It has been a very long time since I had a puppy 16 years or so. My new pup just arrived yesterday and I am not sure of what to expect.
I am doing the crate training and was really surprised how much sleep my pup is doing for the first day at her new home.
I took her out this morning and walked/ran with her to get her used to being on a leash and to tire her out while I was at work which is 4 hours. I liked the saying "A good pup is a tired pup."
I came home after an hour just to let her outside and she was asleep when I came through the door. Came back around 1:30 p.m. and she was still sleeping. She was with somebody in the family from 4:30 a.m. - 9 a.m. Is 4 hours of sleep normal after arriving into a new household. She got up during the night too.
I have a litter that is 7 weeks now. They have a cycle: wake up, pee, eat, poop, play for 1-4 hours, then sleep again. They sleep up to 4 hours on their own or whenever someone wakes them up. They do wake up in the night, they live in an ex pen in their own room so they don't wake me up... When they wake up at night they have food (kibble) and water and they just play for an hour or so then go back to sleep.
Remember a baby dog is just that.. a baby. Think of how much baby humans sleep... I would say 18 hours a day, broken up, is about right.
I was actually surprised how long my puppies stay awake! (It's hard to keep 4 active puppies busy and safe at the same time... I like it when they sleep ;-)
The first few days in a new home is stressful so pups will tend to sleep more than usual. They will sleep alot anyway. Angela's estimate of 18 hours is probably pretty close, I haven't timed sleep schedules so I can't give an exact figure either.
I wouldn't worry about her unless she's acting sick or depressed, dehydrated, and/or not eating.
Congratulations on your new puppy. You should be careful how much you exercise a puppy that young (especially the "run" part of the run/walk. Is it a GSD or other large breed? Too much exercise at this age while their bones are still soft can cause joint problems later. I don't know how much is too much, exactly, but I do know that if the puppy wants to quit, you should let him quit. When I got my pup, Kodee, I thought that the more exercise the better. (I also have heard the phrase "a tired puppy is a good puppy)." Then I saw on one of Ed's videos (Your Puppy 8 wks to 8 mos. that you should never force a puppy to exercise. (I walked my puppy twice til he just laid down and stopped, then made him walk back to the car! My mistake!) Luckily I saw his video before I did any damage. Someone else may be able to give you more specific advice on how much exercise is ok.
That being said, puppies sleep a LOT! Mine is about 14 weeks old, and he still sleeps most of the day, although his waking periods are lasting longer. He also sleeps through the night now w/no potty breaks. Yah-hoo!
I just took her into the front yard and encouraged her to run on the grass for about 10-15 minutes. It was stop and go. When she decided she had enough, she just flopped down and looked at me. lol. When she was tired, I was too. lol.
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