Otto the Whirling Dervish

As a young puppy, Otto would zip around our downstairs area, through the posts and file cabinets at blinding speeds. I was sure he was going to knock himself right out. His front and back legs joined together in a cartoon like manner and whoosh he would run as fast as he could going absolutely nowhere for about 12 minutes. A whirling dervish! Then, like a light switch, he would keel over, his sides heaving in and out, mouth smiling and tongue hanging out....until he fell asleep. This was happening on a fairly regular basis.

I became so worried that I called the breeder and to express my concern and I remember her saying, "Otto has the ZOOMIES!" She further explained that sometimes dogs will run around to wear themselves out, to make themselves tired. She was familiar with the behavior and unconcerned. Whew! I was just relieved that Otto wasn't insane.

Otto's breeder spoke to me about the "testing phases" to come.....and she wasn't speaking about agility classes. I was about to find out exactly what she meant... A good breeder is a wealth of information, never condescending and never impatient. I am sure she has been frustrated with me, a novice ASD owner, these dogs are not for novices and they are not for timid people.

So...after the zoomies, do dogs go into a deep sleep right away or do you think they have that period of time when they are thinking........I was short a quarter of cup of food tonight for dinner, the water was lukewarm, he pulled my leash for no good reason out of my mouth, where is the hedgie...............I'm gonna get the bunny under the lawn chair ...zzzzzzzz