Why is my German Shepherd always tired?

If your German Shepherd is always tired then you’re probably wondering why and what you should do about it.

This post will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might always be tired and a number of things that you can do about it.

So, why is my German Shepherd always tired?

Possible reasons can include being too hot, illness, boredom, a poor diet or its age. It’s important to consider that dogs will naturally sleep for over 12-14 hours each day. The best way for you to be certain why your German Shepherd is always tired would be to consult with a vet.

There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to understand why your German Shepherd is always tired and there are a number of things that you can do about it.

Why your German Shepherd is always tired

Each of the different reasons why your German Shepherd is always tired will likely come with a number of clues.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might always be tired and how to spot them.

It’s hot

German Shepherds have thick double coats that can make it difficult for them to stay cool when it is hot outside. The reason why your German Shepherd has been tired a lot could be that it is hot where it tends to be.

This would be much more likely to be the reason if your German Shepherd became a lot more tired when the weather became hotter.

However, it could also be the case that it gets tired due to being too hot if it tends to be hot inside as well.

In this case, it would help if you were to give your German Shepherd access to as many shaded areas as possible, a cool room and water. It would also help to try to give it exercise in the mornings or evenings when it is cooler outside.

Illness

The reason why your German Shepherd has been tired a lot could be that it has gotten an illness.

This would be more likely if it started to be tired suddenly and if it used to be more energetic. It would also be likely if it recently ate something that it should not have, it recently got wet and cold or if it has been showing other signs of being ill.

Boredom

The reason why your German Shepherd always appears to be tired could be that it is actually bored.

German Shepherds are meant to be very active dogs. Generally, it is recommended that a German Shepherd get at least an hour of exercise daily.

If your German Shepherd has not been getting that much exercise then it would make it more likely that it seems tired due to boredom.

It would also be more likely if it tends to spring into life at the prospect of doing something exciting such as when it is about to go out for a walk.

Diet

A poor diet could also be why your German Shepherd is tired a lot.

This would be especially likely if it started to become more tired at around the same time that you changed its diet.

You can look at this website to see what you should and should not be feeding your German Shepherd.

If you are unsure of what food to get for your German Shepherd, consider getting dog food designed specifically for German Shepherds. You can get a GSD specific dog food on Amazon here and one for GSD puppies on Chewy here. 

Nature

Dogs will naturally sleep for more than 12-14 hours per day (source). If your German Shepherd tends to be lively when it is awake then it would be more likely that it is just natural behavior.

Age

If your German Shepherd is getting older and it has gradually become more tired then it could just be the case that it is because it is getting older.

If this is the reason then it would be more likely that it would not have become tired all the time suddenly and that it would have become tired more often gradually.

Another thing to consider is that, if your German Shepherd is a puppy, then it would also be normal for it to be sleeping for around 16 hours per day. If your puppy is lively when it is awake then it is likely just normal behavior and it will sleep less as it gets older.

Things to consider

When trying to understand why your German Shepherd is always tired there are many things that you can consider. Below, I will mention a couple of particularly important things to think about.

If it suddenly became tired all the time

If your German Shepherd did not use to be tired all the time and it was more of a sudden shift then it would be a lot more likely that something has caused it to become tired suddenly.

It would help to consider what other things occurred at around the same time that your German Shepherd suddenly became tired more often.

Things that you could consider could include:

• If you moved home
• If the weather became hotter
• If it ate something it shouldn’t have
• If its diet changed
• If someone moved away
• If another one of your pets passed away

If there are times when it becomes a lot more lively

Another thing to think about would be if there are certain times where it becomes a lot more lively.

If you find that it tends to become more lively when something exciting is about to happen such as when going out for a walk or someone is returning home then it would be more likely that it gets bored.

If you find that it doesn’t get excited much at all then it would make it more likely to be due to things such as illness, its diet, its nature or its age.

What to do about it

There are a number of things that you can do if you want to get your German Shepherd to be less tired that I will mention below.

Ensure that you are feeding it the right foods and giving it enough water

The first thing that you can do is to make sure that you are giving it right foods and that it is getting enough water. It would also help to ensure that no-one else in the family is giving it things that it shouldn’t be eating.

You can look here to see what foods you should and should not be giving it. You can also consult with a vet to see if its current diet might be what is causing it to be tired.

Take it to a vet

If you are unsure of why your German Shepherd has been tired lately, it has also been acting weird in other ways or it became tired suddenly without any apparent reason then your best option would be to have a vet take a look at it.

Give it access to more cool and shaded areas

If you live in a hot area then it is likely that the heat is contributing to it being tired all the time especially if it seems to be less tired when it is cooler.

In this case, it would help to give it access to more shaded areas, a cool environment and water. It would also help to avoid letting it be out when the sun is directly overhead and to try and walk it in the morning or evening when it is cooler.

Give it exercise

As mentioned above, German Shepherds are a very active breed and they should be getting at least an hour of exercise daily.

There are a number of ways that you can give your German Shepherd exercise.

One way would be to just walk it for an hour daily. If you live in a hot area then try to do this when it is not so hot outside such as in the morning or evening.

Another option you have is to play fetch with it. Fetch is good because it gets your German Shepherd to wear itself out quickly. If your German Shepherd does not know how to play fetch then I have written about how you can get it to play fetch here.

Ensure that it is able to sleep comfortably

It could also be the case that its sleeping environment is not comfortable.

It would likely help to ensure that its sleeping environment is cool, there are not any lights turned on keeping it awake and that it has access to water if it wants some.