Why is my 5-month-old puppy sleeping so much and not playing?

I’m sorry to hear about Wotan. It could be that he is just going through a growth spurt and is extra tired. But I am worried that he could be sick or painful too. Take Wotan in to your vet to make sure he does not have a sore back, parasites, or other infection. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Wotan!

[Puppies](https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-first-week-with-a-new-puppy-what-to-expect) do tend to sleep a lot, averaging 16 to 20 hours daily. Typically, a [puppy](https://www.petcoach.co/article/your-puppys-first-year-8-important-milestones) will play for around 15-30 minutes, then take a nap. So as long as she is behaving normally (eating, drinking, playing) between naps, there is likely no cause for concern at this point. To be safe, I'm going to recommend you take Ellie into your veterinarian for a health check. Your vet can determine if there is an underlying medical cause that requires treatment. At the very, least your [pup](https://www.petcoach.co/article/puppy-101-everything-you-need-to-consider/) will receive a clean bill of health and you will receive peace of mind.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Short answer is not necessarily. Not all puppies are highly energetic and pretty much all puppies sleep a lot. It also takes some time for them to get used to their new environment. I would give him more time for him to come along especially since he is otherwise doing so well. If at any point he develops symptoms of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea or inappetence, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Otherwise, he is likely to be just fine. Good luck!

Although puppies do sleep often during the day they should be very lively in between naps and the naps should be shorter as they get to 4-5months old. I would be concerned this is not a habit but that your puppy is acutally unwell - this is not normal puppy behavior. Please have him assessed by your vet as soon as possible to determine any underlying medical causes

At 24 days old a puppy should be sleeping and eating, urinating and defecating. That is all they do at this age. Ideally Bee should still be with his mother st this age. If he is not he needs to be bottle fed every few hours with puppy formula. If he is too lethargic to nurse he needs a veterinarian exam. But give it time he will start playing in a month or two.

For puppies that are still eating and drinking but lethargic and no signs of GI issues I would be suspicious of a couple of things: 1) puppy is just sleeping more now because he is still growing, Pitt Bull terriers and other large breed dogs can go through pretty fast growth spurts and this can definitely cause pups to sleep more. 2) If puppy is overly lethargic and running out of breathe easily or becoming intolerant to exercise or play I would be suspicious of a cardiovascular abnormality. I would recommend you schedule an appointment to have a vet do a heart auscultation (listen to the heart with microscope) to ensure your pets heart does not have any arrhythmia's or murmurs.

Yes, it is normal for puppies this age to sleep a lot - they play hard and nap hard, just like babies :) As long as he is playful and active when he's awake, and he's eating and drinking normally with no other problems, I wouldn't be concerned.