How much does your Shiba sleep?
Lucy has been sleeping a lot lately. When I say a lot, I mean basically all the time. I'm a little concerned about it and I have a call in to the vet, but I thought I'd get other people's input as well.
Our typical daily routine consists of a 50-60 minutes brisk walk first thing in the morning, followed by her breakfast around 20 minutes later. After breakfast, she usually either curls up on the floor or next to me on the couch and goes to sleep. At some point, when I go to shower to leave for work, she'll come up to the bedroom and we'll play with a toy for 20 minutes (sometimes more enthusiastically than others). She's usually asleep again by the time I get out of the shower. If I stay home and work, she usually sleeps on the couch most of the day unless I'm playing with her. Recently, she won't play with a toy by herself, only if I throw it or tug on it. If I do go to work, when I get back, she usually does a couple of really big stretches like she has just woken up from a long nap. If I'm home early enough, she'll usually sleep on the couch before we go for our evening walk which is generally 20-30 minutes. Dinner follows the evening walk by 20 minutes or so. She's usually back on the couch asleep within an hour or so after dinner. She seems to sleep though the night as well because she's generally in the same spot when I wake up.
If she is stimulated by something like another dog visiting or a leaf blowing by she'll play energetically, but the rest of the time she just seem lethargic.
I have two theories: 1) She's bored. If she had a playmate (which is coming is six weeks) she would be more energetic and show more interest in stuff. I wish I could make her the center of my attention all the time, but I can't. 2) Her food isn't working well for. She's been on a very restricted diet lately and I'm wondering if she isn't getting something that she needs.
Any thoughts, suggestions, sorries, slaps in the face for complaining about a clam Shiba would be greatly appreciated!
Comments
I'll write something longer later, but I wouldn't worry. Dogs sleep A LOT. Especially puppies. Growing is hard work. Remember, human children need up to 12 hours of sleep a night before they turn five.
As I am writing this both of my dogs and all of my cats are sleeping.
Our Shibas sleep all the time - once they hit 2 years old they stopped playing and started sleeping, they don't even chew bones anymore. Kaia has always slept more than Maui.
My best guess is that she is becoming more comfortable with you and therefore sleeps more. Maui and Kaia will sleep all day, even when the other dogs are playing. When I used to work in the office and Jen did as well I had a webcam setup to watch the Shibies during the day and they didn't anything... just slept.
Having said all that, if the sleeping seems out of the norm enough to notice then I would let a vet check her out just to be sure. IMO its better safe than sorry.
Thanks for the reassurance. This has been a fairly recent development for Lucy. She used to be going after everything. Every toy in sight, the carpet, the furniture, you name it. She used to sit in the window and just stare outside. Now she seems to just sleep. She is not even 15 months yet so I expected her to continue to have her puppy energy for another year or so.
I heard back from her vet and we are going to check her blood work to compare against before we started her new diet. I'll let you guys know how it goes.
We just got back from the vet and the news is good. All of her tests came out normal. In fact, her blood protein levels are now in the normal range and they were dangerously low before we started her new diet.
Of course now I'm left wondering why she's been so lethargic lately. I guess when Joey arrives we'll see if she ignores him or has some energy to play. Thanks again for the stories!
Dont worry. Around that age Niko started to slow down. She is a LAZY BUM! People dont believe it because when she is around others she never sits but all she does is sleep in between spurts of harassing her sister. Things will change with Joey and I can promise that she will be able to share better and be more tolerant. Joey will teach her a lot.
She is just fine and saving all her energy for the important play times!
Rachael: I never would have guessed that Niki is a calm girl. She seemed to keep up with Lucy pretty good!
Romi: Thanks for the story. Its nice to know that other Shibas sleep a lot too. I got a little concerned because it seemed to start very suddenly.
When they hang out with you at night, are they awake? Do you have to engage them in play or affection for them to be awake or do they just lay around with you and stay awake?
Heidi: That's actually a very sound theory. I didn't think of it, but it makes perfect sense!
Nemo sleeps a lot too. If I am home on a week day with a day off or something. I never really see him, he's always sleeping on the bed. He must think "just because that guy is home today, doesn't mean I'm interrupting my sleep".
Nemo has certain times in the evening that he demands attention and wants to play. Usually when we sit down for the first time after doing the dishes, he then goes into the bathroom and pulls the bathmat out into the hallway. EVERY NIGHT he does this, unless I remember to throw the bathmat in the tub. Once I engage him in play for awhile, he goes back to napping until his evening walk.
At night time after we eat dinner, the dogs are usually up and moving. Playing with eachother or trying to find something to shred apart. When we sit on the couch, they always start to play with eachother, like trying to show off who's more dominant or something. Then after like 20-30 mins I let them out to potty. And if we're hanging out in the living room, Portia will usually cuddle next to us on the couch and fall asleep and Ninja will come next to us and if we start petting him, he'll stay. But if we don't, he'll go to his bed in the corner of the room and start chewing on a bone and slowly fall asleep.
Portia is the playful one when it comes to humans. She loves to play tug-a-war and fetch. Im not sure whats with Ninja, but he is super calm. Never wants to play with us, just wants affection and if we don't give it to him he walks away. He only plays with Portia. But, for a week now, when we come home from work he's been doing Mini Shiba Screams! Its soooo cute~!!! And he looks soooo excited....he tends to try to bite our legs though? We're trying to correct him on that. I'lll have to post a video of it soon.
Brandon - Thats interesting that Nemo does the same kind of play every night at the same time! Way to teach him a schedule! Or did he teach you? hehe
It's a dog's life !! We should all be so lucky. Personally I am an avid napper myself. Rudi too has his bursts of energy and then off to bed for the day. If he wakes I get him outside for a bit. Typically he comes alive around 5:30 p.m. and will be p. and vinegar until he has literally worn us out. Then everyone sleeps through the night.
I guess if we are good in this world we will come back as dogs LOL !
Huggs, ...Ron
Romi - Nemo maked up his own schedule and keeps to it pretty well. If it is after 8:00pm and I go into the kitchen, he sits or lays down at the kitchen entrance and stares at the cupboard that holds his sweet potato treats.