# My puppy is VERY inactive. Is this normal?



## RogueRed26

My German shepherd mix puppy, who I adopted from my local shelter, is very mellow/ inactive. 

I first want to give you a little background information about her:

I have had her for 3 weeks already. Upon adoption, they stated she was found as a stray and was at the shelter for 3 weeks. She is estimated to be about 4 1/2 months old, weighs currently 25 lbs and has little to no muscle mass, she looks a bit like a skeleton. She has gained a pound since living with me, and I have her on a high protein puppy food to help her gain some weight before her spay operation at 6 months. I know I am not suppose to feed GSD puppies at this age puppy food, but I need to bulk her up. Also, my veterinarian has shown some concern about the way she walks. He thinks it might be because of the fact she does not have alot of muscle mass, though he also suspects she could have joint problems in the future, but he can not tell me for sure until she is a year old. 

Here is the situation:

Aren't puppies suppose to be energetic, lively, and playful? Mine seems to be the exception to the rule. I have noticed that she is a bit more active now (she has a bit of step to her), since I changed her diet to IAMS Puppy formula but she is still quite mellow. 

She does not like to play with toys, I have taken her to petsmart to pick a toy or two and nothing fancies her. I have bought her a few toys, but she ignores them. I have given her a rag to play tug of war but nothing rises her, also balls are just ignored. She is strickly an indoor dog, so walks are necessary. On walks though, she lasts for only about 4 minutes till she wants to lay on the floor. Everytime we stop on a walk, whether it is at a park, around the apartment complex, or pet store, she just plops on the floor. Also, in the apartment, she just wants to sleep and not interact with me. We are trying to practice "watch me", but she still does not want to listen to me very much. 

I can feel it that she is now comfortable in my home with me and my other pets (2 cats and a bird), but I wish that she wanted to interact with me a little more, play, want to participate in obedience, and go for a walk or jog with me. The main reason I wanted to adopt a shepherd was because of their wonderful reputation of being intelligent, active, and loyal. I wanted a dog that I could take jogging, enter in obedience competitions, and travel with me. What should I do? I really want her to become a larger part of my life than just a dog who lays in the corner and does not want to participate in all the activities that will help us bond. 

Do you think this is her personality? Do you think maybe it has something to do with a health issue? Does it sound like she might experience some joint issues in the future? Does the fact that she was in the shelter for 3 weeks influence this behavior? How can I encourage her to be more active? 

Any suggestions or feedback will be much appreciated. Thank you.


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## onyx'girl

What are you feeding her? I would hope it isn't full of grains and fillers. Maybe add some raw egg, yogurt and supplement with vitamin C, E and salmon oil. 
Has she been cleared of all parasites? They can return even if you've recently wormed her. 
Maybe find a place to take her swimming(short period) daily will help her build muscle, along with just playing fetch, tug or frisbee.
You need to make yourself goofy, silly for her to want to interact with you. 
I would also recommend a full vet workup if you can afford it. If she is healthy then it may just be her personality
Edit, just read you feed Iams. I would transition her to a better kibble, and supplement with the above suggestions. I wonder if she was a parvo pup...


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## Zoeys mom

Did this shelter test her for disease and illness, have you had blood work done, and are her vaccinations up to date? A puppy at that age should be able to last on a walk whether they like toys or not- some don't but all the same they shouldn't be lethargic. What about food allergies? Another thing that can affect weight gain and activity is allergies to what their eating. Iams is not a great food for dogs so you may talk to your vet about testing her for grain allergies which Iams is full of. Good luck to you


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## Jax's Mom

Sounds to me like it might be worms. 
Jax was the same way and the vet insisted he had worms. I treated him with Strongid every 2 weeks, then once a month (today was the last dose actually). I never saw one worm before or after the treatments but about 2 days after the second treatment, he seemed to perk up quite a bit.
Last year my dad got a puppy that only lasted 11 days with him. The puppy was also unusually calm and would stay wherever you put him and just sit there. The breeder said he was probably just adjusting still. When the puppy died they did a necropsy and found he was full of worms. Apparently there was a mix-up with which puppies were wormed and some were missed. He said it was really sad because it was so easily and inexpensively preventable. 
If you think something is wrong based on her behavior, follow your gut instinct, don't let anyone who's never met your dog tell you they're acting a certain way because of this or that... Better safe than sorry


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## MaggieRoseLee

How old is she?

I'd definitely go back to the vet in a week if she doesn't seem to perk up. Just to make sure her blood work and general health is getting better. 

It can take quite a few weeks for adopted puppies to adapt from whatever they came from TO their new life. Some are more quiet and thoughful taking it all in and wanting to be 'good'. Diet and prior exercise is a huge thing too. 

I got a young adult cat that had had to be at the vet in a large crate for months to get rid of ringworm and I was amazed at what poor muscle shape he was in. Jumping wrong and falling off stuff that should have been easy. It's about 5 months later and he's just really starting to muscle up and get his coordination back.


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## RogueRed26

Thank you for the suggestions. I think I will take her in again to have her tested for worms. In regards to dog food, its difficult getting her to eat. Leela is very finicky. I had her on Pro Plan Chicken for Large breed puppy, and she would eat it for about a week and then stopped and starved herself for two days. A friend of mine had some Iams puppy food and gave some to her and she loved it. I will try to look into other dog foods for her, I only hope I have success again with another brand. Thank you again. =)


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## MaggieRoseLee

RogueRed26 said:


> Thank you for the suggestions. I think I will take her in again to have her tested for worms. In regards to dog food, its difficult getting her to eat. Leela is very finicky. I had her on Pro Plan Chicken for Large breed puppy, and she would eat it for about a week and then stopped and starved herself for two days. A friend of mine had some Iams puppy food and gave some to her and she loved it. I will try to look into other dog foods for her, I only hope I have success again with another brand. Thank you again. =)


MANY of our GSD's are picky eaters. As long as they will eat (treats? new food like the Iams?) then the good news is they aren't probably sick (at least with real eating issues sick).

Cats are extremely picky eaters so their food is formulated to be stinky and yummy in a small package. So for my picky GSD I came up with a good kibble I liked and that was the base of her food. It's what I added to it that made her 'eat' and canned cat food generally did it for us. HUGE varieties (change was good for her). I could buy the crap stuff on sale in the cat food aisle to save money. I only had to add about 1/4 - 1/3 of a can and the rest was easily lidded up and put in the fridge until the next meal. 

So I'd take the 1/4 can of cat food and add water to make a soupy gravy. Then I'd add the dog food kibble. And she'd almost ALWAYS eat that right up. I'd do the same with my human leftovers. Soup? Spagetti? stew? any meat.

Key was small amount of what I'd mix with the kibble to get her started. The nutrition came from the kibble.


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## canine5003

:hug:

I agree with you... your puppy (regardless of breed) should be more energetic than this. She should be just running around and into just about everything within the apartment. Instead you are describing a lathargetic, GSD mix that is not engaged in play .
As long as she is regular, then you know she most likely doesn't has an digestive tract problem. Did the vet check her stools for parasites, etc. ?
An infestation will drain the energy of a smaller size puppy very quickly.
Make sure she is getting plenty of fresh water daily. All the Best !









RogueRed26 said:


> My German shepherd mix puppy, who I adopted from my local shelter, is very mellow/ inactive.
> 
> I first want to give you a little background information about her:
> 
> I have had her for 3 weeks already. Upon adoption, they stated she was found as a stray and was at the shelter for 3 weeks. She is estimated to be about 4 1/2 months old, weighs currently 25 lbs and has little to no muscle mass, she looks a bit like a skeleton. She has gained a pound since living with me, and I have her on a high protein puppy food to help her gain some weight before her spay operation at 6 months. I know I am not suppose to feed GSD puppies at this age puppy food, but I need to bulk her up. Also, my veterinarian has shown some concern about the way she walks. He thinks it might be because of the fact she does not have alot of muscle mass, though he also suspects she could have joint problems in the future, but he can not tell me for sure until she is a year old.
> 
> Here is the situation:
> 
> Aren't puppies suppose to be energetic, lively, and playful? Mine seems to be the exception to the rule. I have noticed that she is a bit more active now (she has a bit of step to her), since I changed her diet to IAMS Puppy formula but she is still quite mellow.
> 
> She does not like to play with toys, I have taken her to petsmart to pick a toy or two and nothing fancies her. I have bought her a few toys, but she ignores them. I have given her a rag to play tug of war but nothing rises her, also balls are just ignored. She is strickly an indoor dog, so walks are necessary. On walks though, she lasts for only about 4 minutes till she wants to lay on the floor. Everytime we stop on a walk, whether it is at a park, around the apartment complex, or pet store, she just plops on the floor. Also, in the apartment, she just wants to sleep and not interact with me. We are trying to practice "watch me", but she still does not want to listen to me very much.
> 
> I can feel it that she is now comfortable in my home with me and my other pets (2 cats and a bird), but I wish that she wanted to interact with me a little more, play, want to participate in obedience, and go for a walk or jog with me. The main reason I wanted to adopt a shepherd was because of their wonderful reputation of being intelligent, active, and loyal. I wanted a dog that I could take jogging, enter in obedience competitions, and travel with me. What should I do? I really want her to become a larger part of my life than just a dog who lays in the corner and does not want to participate in all the activities that will help us bond.
> 
> Do you think this is her personality? Do you think maybe it has something to do with a health issue? Does it sound like she might experience some joint issues in the future? Does the fact that she was in the shelter for 3 weeks influence this behavior? How can I encourage her to be more active?
> 
> Any suggestions or feedback will be much appreciated. Thank you.


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## RogueRed26

I never thought of incorporating canned cat food to her kibble, but that is a great idea! Besides the Nutri Cal, I will also try to incorporate some canned food as well, or maybe a treat or two in the mix. Now, rather than buying cat food for my cats, I will also add a few cans for my dog. Thank you for your suggestion. =)


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## RogueRed26

Yes, I agree with you too Canine5003. My puppy should be more active. I am really starting to suspect that it just might be internal parasites. I am planning on visiting a veterinarian clinic soon, though I need to find a new veterinarian, yet again, since I did not like how my vet did not evaluate her thoroughly. Its sad though, it seems as if most veterinarians are too preoccupied trying to suck money out of people than do a good job of caring for the animal. For example, a week ago my puppy had a fever and all the vet did was give her a B12 shot. That was it! I need to find a more reliable vet to get her checked. Thank you though.


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## RebelGSD

It sounds like the poor puppy is not feeling well. Keep in mind that the dog can have parasites with a negative fecal. We had a post on this board where the vet was delivering the good news of the negative fecal when the dog unloaded a pile of large worms at the office. With these symptoms she should be treated, probably at a higher frequency and longer. I had an older foster that was loaded with worms and I treated her every three days. Some worms are not covered by strongid so you should be giving either panacur or drontal which have a broader spectrum. You puppy should have gained more weight in three weeks, it seems that she is just too weak to walk of be physically active.

I agree, it would be a good idea to find a more proactive vet.


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## VChurch

It does sound like something else is going on with your puppy.

Sobacca -- my first dog -- walked in our garage when he was all of 10 pounds (he's now about 50 pounds). He had a crappy, frayed blue collar on and was just wanting some water. We have no idea where he came from or who would have just dumped such an adorable puppy.
For the first month or so we had him, he wouldn't wag his tail (it was usually tucked between his legs) and was extremely scared to walk up to any of us...he had very low energy and no interest in playing. I couldn't get him to eat 'on a schedule'. He was scared sh*tless of being in a car (would sit on my lap and shake).
After a month or so and as he got more comfortable in our home and more comfortable with us he opened up a lot more. He started wagging his tail, trusting us, playing more, having more energy..and his personality came out a lot more.

But even for the entire first year of his life, he was skiddish of most guys and was scared of 'new' noises, etc. We honestly think he may have been mistreated before he came to us.
But now at 4-years-old you would never guess that he ever acted like that. He's super confident, not afraid of anything, such a sweet and well-behaved dog, etc etc etc.

I'm not saying this is maybe what's going on with your puppy but just a though since you did adopt her/him...there's no telling what happened to the puppy before you got him/her. How did she/he seem when she/he came home; has she/he been like this since day one or a more recent development?


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## Capone

Just reading the post - Are you not suppose to feed your puppy, puppy food? Mine's almost 8 months old.


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