Sleeping Puppy

[Charlotte1486]

hi, i have a puppy he is 13 weeks old now, is it normal for puppies of this age to sleep a lot, he seems to sleep loads, this is the first puppy iv had so not sure if this is normal. any responses would be apreciated, thanks

[alexanderd]

Dont worry, puppies, just like babies, need lots of sleep. Once it is a bit older you will wish it slept more! Seriously though good luck with your puppy it will probably have moments of intense activity then flop out for a while its perfectly normal

[Charlotte1486]

he has slept a lot more today than usual, could this be because it is quite hot out and we did go for a long walk this morning?

[brenda]

I would feel inclined not to walk him too far at this tender age , especially when it is hot.He will sleep a lot as yet only a baby.

[barb1314]

Be careful not to over exercise him when he's so young. It's good to stimulate him mentally too so he'll not need masses of running about. Play games and try a bit of simple training using small treats. Our lab was always shattered after her puppy training classes,which were only an hour! A lot of people use the '5 minute rule' which is 5 minutes walking for each month of age to take the pressure of the puppy's joints (not sure what breed you have but this is important for a lab) For yours that means only 15 minutes a day. We didn't stick to that religiously but used it as a bit of a guide.Lottie slept loads when she was that age...normally after a mad few minutes round the lounge! Enjoy your pup.

[lankeela]

I presume this is Max, the Jack Russell/Patterdale cross, who cries when left alone? As said above pups of this age really don't need formal exercise, they need to be allowed to play either indoors or in the garden and only walked for a few minutes at a time. If you over exercise at a young age they will never grow strong healthy bones, so please take care and only let him have short walks maybe a couple of times a day. Has he settled better when left?

[fredpuli47]

He'll sleep a lot. Note carefully: It's odds-on that he'll want to pee as soon as he wakes up, so be ready to put him outside or on paper! A young pup gets the exercise he needs simply by playing (and play-bitiing his owner!)and running about on his own. Formal walks and exercise are not needed and may even be harmful (particularly in large breeds but even llittle ones can be given too much)

[Charlotte1486]

yes this is about Max, he does seem to be settling a lot better, thank you.