# Tiger,a lazy 7 month old male Gsd



## Swapnil B (Sep 5, 2016)

Tiger is a male , now 7 month old gsd puppy currently weighing 28.5 kg and height of 61.5 cm at the shoulders.

Right from day 1 he has been a bit lazy .
Initially he used to be a vigorous eater but it seems his appetite slowly dwindled to a point where we have to literally hand feed him and he still consumes only half of recommended diet.

His laziness has increased and he seems too slow . While going for walk I have to actually DRAG him all the way. He seems uninterested in everything.
Trainer complains that he would not even accept treats(we have changed treats and he rejects all) and is slow to learn and very lazy.
We have consulted the Vet and he says there is no disease and hypothyroidism is not a possibility at this age.

He does rum but only ehen confronted with a stray dog , apart from that he is uninterested.

What could be the possible reason ?
Did any of you have similar experience with a very lazy gsd puppy?
What could be done?


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

I think it's time for a second opinion from another vet. It sure sounds as if there is something physical going on. Is the pup losing weight from not eating?

None of what you describe sounds like normal GSD puppy behavior. Did your vet run a full blood panel?

I'm really concerned about your pup. I would get another vet's opinion asap.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My youngest Apollo was very laid back. He would go into playful spurts the first 6-7 months, but then go lay down or sleep. He gave me a lot of problems with the crate, he didn't want anything to do with that and was out of the crate at 5 months(before that he was in there minimally to begin with). He did eat, never super fast. In class he was very quiet and observant and took treats. It was at 6-7 months that he came out of his shell. He realized what a ball was and hasn't stopped playing since. He will be two in a couple weeks and he just started barking when someone knocks on the door or if he hears someone/something on the back of the property. I thought he would never bark, but he has a very nice big boy bark. At first I worried about him a little bit, but I was waiting for that puppy to come out and if finally did. Never went through a biting stage, a chewing stage, nothing most puppies do. He was a real easy pup(except our argument over the crate which he won). If you feel something isn't right, take him to the vet for a check up, xrays, and bloodwork to ease your mind.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

I think that you have created his eating habits, by catering to him. He is eating on his terms as opposed to your terms. 
Though it sounds like he is a very low drive dog, it may be the result of his breeding and again the way you are raising. 
Against my better advice, I got my nephew a pup from Germany who's father was a German Seiger. This puppy is the epitome of lazy....though I don't call it that. He hardly ever exerts any energy, is soft as butter, ( he's now 20 months) would not get into SUV without being lifted up even after one year old. My nephew said, Uncle Cliff, he's not like your dogs or the previous two dogs you got me in my first twenty years of life, even though he is same saddleback like they were. I told him not to import the type dog he wanted but he wanted pretty.
Btw, my brother kept the dog this summer, and I obedience trained him for my nephew....he now jumps into the SUV...lol. 
He is very nice dog with temperament of Golden Retreiver and better breeding than me. So your dog's temperament is not uncommon to some lines, and may well have nothing wrong with him. He also could have a light bulb turn on at later age....which I could better judge if I knew his genetics. Enjoy your dog!


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

I think a second opinion and blood panel (was one done?) couldn't hurt.

I have a friend who is a dog walker who was walking a Golden puppy, we met once with Neb to take the dogs for a walk - it was probably around 7 months old, and it was lazy. I think we made it 200meters in 20 minutes. I was surprised, because Neb wasn't like that at all as a puppy. But it was healthy, and it grew out of the phase.


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## Playmaker (Sep 9, 2016)

My GSD is very laid back and calm for a puppy, will run and play but very happy to sit quietly. Switched him to a raw diet and he seems to have more sparkle. Vet has checked him, just his temperament. He was trained for two weeks at the Loyal Companion to nut jump up. No complaints, never chews or damages anything in the house.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

What are you feeding your pup, Swapnil? 

Also, once you have a few more posts and more privileges on the forum, can you go into your profile and add your location? It will help, as I know that in some areas of the world, like India, people don't always have access to the same brands ofdog food we have here, and in general, GSDs may not do well on the foods traditionally fed to pet dogs.


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## Swapnil B (Sep 5, 2016)

Castlemaid said:


> What are you feeding your pup, Swapnil?
> 
> Also, once you have a few more posts and more privileges on the forum, can you go into your profile and add your location? It will help, as I know that in some areas of the world, like India, people don't always have access to the same brands ofdog food we have here, and in general, GSDs may not do well on the foods traditionally fed to pet dogs.


Yes sure I will do that.
I am feeding him Farmina N&D chicken and pomogrenade maxi puppy food
400-450 g per day in two divided meals!


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## Swapnil B (Sep 5, 2016)

zetti said:


> I think it's time for a second opinion from another vet. It sure sounds as if there is something physical going on. Is the pup losing weight from not eating?
> 
> None of what you describe sounds like normal GSD puppy behavior. Did your vet run a full blood panel?
> 
> I'm really concerned about your pup. I would get another vet's opinion asap.



Thanks for your opinion.
No, he otherwise seema healthy and is not loosing weight.
Infact he is doing much better now - a-days


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## Swapnil B (Sep 5, 2016)

llombardo said:


> My youngest Apollo was very laid back. He would go into playful spurts the first 6-7 months, but then go lay down or sleep. He gave me a lot of problems with the crate, he didn't want anything to do with that and was out of the crate at 5 months(before that he was in there minimally to begin with). He did eat, never super fast. In class he was very quiet and observant and took treats. It was at 6-7 months that he came out of his shell. He realized what a ball was and hasn't stopped playing since. He will be two in a couple weeks and he just started barking when someone knocks on the door or if he hears someone/something on the back of the property. I thought he would never bark, but he has a very nice big boy bark. At first I worried about him a little bit, but I was waiting for that puppy to come out and if finally did. Never went through a biting stage, a chewing stage, nothing most puppies do. He was a real easy pup(except our argument over the crate which he won). If you feel something isn't right, take him to the vet for a check up, xrays, and bloodwork to ease your mind.



Thanks for sharing your experience!
Tiger seems to be getting a bit more active now!
Probably he hates the hot summers here


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## Swapnil B (Sep 5, 2016)

cliffson1 said:


> I think that you have created his eating habits, by catering to him. He is eating on his terms as opposed to your terms.
> Though it sounds like he is a very low drive dog, it may be the result of his breeding and again the way you are raising.
> Against my better advice, I got my nephew a pup from Germany who's father was a German Seiger. This puppy is the epitome of lazy....though I don't call it that. He hardly ever exerts any energy, is soft as butter, ( he's now 20 months) would not get into SUV without being lifted up even after one year old. My nephew said, Uncle Cliff, he's not like your dogs or the previous two dogs you got me in my first twenty years of life, even though he is same saddleback like they were. I told him not to import the type dog he wanted but he wanted pretty.
> Btw, my brother kept the dog this summer, and I obedience trained him for my nephew....he now jumps into the SUV...lol.
> He is very nice dog with temperament of Golden Retreiver and better breeding than me. So your dog's temperament is not uncommon to some lines, and may well have nothing wrong with him. He also could have a light bulb turn on at later age....which I could better judge if I knew his genetics. Enjoy your dog!



Thanks for the opinion!
Yes , I realized what you are suggesting might be true in that we constantly hand fed him to a level where this became the norm for him.
We dont do that nowadays.
We keep the food and remove it within 20-30 mins even if he hasnt eaten a bit.
His activity seems to be improving maybe a little bit now


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## Swapnil B (Sep 5, 2016)

jarn said:


> I think a second opinion and blood panel (was one done?) couldn't hurt.
> 
> I have a friend who is a dog walker who was walking a Golden puppy, we met once with Neb to take the dogs for a walk - it was probably around 7 months old, and it was lazy. I think we made it 200meters in 20 minutes. I was surprised, because Neb wasn't like that at all as a puppy. But it was healthy, and it grew out of the phase.


Yes, I share your concerns!
But tiger has recently improved his level of energy and can go 5km in 70 minutes!


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Swapnil B said:


> Yes sure I will do that.
> I am feeding him Farmina N&D chicken and pomogrenade maxi puppy food
> 400-450 g per day in two divided meals!


I have fed mine Farmina--they ate a lot less on that food then any other food.


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