A Healthy Child Needs a Healthy Brain, A Healthy Brain Needs Healthy Sleep

Zoomies in puppies, also known as Frenetic Random Activity Periods (FRAPs), are sudden, intense bursts of high-energy, rapid running, darting around, and circling, in a seemingly uncontrolled way, often lasting only a few minutes.  FRAPs are most common in puppies and young dogs, especially in the evening.  It’s possible that late afternoon or early evening puppy zoomies are a form of pre-sleep arousal.  A mother  described her daughter as “She’s so tired, she’s running around in circles,” This is not a new observation; a classic paper published in 1922 described the “increased reflex-irritability of a sleepy child.” 

From Google AI (edited):

Managing puppy zoomies before bedtime

To help your puppy settle down before bed and reduce the intensity of zoomies:

• Establish a consistent bedtime routine. A predictable routine helps puppies anticipate sleep and wind down.
• Create a calming bedtime environment. Dim the lights, provide a comfortable sleeping space (like a crate), and minimize distractions.
• Engage in calm activities before bed. Instead of high-energy play, try a short training session, a puzzle toy, or a chew toy to help them relax 

By understanding the potential causes and implementing strategies to manage them, you can help your puppy develop healthy sleep habits and ensure a peaceful night for everyone. 

While puppies generally experience more frequent and intense FRAPs between 2 months and 1 year of age, some factors can influence the specific timing and intensity: 

1. Individual Puppy Development: Just like humans, individual puppies develop at different rates. Some might have more intense or frequent FRAPs earlier than others, regardless of breed.
2. Breed Predisposition: Certain breeds are known for higher energy levels and may exhibit FRAPs more frequently and for a longer duration into adulthood. For example:

• Working breeds, like Border Collies or Australian Shepherds, are often bred for high energy and drive, and may retain some level of zoomies for longer.

• High-energy breeds generally, may continue to exhibit these behaviors more often than breeds with a naturally calmer temperament.

There are genetic behavioral differences among dogs.

“We found that Czechoslovakian wolf dog puppies were more active than Labrador puppies in general, as they were more likely to explore the environment and the objects and spent more time doing so. “

Lenkei R, Pogany A, Fugazza C. Social behavior in dog puppies: Breed differences and the effect of rearing conditions. Biol Futur. . 2019;70(2):134-142. 

There are genetic differences among children (Blog Post 14).

∙  Trait Differences.: Twin studies show that there are genetically based individual differences among children at any given age regarding naps, bedtimes, and sleep duration.

∙  Differential Susceptibility (Intra-Individual).

Between individuals, there are genetic differences regarding how they react to specific environmental events.  An environmental event might be a short sleep duration or a parenting factor.  Here are two examples:

1.  When a serotonin transporter gene variant is present, children between 6 and 36 months of age, with short sleep durations, developed negative emotionality (discomfort, fear, frustration, sadness, and shyness), but not if the gene variant was absent.
2. When a dopamine gene variant is present, children at 10 months, with insensitive mothers (based on scoring videotapes of mother-baby interactions) displayed more externalizing behaviors at 39 months, but not if the gene variant was absent.

∙  Differential Sensitivity (Inter-Individual)

Within an individual, there are task-dependent genetic differences in how an individual responds to insufficient sleep. Sleep loss in a particular individual might primarily and negatively impact cognitive processes (alertness, vigilance, and sustained attention) or executive functioning (for example, speed of cognitive processing) or subjective responses (mood and daytime sleepiness).  Resilience in one domain to sleep loss does not necessarily carry over to another.  So how your child behaves, performs, and feels when short on sleep is highly individualized.

When thinking about how your child sleeps and how sleep affects mood and behavior, focus only on your own child and ignore all other children; every child and every family is different.