Sleep
It's 2 PM and your puppy is losing it
The biting started again. The zoomies. The look in their eyes that says they're gone. You missed the window.
The moment
It's 2:15 PM. Marlowe's been awake since 12:30 and you got distracted. Maybe a phone call ran long, maybe the kids needed something. Now she's biting the couch, racing between rooms, and ignoring every redirect. She was fine 20 minutes ago. Now she's a different dog.
What's actually happening
The wake window was missed. For a young puppy, even 15 minutes past their limit can tip them from manageable to chaos. What you're seeing isn't 'bad behaviour.' It's a nervous system that has run out of capacity. Think of it like a toddler at 7 PM. They're not choosing to have a meltdown. They physically cannot cope anymore. The fix isn't discipline. It's sleep.
What we do
We don't try to fix it. Once she's past the window, engagement makes it worse. No training, no redirecting, no trying to 'work through it.'
We get her to the crate as calmly as possible. Carry if needed. A frozen kong or lick mat in the crate helps her wind down.
If she screams in the crate for the first few minutes, we wait. Overtired puppies often protest the nap they desperately need. She'll settle within 5-10 minutes.
We set a timer for next time. If 1 hour 45 minutes was too long, we aim for 1 hour 30 next time. The goal is to put them down before they tell you they need it.