Hi, new to the forum. Need some advice, suggestions, anything. We recently adopted a black lab, approximately 4 months old, male, from our animal shelter. Shots are up to date. He seemed very scared when he arrived to my home, and would not look anyone in the eyes. This was two days ago. I have not witnessed the pup playing actively, only sleeping. We basically have to wake the dog to go out to the restroom. I realize that pups can sleep 12+ hours a day, but even outside of those times when he is actually awake, he does not play. The one time he has played he stayed lying down with his toy, and barking at a reflection of himself. Today, he would not eat, and finally about 7pm we were able to get him to eat, only by repeatedly taking him to his food bowl. I would mention that he would eat his kibble if i hand fed it to him so he could continue lying down. We were finally able to get him the crate we wanted today, and he went in it first try with a treat. He is using the bathroom, we had 2 middle of the night accidents inside last night though. He will let us pet and love on him without complaint. We are worried about him, as we have not experienced this type of behavior before. Is he just a lazy lab, depressed, or maybe an unknown sickness? I could be over reacting, but I wanted to get some opinions before I really started to worry. TIA David
Hi there, welcome to the forum. And congratulations on your new puppy. Dogs are never lazy, and unwillingness to eat or move around isn't normal. It's quite possible that your pup's behavior is due to the stress of being rehomed. However, it is also possible that he is unwell. I don't think you are overreacting and would definitely get him checked out by your vet.
Be aware that staring at a dog is often perceived as aggressive by dogs that have not been socialized to it. Most of us have gotten our pups to the point that they don't mind looking into our eyes and visa/versa, but it is not a natural behavior in dogs, it has to be learned. It may just be stress from being re-homed, but I would definitely get him checked out by your vet just to be sure he does not have a problem.
Welcome to the forum. What's the pup name? We adopted our lab mix Johnny from the local SPCA at the same age and he was pretty much afraid of everything. When we adopted puppy Maggie at 9 weeks I had a chance to chat with the shelter folks and learned both Johnny and Maggie were transported from Tennessee, neutered/spayed, and adopted the next day, so I shouldn't have been surprised they slept and slept. Dogs that have been in a kennel also need time to decompress. It's always a good idea to take your adopted dog to the vet ASAP. While Maggie was curious and OK with everything Johnny was entering the period where puppies are more cautious, or even fearful. It was many weeks before we could go for a walk since he was afraid of wind, leaves, blowing rubbish, strange people, noises, birds, etc., ad infinitum. It's fabulous that your pup will accept physical affection. If the crate is roomy he may be able to toilet far enough from where he sleeps so perhaps roll up some towels at one end to make his sleeping area smaller. I set the alarm to take our pups out and then stretched the periods by 10 or 15 minutes a night. It would be ideal if he accepts the crate as his safe space - maybe try feeding a meal in the crate.
Pups are often a bit overwhelmed by how new everything is in their new home - especially if they have come from a kennel environment or a non-ideal breeder. So it might just be that he needs a few days to settle in and acclimate...
