. The other two dogs have seemed to forgiven him for tormenting them all evening. Oh, and all three seem to be thrilled with the new screen "dog door" in the living room....it provides them with a new access into the house. What an evening....I think we're all a bit exhausted today.

[holisticmom]

Janet, if it makes you feel better, my Orion is 13. He doesn't flip out over a missed walk the way that Wesley did, but we hear about it in clear and unmistakeable terms. He runs down the hall between our dinette and laundry room, and if that doesn't get us moving, he starts making the most pitiful noises, then flops on the floor with his nose between his paws. If he's having a good day, he still gets the zoomies. Hope I haven't scared you.

[mkilcz]

So, did Wesley know that something huge had changed??? Is he that smart????

I would have to say that Wesley probably is that smart, or at least he is aware and sensitive to changes going on that impact his routine and environment. Rocket mopes around like crazy whenever Steve travels, and it starts as soon as the luggage comes out of the closet. Thankfully, Steve is only ever gone for a day or two, but Rocket knows what's going on and lets us know that he isn't happy about it. Rocket also dislikes changes in the routine and protests if our morning walk is delayed for some reason. But, he doesn't get the zoomies. Instead, he prefers psychological warfare, and just sits by the gate looking miserable and pathetic until I come out with his bell and collar. He would sit by the gate all morning long, in any type of weather, just waiting... if I'd let him. So, I guess I'm just saying that Wesley probably knows something is up, but not exactly what it is. Even though he may be more connected to you, he's still picking up on signals that something is different, and is maybe feeling some anxiety about it all. I think that sticking to your normal routine as much as possible and maybe a few extra belly rubs might help him cope.

[rtropeano]

Wesley had the ZOOOMIES!!!!! Hey I never knew about those until I joined this board. Boy did I get an education, and also a torn shirt, to show my initiation into the club....



Rose

[AuntieMom]

Scout does not get the zoomies anymore but I used to call him Kujo. I will relinquish that nickname to you.