Puppy Blues

They are real and you are NOT alone!

Welcoming a new puppy home is one of the most exciting moments. They're this tiny, helpless little fluffball that stumbles around, falls asleep in the strangest places and melts your heart every time they look at you,

Then they settle in…

This is usually the point where you start questioning every life decision you've ever made.

I was only 11 years old when my family brought home a little Bichon Frise × Shih Tzu called Willow. At that age, I got all the fun parts of having a puppy without any of the real responsibility. My parents dealt with the majority of the sleepless nights, toilet training and everything else that came with it.

Fast forward to 2026, and suddenly I had my own puppy. I very quickly realised just how much my parents had been doing all those years ago.

The best way I can describe owning a puppy is this:

Imagine someone hands you a toddler. Now give that toddler knives for teeth and talons for claws.

They're into absolutely everything. They test boundaries, have accidents, steal slippers, chew furniture and somehow manage to find the one thing in the room you didn't want them to have. It's exhausting. People often say, "Dogs are harder than babies." Personally, I think they're talking about puppies specifically. Thankfully, this stage doesn't last forever. Puppies grow and mature remarkably quickly compared to children - but when you're in the middle of it, it certainly doesn't feel that way.

I'll be completely honest, there were days when I genuinely wondered why I was putting myself through it. Fenrir chewed the corners and legs of my coffee table until they were basically legs of splinters. He destroyed the plastic tray in his crate. Every soft toy immediately lost its labels before being meticulously de-fluffed. I was exhausted.

At the time, I was working from home full-time, and I can say for a fact that very little work was actually getting done during those first few weeks. I cried. I was irritable. I even caught myself wondering whether we'd made a mistake and whether he'd be better off somewhere else.

It's something many new puppy owners feel, but very few people admit. Then, just when I’d convinced myself that I couldn't cope for another day, he'd curl up beside me, rest his head on my lap, or look up at me with those enormous ears and eyes, and I knew it was all worth it.

Looking back now, the puppy stage has been one of the hardest things I've ever done - but I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

So, what actually helped?

Crate training

One of the biggest mistakes we made at the beginning was not crate training Fenrir straight away. We'd researched German Shepherds extensively. We'd looked into training, enrichment, nutrition - you name it. What we'd somehow overlooked was teaching him how to switch off. At first, I was completely against crate training. The idea of closing the door on him in his own home felt cruel. I couldn't have been more wrong. Once we introduced the crate properly and made it a positive, safe place, everything changed. Establishing regular nap times transformed his behaviour. He chewed less, bit us less, and generally became calmer.

Of course, he'd still have his "land shark" moments - and at six months old, he still does - but he's a baby. He's experiencing the world for the very first time. Sometimes they simply become overtired without realising it.

Short training sessions

Training became one of our greatest tools. Rather than long sessions, we'd spend five to ten minutes working on basic commands every time he woke up.

We'd then follow it with a little playtime before giving him something calming to do, such as a lick mat, a stuffed Kong or one of his favourite chew toys. Olive wood chews and an incredibly tough crocodile toy quickly became household favourites.

Not only was he learning, but he was also using his brain - which is often just as tiring, if not more than, physical exercise.

Socialisation

Before Fenrir had completed his vaccinations, we still wanted him to experience the world. So we carried him. We took him to cafés, garden centres, pet shops and somewhat busy streets. Simply for him to listen to new sounds, smell new smells and see new things.

These outings weren't about exercise - they were about exposure. Every new sound, smell and person helped build his confidence.

They also had to stay fairly short... partly because puppies can become overwhelmed, but mostly because carrying an ever-growing German Shepherd puppy quickly becomes an unexpected workout!

How is he doing now?

At the time of writing, Fenrir is now six months old. We absolutely still have our moments, but the difference is incredible. He jumps up far less than he used to and almost never destroys/chews things around the house he shouldn’t.

He's much better at communicating when he needs the toilet - or, perhaps more importantly, when he desperately needs a nap. We've learned that when the puppy teeth suddenly come out and everything becomes a game of "bite the humans", it's usually his way of saying, "I'm exhausted."

Lead walking is still very much a work in progress. He gets incredibly excited when we're approaching somewhere new or one of his favourite places, and he can pull like a train. Ironically, off lead he's an absolute dream. He's constantly checking where we are, has fantastic recall for his age and rarely wanders far from us. If roads and traffic didn't exist, I'd happily let him roam free on every walk.

He's gets very excited around new people and will occasionally jump up at them (usually when the human encourages it…), but is otherwise very kind. He is polite around other dogs, if not tends to avoid them if his focus is on a treat or his ball.

He's still growing. He's still learning. And so am I.

If you're in the middle of the puppy blues...

Please know you're not alone. Feeling overwhelmed doesn't make you a bad owner. Feeling frustrated doesn't mean you don't love your puppy. The puppy stage is intense, but it's also temporary.

One day you'll realise they've quietly fallen asleep beside you instead of trying to dismantle your furniture. You'll look back at the chaos, laugh at the memories, and wonder where your tiny whirlwind disappeared to.

Until then, take a deep breath, make another cup of tea (or coffee if you’re like me), and hide your favourite slippers.

You've got this. 🐾

If you would like to read further into some of the methods we used to help get through the puppy blues, see the links below or check out the “Educational” blog section