genral questions

Question
hello again Marcus im getting along great with my new puppy, but i do have afew more questions if thats ok. my first one is that he seems to be afraid of his toys and he sleeps a hell of allot. (awake for about 3 hours out of the day) is this normal? also he seems to have taken to his collar just fine but he HATES! his leash he'll just about walk around the garden with me if a bribe him with a little cooked ham..(and even then its a big struggle) i know hes only 8 week's and it will take time,but have you any suggestions? just one other thing he doesn't eat very much at all im feeding him dry food and i would like to feed him 3 times a day witch would be about 30-35 pellets per sitting, but hes only eating about 20 pellets in a hole day.. is this ok? im getting a little worried..

thanks again from a happy Irish man.

Answer
Puppies do sleep a lot - and being carnivores by nature, they will sleep more than you might think throughout most of their lives.  Some dogs love toys and take to them immediately, some don't - not a big deal, just keep looking for stuff he likes.  I have two, one who loves things that squeak, another that only likes it if it tastes good.  To each their own.

As for the leash - your best bet is to put the leash on and let the pup just drag it around for a while without you holding it.  Bribe him with treats to make him come to you with the leash on, and eventually he should forget it is there.  Then, you can pick it up and start working with him.  Don't worry about that too much, a lot of dogs take a few weeks to get used to that.

As for food - it completely depends on the quality of kibble you are providing.  Feeding three times a day is good at this age, but keep in mind that Siberians have extremely efficient metabolisms.  My two adult dogs eat less than 1 US measuring cup of food per day - not much at all.  If the dog is steadily gaining weight and stools are firm and consistent, he is eating enough.  If you see loose or inconsistent stools, or the dog isn't gaining weight, try some supplements.  Low sodium chicken broth, or even water, can make hard kibble more appetizing to young pups.  Just enough to soften the kibble, but try to make sure they aren't "drinking" their meal.  That's for the humans with a good stout.  :)

Keep an eye on the weight, and if you need some more advice on amounts - let me know what you are feeding the dog.  Also, if you look the package it should provide a minimum/maximum crude analysis of protein, fat and moisture - that is helpful too.