Hold him still
When your puppy loses control of himself during his witching hours, he loses control of all parts of him. It might sound weird, but he may actually stop being aware of his own body.
One of the best ways you can help him is by holding him still. This will help bring his awareness back to himself.
To do this, hold him from behind in a sitting position. Keep one hand holding the back of his collar with the other hand gently and firmly holding his chest. This position will keep him from being able to bite you. Hold him steady like this for about a minute or two.
Stay calm
If your puppy is having a witching hour, then the number one thing you need to do is stay calm.
Your puppy is super intuitive. Dogs are naturals when it comes to picking up on the feelings of those around them. That means that the way you respond to your dog when he’s acting out plays a huge role in his behavior.
If your puppy is experiencing a witching hour, then it’s really important to stay calm. You want to model the behavior that you want to see in your puppy. Yelling at him to settle down or acting in a similar way to him will only excite him even more.
Instead, remain calm, and speak to him in a quiet and slow voice. This may not do much right away, but it will help him settle down faster.
What is the puppy witching hour?
At a certain time of day, does your puppy seem to go absolutely crazy? Does he lose his manners and refuse to listen to anything you say?
Maybe he’s zooming around the house and you just can’t get him to stop.
If this sounds like your situation, then you may be experiencing a puppy witching hour!
Dogs of all ages can experience a witching hour. But they are particularly common with puppies. Unfortunately, they can also be extremely frustrating. Your puppy refusing to listen to you or settle down is never fun!
Don’t worry though, there are ways that you can manage your puppy’s witching hour. But before we learn more about the dreaded witching hour, check out these related articles:
Stop The Witching Hour With Calmness Training!
These are common thoughts that all puppy owners have and I’ll walk you through how to deal with the chaos known as puppy witching hour.