Not sure what is normal for my first puppy!

He sounds to be having a lovely life. Firstly puppies need a lot of sleep. My lab is 2 and spaniel 5. After their morning walk and breakfast, they sleep. They sleep happily lots of the time. Dogs need to settle. I worry about Facebook groups obsessed with ‘enrichment’, rather than good routines, and balance between exercise appropriate to their age and breed needs.

Have you had him weighed at your vet or are you noticing him looking thinner? Our vet is happy for us to pop in any time to weigh our dogs. They update the records every time I call with one of mine. My spaniel gained weight and became lethargic, sleeping too much. It was thyroid problems so soon sorted with meds.

I know vets are expensive but if you’re worried a health check and suggestions about feeding may help. I pay monthly it covers two six monthly health checks as well as immunisations, flea/worm etc.

Schnauzers are very cute x

Iam is very knowledgeable about dogs and I wouldn’t hesitate to take her advice. I’ve never had a puppy but I do know that, like human babies, they need their sleep. My adult GSD loves her sleep too - she has her set times when she likes to settle down and have a snooze. Routine is everything.

I would certainly pop along to the vet for weighing and a general checkup - I have the same system as Iam, covers the essentials and spreads the cost.

I weigh him weekly whilst holding him. I stand on my scales then go on them again with him and work out the difference.
I started this as he was growing before my eyes and at 4 months was bigger than my sons MS. Since then his weight gain has slowed right down and last week he actually lost .2 kg.

This is the little pooch we are talking about.

It's normal for pups of that age to sleep quite a bit, considering the growing they are doing. If you are at all concerned about his weight, please do pop in to see your vet - they will be able to reassure you that all is well, or give you expert advice if they think there is any cause for concern.

He is adorable, I hope he gives you lots of pleasure.
Just keep an eye on him but if at all worried see the vet, better safe than sorry.

Lovely puppy Gelisajams other posters are right, puppies like babies need a lot of sleep in their early months. If he is exercising a lot he may lose some weight, don't overdo the walking whilst he is still young. Generally puppies will eat anything so keep an eye on this. I'm not a fan of raw food for puppies but this is merely a personal preference. Your puppy will pick up on your tension around food so be careful you don't stress about this too much. Check with your vet to set your mind at rest. Above all enjoy your puppy and the fun and love he will give you.

He looks a lovely little chap. I think as rough guide pups should have roughly 70 % rest and 30% activity in a 24 hour period. Although of course just like us they are individuals.
As another poster said try not to be too anxious about food as he might use this to his advantage. The main thing is enjoy every moment, I’m delighted for you.

He looks so cute, I would take him to the Vet, standing on the scales isn't accurate enough, they will like to keep a record of his weight as well, it’s also good for him to get used to going to the Vets. Maybe you are overdoing his walks, he’s still very young.

PS, I’m sure you arent giving him raw meat, not sure what raw food is though.

Thank you for your kind words about my little miniature schnauzer. He was at the vets only last week for flea/worm tablets and his weight had gone up slightly since his last visit a month ago so nobody was bothered.
The website rawmadesimple.co.uk explains about raw feeding better than I can!

We had working dogs in kennels. Training and reinforcing training tr(and working)

Sorry - posted far too soon!

Training and reinforcing what they’d already learned was mentally and physically exhausting for the dogs. You are the pack leader, but remember always to end a walk/training session on a high, with much praise! Little and often is better, so the puppy can concentrate and doesn’t get bored. Once back in kennels, our dogs slept for most of the time between their outings - twice a day during Winter, three times a day in lighter nights and whole days away working/competing.
As very active working dogs, they were fed a high protein dried food mixed with raw tripe - not something you’d want to feed indoors!

Honestly, your puppy sounds normal and just maturing. He looks a sweetheart.

Oopsadaisy1

PS, I’m sure you arent giving him raw meat, not sure what raw food is though.

Raw feeding is exactly that - raw meat (and bones, offal etc). Our Lab was weaned onto raw food by his breeder and has been raw fed ever since. He is absolutely thriving on it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a raw food diet for dogs - if you think about it, dogs would naturally eat raw meat in the wild.

Sleeping a lot is one thing. But a two kilo loss in a few days, quite another. And for a vet to investigate, not really an internet Forum, even one with very knowledgeable people.

2 kg is about 4 pounds- in a small (gorgeous) dog like this, a huge proportion of body weight.

I always have and always will have rescues- but if I eever chose a dog, it would be a schnauzer, but the full bodies version.

If he was at the Vets only last week, and his weight had gone up, I really wouldn't worry. Puppies do need a lot of sleep too, just as human babies do, so what you're describing doesn't sound that unusual. As for appetite some dogs can be difficult. We have two Cavapoos, one of which is a real hoover-hound, whilst the other is really picky. Lovely dog, by the way.

I think it’s .2 of a kilo FP?

Fleurpepper, it wasn't 2kg, it was 0.2kg. , and the pooch had gained weight when checked at the Vet's last week, so no probs.

Advice for feeding is to put the food down, but remove it if it’s not eaten straight away. I’m not saying dogs should be starved, but they should be keen to eat.
Don’t forget puppies have small tummies, so don’t give too many treats, as that could curb appetites.

last week he actually lost .2 kg.

I read it as 0.2kg

My father-in-law over-walked one young puppy he had (a Labrador, I think) and it suffered joint problems. The poor man was so upset as he hadn't realised it was possible to do harm in this way ☹️

I’m with Georgesgran on a routine for feeding. I know some people put food down all day allowing their dog to graze. My dogs ‘work’ for their food, so morning and tea time walks then sit, wait, take it.
Also agree with Gergesgran about them settling and sleeping - I’m not a rigid routine person, flexibility important in case our lives change unexpectedly.
Dogs look to us for guidance, so building obvious ‘training’ in builds the bond. My big boisterous over lively lab does stop at any door or gateway so I lead the way. In other ways he remains a work in progress 😇🐕😏

Such a cutie Gelisajams! I have my first puppy too, she’s an 8 1/2 month old beagle named Honey.
You are lucky if your pup is able to settle and sleep after the walks, some pups want to be on the go all the time and they need their sleep to grow and develop. Any worries about weight you could ask your Vet to refer you to a canine nutritionist. I’m not confident enough to feed raw myself, the breeder I got my pup from asked us to keep her on the same puppy food for a year. I saw her again recently at a beagle meet and she commented that she could do with gaining a bit more weight but honestly it’s so difficult to get a dog to lose weight if they are even slightly over fed, have too many treats or too little exercise. My vet thinks she’s just perfect, as do I.
If your dog is still eating well and losing weight then that’s more of a worry, you should be able to feel their ribs but not see them. They, like us can fluctuate a bit both daily and weekly. As long as your vet is happy with the trend you are doing the right thing. Hope you are enjoying your pup as much as I’m enjoying mine?

This is my Honey!