Manic Border Collie behaviour

Hi, I'm a new dog owner and have been doing lots of research about training and particularly on my breed of dog. I have a 3 month old border collie who is generally well behaved and has been practicing some basic commands but there are moments when he gets into a manic pattern of behaviour.

He begins running around, pounching, growling, nipping and cannot be calmed. Commands and reprimands do not work, it is like he is in a trance. I dont know what to do!

I cant get close to him to put him in a crate type situation to calm him down and when we put him out in this state he goes on to destroy the yard by digging, chewing plants and trees and just general destruction.

What more could I possibly do? Thanks in advance for any help or insight.

Does this happen at a similar time every day or is it random?

It was happening at the same time, usually at 9.30 at night but then it stopped for a few nights and now its random. Last night was the scariest I've seen him yet, I was really concerned for his safety as he ran into furniture and windows at high speed. And this was at about 6pm and was immediately after he had been playing in the yard with my partner and I.

Food doesnt seem to be a trigger as sometimes its happened before feeding as well as after. And we also thought it was triggered by a particular item he wasnt allowed to access (a bag of soccer balls) but it has also happened since we stopped allowing him access to the room in which they were kept.

Does that provide more information?

Sounds a typical case of the zoomies to me, when motorbicke circuits of the living room are de rigeur, usually when you are trying to have a drink or watch a film.

Difficult to tell from your post and over the ether if it is anything more worrying.

Have you spoken to a dog owning friend or had one over when it happens?

Sounds like what we call ''zoomies'' ........... and I have 3 adults that do it.

Typical zoomie time, plenty of energy to burn off, yes they run into furniture, doors etc etc., and he is only a baby so trying to reprimand won't work.

Is he vaccinated yet....once he is fully and he is being taken out he can burn some of this off.

When he's been playing with you outside and then does this behaviour its because he has been stimulated and he's a t a pitch of YayyyyyyyyYayyyyyyyy and he needs to release his energy.

Mine get like it around 9pm-9.30 but as they are older they tend to know the ''track'' it usually take form of a figure of 8, my Jack Russell does it too.

I tend to take mine out walking either just before 9pm or after 10pm (sometimes after the zoomies) for a quiet stroll (well if you can have a quiet stroll with BC's) and then they settle for bed. But zoomies are nothing to worry about

They do grow out of it! Betsy is 17 weeks and used to have a mad 20 minutes until she was 9 weeks old!

Sounds a lot like Zoomies. Used to call it the office lurcher's "Mad Moment." when she was a pup. My lad still does it occasionally. After we've done something particularly exciting or at the end of a really good walk when we've just got in the door.

My two had a ten minute game of "zoomies" every day around 6pm in the evening.

I live in an old house that's all on the same level and each room leads into another. They'd normally start in the living room, chasing one another through the kitchen, into the bedroom where they'd bounce on the bed and then back again.

It always amazed me how they avoided having a collison with anything including me or each other. Once they were exhausted they'd then settle down and chill out for the rest of the evening.

yes sounds like zoomies, if vaccination programme isnt finished carry puppy out and about to see the world, the stimulation of all these new things will tire them out too
when our papillon has zoomies and he has misjudged how far off the ground the sofa is and jumped into the sofa rather than onto it poor little muppet he also makes funny noises whilst he races round, when our dobermann boy does them you stand next to a wall!!!!!! his head is as tough as concrete!!!!!!!

Really? Obviously nobody has told Cain this. He's 3 and still zooming every evening! I hope he never grows out of it, it makes melaugh every time