energy levels of EM

[pommie dave]

gday all, my 5 month old EM Gus, loves sleeping, he would have to be the most sleepyist dog i have ever owned, are they all like this? i understand they grow real quick, but the energy level seems to be on slow.
diet consists of Nutro kibble, all natural, aussie made, supplemented with baked liver, chicken pieces, canned fish, cooked vegies, etc, so diet is good, previous dogs inc, Bullmastiff, Ridgebacks, Rotties, maybe EM's are more laid back,
he just seems to cruise around in no great hurry, down the beach etc with other dogs he will run around like a nutter, maybe he is just extra cruisy,
what are your pups like ?
cheers dave & gus.

 

[voidecho]

Very similar. My EM just turned 9 months and he's just recently started to bump up his energy level. Even now though, we'll take him to the dog park and most of the time he'll spend it just slowly walking around, sniffing everything, saying hi to all of the people and occasionally playing with the other dogs.

 

[Smokeycat]

My EM Kryten was incredibly lazy as a young puppy. He didn't start to act like a puppy until he was over 6 months and even then the moments were rare, once a day for 5 minutes. As he got older the moments became more common and by around 9 months he was as active as I originally thought he would be when I got him at 11 weeks. I have discovered he can be dangerous when he gets his puppy moments now as he has a lot of weight that he throws around without caring what he hits. I also remember being a little worried as there were a lot of puppies his age and everyone kept talking about how hard it was to keep them from jumping and I had never seen Kryten even try to jump.

 

[stephanieb]

We are about the same as Smokey Cat. I was worried when we first got out EM puppy because he was sooooo laid back. The older he gets the more energy he seems to have. Still super mellow and like to spend a lot of time sleeping, but now (about 21 months) when they go to the park he runs and plays.

 

[MJT]

My EM Sir seems very laid back compaired to other puppies I've had. He's a year old now and will run and play with my 2 older dogs (9 and 10 yrs) and bounce (which is soo funny on such a big dog) and chases his tail. It seemed like it took all his energy to go out and walk the yard to go the bathroom, then come in and nap for hour or so till it was time to go back out or eat when he was a wee one.

 

[ravendarat]

My guy Mufasa is 9 months old and legitimately sleeps between 18-20 hrs a day and the times he is up he isnt doing much lol

 

[cablecar]

Our EM is the same way. We have always called him an Ent, because when he does move, he's slow moving.

 

[pommie dave]

hi, so he is not especially lazy then, just a normal EM puppy, glad to hear that, not a bad life, thanks for your input.

 

[voidecho]

Yeah, he'll probably pick it up soon.

 

[Pure_Trouble]

I have to much fun with my 12wk old EM as soon as he wakes up he is out and about playing with his toys and chasing me. I think he has to much energy.

 

[hedacon]

They are just very laid back doggies I love it thats why they are perfect for me lazy couch potatoes lol

 

[Crystalanya]

Gummy Bear is so unusual. I swear he's channelling my lab's energy. I always had giant breeds, then I got a lab and as much as I love him, he made me mental when he was young. I was so looking forward to Gummy being just like my other giants and laid back, but he's the opposite. He has so much energy that the Dane and Mastiffs around his age at our dog park can't keep up with him and are overwhelmed. It's crazy. But your pup sounds normal for the breed. But when your pup stops growing so much, you will notice an increase in energy. I can always tell when Gummy is going to grow cos he stops acting completely crazy and just energetic.

 

[Robtouw]

Cruiser is usually pretty laid back the majority of the day but in the evenings between 6 and 8 there is usually a big energy burst with loads of zooming around. At 8:30 he passes out like clockwork! All of my EM boys have been pretty quiet with short bits of playtime mixed in, but definately calm and easy going.

 

[Giantlapdog]

Gummy Bear is so unusual. I swear he's channelling my lab's energy. I always had giant breeds, then I got a lab and as much as I love him, he made me mental when he was young. I was so looking forward to Gummy being just like my other giants and laid back, but he's the opposite. He has so much energy that the Dane and Mastiffs around his age at our dog park can't keep up with him and are overwhelmed. It's crazy. But your pup sounds normal for the breed. But when your pup stops growing so much, you will notice an increase in energy. I can always tell when Gummy is going to grow cos he stops acting completely crazy and just energetic.

I was begining to think I was the only one who had a EM with tons of energy! My girls best puppy friend is a black lab and they have almost equal energy. She's our first EM and we were expecting a little more laid back but we love how playful she is. She is turning one this week and will still play hard for almost an hour at the puppy park and then come home and sleep for a few hours and want to play again. I love it. I know a BM breeder who told me: "it's like one day they wake up around 2 years old and say I've play for 2 years and now I'm done." Energy or not these pups are the best!

 

[jordankyleet]

Our EM pup is CRAZY.. he doesn't stop from the moment we get home from work until bed time and sometimes that's a real chore to get him to relax. Our pup is 9 weeks old.. kinda ready for a little bit less energy

 

[jenypri]

I have two EM puppies, both are about 8 weeks old and though they are pretty young, they lumber about. They like to chase each other but their energy bursts last about 10 minutes at best!

 

[Crystalanya]

Gummy just turned 16 months and he's making me and my lab mental. He still hasn't stopped going. We walk 7 miles a day. I play with him. Morty plays with him. And it's just constant. But I have a feeling by two, he will. It's is reassuring to know I'm not the only one with an highly energetic EM. Of course, he's decided to turn this newfound boredom into chewing my baseboards. He never used to be a chewer but at around 14 months he started on sticks. If I don't watch him, he take a branch right off a tree. What do do with a EM who likes to chew but is terrified of bones? Yes, you read that correctly. If he sees a bone, he cowers and runs into another room.

 

[SUNCC49]

Is it ok to walk a mastiff that much? Do you worry about Gummy's hips?

 

[Crystalanya]

The research doesn't really address that question (I'm an animal scientist) and I used to walk my last mastiff (who was far bigger) and he never had many problems. I don't like to let him run or climb too much. I didn't walk him or let him play this month when he was under 14 months, but the last couple months, it's been necessary. and we take days off. Interestingly enough there's the same debate in people. Often doctors and PT have said tall shouldn't run because of the stress on their joints and they did a longitudinal study that showed build had almost nothing to do with rates of inquiries and need for knee replacements (I'd need to look up the reference on that). They found that it was more likely to happen when a parent had similiar damage or a sibling, so that indicated more genetics than size/build. I went petty far back (three generations) on Gummy's line for hips, elbows, PRA and cardiac. It would be fascinating to do a similar study on canines. But getting funding for those types of study is difficult and getting a large enough N (which is always the problem with studies in canines). I do make him take breaks. So usually every two days we go for a short walk. The alternative is that jumps around in circles and runs around the flat constantly (and the play barking...oh dear the barking). I figure its an acceptable risk for the benefit (but then again risk/benefit analyses is what I do for a living). He's about 140 right now and he's had a very nice steady growth. The rapid growth is more concerning to me than the activity. And he has been perfect. I mean you couldn't ask for a better chart (yes, I have all the data points and a little chart). He's 138lbs right now.

 

[Robtouw]

They are all different! Buddy was a very energetic, playfull pup and Cruiser is a big sleepy couch potato with short energy bursts. All of my boys at age 3 became mellow, couch hogging men.