lazyness in my dog

Question
hello i have a new puppy of about 9 weeks and all he wants to do is sleep during the day then be active at night often lol waking me up to play and of course i do. not that i have a problem with him doing so I'm just curious y he likes to sleep as much as he does. oh and how can i tell when his claws need to be trimmed? is it when he scratches and leaves long red marks ?

Answer
Hi Nick

I think he is getting slightly confused about when is night and when is day!  I haven't heard of a dog doing this before but it is important (for your sake) that you try to get him into a routine which is a bit more in line with yours!  encourage him to be awake for a lot of the day (bearing in mind puppies sleep a lot, day and night, just like children), and to be quiet at night.  Don't play with him at night or talk to him, simply take him to the toilet if he needs to or ignore him.  he will soon get the message.

Regarding the claws, puppies do often scratch and leave marks.  This is best treated by teaching them not to jump at you.  They are unlikely to need trimming at this age but you can get a vet to have a look if they look really long.

Best regards,

Lucy

p.s. I hope you get some sleep soon.  I have a 4 month old baby so I know what its like!