Short answer: Puppy blues describes worry, exhaustion or regret after bringing a puppy home. These feelings do not make you a bad owner.
Share the workload and protect time for sleep and meals. Seek professional support when distress is severe, persistent or affecting daily life.
It’s the second week. Potty trip, cleanup, potty trip, and the sleep debt keeps growing. Your partner sleeps through the 3 a.m. whine, and you have a work call at nine.
Then a thought shows up that you’d never say out loud. Maybe this was a mistake. The guilt lands a second later.
Left alone, that fog can grow, and hard choices get made at your most tired. The Helsinki researchers even suggest puppy blues could lead to giving a puppy up if left unaddressed. You can get through this, and you don’t have to do it alone.
We sell a printable puppy schedule kit and link to it below. Our Puppy Week Check-In is free.
Feeling it hard tonight? Start here.
✓ Built on guidance from the University of Helsinki puppy blues study, the AKC, Inglemoor Animal Hospital, the Humane Rescue Alliance and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
What are puppy blues?
A temporary low after a new puppy arrives, with worry, frustration and exhaustion mixed in.
The puppy blues meaning researchers use is feeling distressed, anxious, frustrated or regretful after bringing a puppy home. They compare it to the baby blues some new parents feel.
In 2024, a University of Helsinki team published the first puppy blues scale in npj Mental Health Research. They tested it on 1,801 answers from 1,572 Finnish dog owners, 92% of them women. Owners answered looking back, often years after puppyhood.
The study found three sides to it: frustration, anxiety and weariness. Puppy blues is not a medical diagnosis.
Puppy blues symptoms
Aada Ståhl, the study’s lead author, described these signs to the AKC.
- Anxiety: doubts and feelings of inadequacy as a dog owner, and heightened concern about the puppy’s well-being.
- Frustration: irritation, stress about unexpected challenges, feeling burdened by chores, trouble bonding, and regret.
- Weariness: exhaustion, trouble sleeping even when the puppy sleeps well, and anxiety about her needs.
From Michael’s account, “The Week-Two Wall”: Around day ten, I wondered, “What did we do?”
Looking back through our log helped me notice fewer accidents and longer naps. I also asked for two mornings off.
That helped with our workload. Persistent distress deserves personal or professional support, whether the puppy’s routine improves or not.
How long do puppy blues last?
For some owners it’s weeks. For others it’s many months.
How long the hard feelings lasted
Base: only respondents who reported significant negative feelings (45.1% of all respondents). Each bar is a share of that group.
Where the sources split
A vet blog from Inglemoor Animal Hospital says owners most commonly report a few weeks to a few months. Owners there tie the end to a shared routine and a maturing puppy. The study runs longer, with nearly half of that group at six months or more.
Neither gives a set timeline. If your fog is in month three, you aren’t behind anyone.
When do puppy blues go away?
There’s no fixed date. In the study, 326 owners of 1 to 2 year old dogs scored lower on average now than in puppyhood. That held on all three measures.
“Try to keep life as simple as possible during puppyhood.”
Aada Ståhl, psychologist and doctoral student at the University of Helsinki, in the AKC
Ståhl also found that the longer it had been since puppyhood, the more positively people remembered it. Psychologists call that fading affect bias.
How do you get over the puppy blues?
Most of these come from Ståhl’s advice in the AKC’s puppy blues article. Pick two and start tonight.
1. Say it out loud
The low can ease when you accept and express your feelings instead of denying them. Tell your partner, a friend or family tonight.
2. Split the load, on paper
How the work is divided at home may make puppy blues more likely. Decide who takes nights, mornings and the midday break. Write the names where everyone sees them, so a shift off happens.
3. Guard sleep and meals
Eat regularly and get enough sleep, even if dinner comes out of the freezer. Trade one night or one early morning with someone this week. If night crying is what keeps you up, our crate crying guide can help.
4. Drop everything you can
Cut other stressors where possible, and postpone big life changes. Order the groceries. Skip the hosting.
5. Look back at week one
Note trips, accidents and wake-ups, then compare this week with week one.
Tip: Before bed, write one thing she did better today, even a tiny one. After a week, read all seven lines in a row.
6. Get help with the puppy, too
A puppy with challenging behaviors may also make the blues more likely. If her biting or night crying is what wears you down, a trainer can target that one problem.
Is it normal to regret getting a puppy?
Yes. Regret about getting a puppy is on Ståhl’s symptom list. Feeling it doesn’t mean you chose wrong.
Before the main survey, the team read 131 written accounts from owners who’d struggled. Exhaustion, fatigue or sleep problems came up in 45%. Feeling inadequate as an owner came up in 39%, and regret in 24%. Eleven percent wrote about considering giving the puppy away.
I hate my puppy. Is something wrong with me?
No. Thinking it on a bad night doesn’t make you cruel. Frustration is one of the three sides of puppy blues the Helsinki team measured. Irritation, feeling burdened by chores and trouble bonding are all on that list.
Name the part you hate most, the biting, the puddles or the 3 a.m. whine. Each one is a puppy problem you can work on.
For tonight, put her in her crate or a safe room with a chew. Take ten minutes behind a closed door, or hand her to someone else for an hour.
If she goes wild every evening, you’ve met what some owners call the witching hour. The AKC calls these night zoomies a normal way to burn off extra energy. They’re likelier after a day in the crate or too little exercise. Daily walks, play and short training sessions give that energy an earlier outlet.
If you feel you might hurt yourself or your puppy, seek immediate help. Put her somewhere safe and contact someone you trust. In the US, call 988. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Puppy blues anxiety
Of the three sides, anxiety carried the most weight in the study’s scale. It can look like worry that you’re raising her “wrong,” or that something will happen to her.
If you already live with anxiety or depression, the AKC notes these feelings can be stronger. If that’s you, tell your doctor early.
If this is your first puppy
Thirty percent of those early accounts mentioned worry about raising the puppy “correctly.” Pick one trusted source per problem, and stop comparing charts at midnight. Our 3-3-3 rule guide explains the settling-in timeline people quote for new dogs.
When your partner doesn’t feel it
One of you may be fine while the other is drowning. Ask for specific shifts, like “you take Saturday and Sunday mornings,” instead of “help more.”
Puppy blues when you work full time
In those early accounts, 36% wrote about anxiety over the time and attention a puppy takes. Line up one midday helper, a neighbor or a walker, so you aren’t racing home on every lunch break.
Should I rehome my puppy if I have the puppy blues?
Give yourself some time and support first, unless safety or a real life change forces it. Sometimes rehoming is the kind choice, and we won’t judge you for it. If you decide, start with whoever placed her with you.
A reputable breeder will be willing to take the puppy back, the AKC notes. That holds even in the dog’s later years. It urges owners not to be afraid to call for fear of being judged.
From a shelter or rescue? Contact them and ask if they can take her back or have other options, the Humane Rescue Alliance advises. Some groups have contracts that require her return to them.
| Where you are | First step | Who to talk to |
|---|---|---|
| Exhausted, but she’s slowly improving | Share the load and protect your sleep | Your partner, family or friends |
| Her biting, crying or accidents are the main stress | Get help with that one problem | A trainer or your vet |
| The low mood is heavy or isn’t lifting | Care for yourself first | A doctor or mental health professional |
| Life changed, and you truly can’t keep her | Ask about a return | Her breeder, shelter or rescue |
Rehoming her yourself? The Humane Rescue Alliance suggests devoting at least a month to it, and asking friends and family about adopting her. Be honest with any new family about her health and behavior.
Tip: Find your breeder or adoption contract now and read the return section. Knowing the door is open can lower the pressure, even if you never use it.
Is there a puppy blues support group?
We don’t run one. Many owners talk it through in puppy forums on Reddit. Treat those as peer support, not professional advice.
The AKC encourages talking with friends, family and other dog community members. Ståhl wants trainers and vets to tell new owners it’s common and temporary. So mention it at your next vet visit or puppy class.
When should you talk to a doctor or a trainer?
- Your symptoms keep going. The AKC’s advice is to talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.
- If you are in crisis, seek help now. In the US, call 988 for support. Elsewhere, contact your local crisis service.
- You often feel angry at her. Ask a friend to take her for a few hours, then call a trainer for a plan.
Puppy blues FAQ
Is puppy blues a real thing?
Yes. It’s a common term among dog owners. Science only began to recognize it in 2023, through two qualitative studies.
Is puppy blues like postpartum depression?
The researchers compare it to the baby blues, the milder, short-lasting low after childbirth. They note baby blues can sometimes become postpartum depression. They call it possible that puppy blues can also become more severe. Lasting symptoms deserve a doctor’s input.
Can you get puppy blues with your second puppy?
Yes. Ståhl says it can surprise experienced owners, even when they feel ready. There’s no telling why one puppy brings it on and another doesn’t.
What month is hardest with a puppy?
None of the sources we read names one hardest month. Tiredness was the most common theme in the study’s early accounts. So weeks with many night wake-ups may feel hardest.
Editorial review: Updated October 23, 2026 after reviewing search results and relevant source guidance. This is an editorial guide, not a product test or individualized professional advice.
Sources
- Ståhl A. and colleagues, University of Helsinki: Development and validation of the puppy blues scale (npj Mental Health Research, 2024)
- American Kennel Club (AKC): Can Dog Owners Experience the Puppy Blues? and Why You Should Keep in Contact With Your Breeder and Why Does My Puppy Go Wild at Night?
- Inglemoor Animal Hospital: Puppy Blues Are A Real Thing
- Humane Rescue Alliance: Rehoming
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline