Hello, out little Lealu joined our family on 6th April and we are so in love with her! She is a black lab (see profile pic) I have a question, she has just turned 12 weeks old now, and for the past two days, she's suddenly is sleeping LOADS. Normally her naps were about 45min - 1 hour/1.30 - but now she's started sleeping for 3 hours straight. She is eating a little less than before (although she's not really enjoying her new food properly) but she will finish it. She's drinking water normally as well. We are heading into winter now - not sure if that makes a difference or not, - but she's not been exposed to other dogs (we don't have other pets) and is up to date with shots and vet care. Is this normal for the sudden increase in nap time?
Hi Lealu, welcome to the forum Congratulations on your puppy! Whenever a very young puppy's behavior changes suddenly, it's worth asking their vet to check them over and rule out medical causes. Older dogs do tend to doze for longer stretches than younger dogs, so once any medical cause has been ruled out, it could just be that she's able to nap longer because she can hold her bladder longer now, for example. Alternatively, she might be going through an exciting period of cognitive development, and her brain needs more sleep to recover and process everything it has learned. This article on our main site might also be interesting to you: How Long Do Dogs Sleep – Is Your Dog Sleeping Too Much?
Leaky looks adorable! I wonder if they go through growth spurts when they need longer naps ( but this is just my very unscientific theory )
