Is this normal behavior for a puppy?

Question

Hi guys! I recently got a 6 month old puppy. She is a shy puppy and is very scared of humans. i understand that it will take a long time for her to get out of that shell but what worries me is that she doesn't eat a lot and sleeps all day. She will eat maybe once a day and only about 1/3 of a bowl then. She is drinking water but she sleeps all the time! I havn't ever seen her not sleeping. She doesn't play or anything. She had a new pet visit with the vet and the fecal/heart worms both came back showing nothing. Am i just paranoid or is there something wrong with my puppy?

Answer 1

Awww, congrats on the new puppy. What breed of dog is she?
I got my puppy at 6 months too, and she slept a lot. Not like ALL the time; but quite a lot. My wife & i make sure we play with her and keep her energy level up. Do you have many dog toys? Like squeaky toys and ropes to play tug of war? Try enticing her into playing by pushing her around and teasing her with the toys. Maybe she needs a "little" (and i mean little) rough housing. My dog LOVES to play rough; we wrestle around and i throw her upside down onto the beanbag and she loves it.
And try going for more walks to keep her little energy level up.

Answer 2

It's normal for very young puppies to sleep a lot, but at 6 months of age, your pup should be out of that mode. If she isn't eating a lot and still sleeping "all the time", something is wrong.

We suggest taking her back to her vet (with another fecal sample) and have him check for other paracites like coccidia and giardia; also do an echo test on her heart (she may have a pulse rate that's too slow, or some other heart defect).

If your current vet won't do the follow-up tests, take her to another vet (a "second opinion") and get her checked out.

The "shyness" behavior may have come from isolation and a lack of socialization when the puppy was in its early weeks of life. (Pups that don't get a lot of early socialization often end up unable to cope with new people and situations and need a lot of time to adjust). Be a patient, consistent, calm and loving leader to your dogs and she'll come around behaviorally.

Answer 3

Did you mention your concerns to the Vet? I once got a puppy that had been severely abused. I let her hide behind the couch as long as she needed to. You could look at her and she would pee, she was that scared. I let her come to me and I took her on walks every day a few times a day. First in areas that were not busy and then in busier areas. She was fine after a few mos, frisky and social. I am concerned about your description of the dog sleeping all the time. But that may be just how it seems to you. Since she just saw the Vet it doesn't sound like the Vet picked up on anything seeming abnormal, but if your concerns continue to bother you, tell your Vet and see what she or he thinks. GL with your dog!

Answer 4

What kind of pup is she? Some pups don't have a real high energy level.

When you're saying 1/3 of a bowl, you're also not saying how big the bowl is or how much food is going into the bowl....there may be too much food for her.

Some pups are shyer than others. My pup is almost a year and is very shy when he's at home (he hides under the kitchen table for a little bit before he makes friends). Out in public, he's less so, but still wary of new people. It may just be her personality.

Has she been dewormed and is she on a heartworm preventative? While it doesn't sound like there's anything seriously wrong, I would still take her back and have her checked out again, just to make sure.

Enjoy your new pup!!

Answer 5

Well, depending on where the dog came from it may have been abused, or really it may just not be socialized. The sleeping and eating is normal for a pup. As long as you take the pup to the vet and get her checked out, then everything should be fine. Spend a lot of time with her, loving on her and comforting on her. This will get her more comfy with people, and she may even become more active. Try to keep her awake during the day as much as you can, that way she will know when to sleep. Maybe get some nutri- cal and this will give her more energy and keep her awake.

Answer 6

I don't think it's much to worry about just yet. Puppies need a lot of sleep. My puppy didn't eat much either at first. He would only eat when I was home and by his dish. Try sitting by her dish while she eats . . just until she is sure you are not going to leave her while she eats! Just an FYI . . it's a good idea to stick your hands in her dish while she eats - just swoosh the food around or something. This trains them to not be food agressive. If you don't do this, it doesn't mean she will be, but it can't hurt to do it anyway. I agree with trying to socialize her has much as you can. Take her as many places as possible. Even if that means constant trips to the pet store! The more people she can meet the better. I wish I would have known that when I got my 2nd dog. He is anti-social . . not a big fan of people (not agressive, just afraid . .he'll run from them if anything!). I took my 3rd dog with me everywhere I could and she loves people!

Congrats on the new puppy and I hope this helped some!

Answer 7

she shouldnt sleep all the time.. puppies r just like human babies, they eat, sleep, pee, poop and play more and more as they get bigger..

and her being 6 months old, she should be very active (playful).. yes she will still nap a lot, but it is for a shorter time period.. with her being 6 months old, it sounds like to me that she was miss treated where ever you got her from. You need to really comfort her and love her and take her anywhere you go that you can actually take her in with you.... cause if she was mistreated then she is scared to really eat too. and u could also try changing her food until you found something that she really likes.. that dog food pedigree that is in the pouches , now my minature doberman pinschers love that... just let her feel that u are a good person with a good heart and she will come around.. they can sense if u are worried, scared, happy. so if she feels that u are calm, and happy, then she will also start to calm down and be happy and learn that u r not going to be mean to her..

Answer 8

Puppies do sleep alot. Ever been around a little baby...when you wish he/she would just wake up and look at you, but all they do is sleep? Yeah..same thing. I'm sure the experience is pretty terrifying also. My dog was the same way. Does she have a little crate or something to go hide in when she wants to? Sometimes crates can become a safe haven for them...a comfort zone. Try something like that and just leave it open for her to go in whenever she pleases. try putting stuffed animals in there with her to mimic the feeling of her snuggling with her littermates. Also, if YOU are a comfortable and safe for her, you may want to take a sweatshirt that you've worn or something that has your smell on it and put it in there with her. It makes them more comfortable. Make sure she has plenty of toys and take her on walks. Establish routines. Hopefully she'll warm up eventually. My puppy didn't eat much eaither when I got her. If you're really worried, take her to the vet again. They'll know what to do.

Answer 9

My dogs were they same way as yours when they were puppies. Slept alot and ate half of what they do now. Nothing to worry about as long as all the tests came back okay. When your puppy stops growing, which is after a year,they become so active. So take advantage of this time and rest yourself too. Don't worry about her. She sounds very normal.
Give her a kiss for me...and a scratch behind the ears!!!

Answer 10

Your fine and you just got taken on a heartworm test by your vet. She should have just been started on preventative if she is only six months. Puppies like babies go through growth spurts. She may go back and forth from eating more sleeping less and eating less and sleeping more till at least a year. Larger breeds may do this longer because the continue to grow longer.