Why Does My New Puppy Seem Sad And Tired? What To Do?

Raising a pet dog might not be as easy as it sounds. Many dog owners face different scenarios that could bring out concerns about their pet, especially during the pup stage. One frequently asked question by new dog owners is, “Why does my puppy seem sad and tired?”. 

When you bring home a puppy, you expect the puppy to be happy and active, but if the puppy seems sad or tired, that would certainly bother you. 

So, Why does my new puppy seem sad and tired? Your new puppy could be sad and tired due to several reasons. The most common reasons are unfamiliar environments, fear, shyness, and health concerns. It is pretty standard that your puppy seems sad and tired during the first few days you bring it home. But within a couple of days, the puppy gets used to the household and acts normal. But if it seems sad, tired, and generally inactive for a longer period, you should take action.

This article will help you understand the reasons for the sadness and tiredness of your puppy and how you should correctly address this issue.

Why does my new puppy seem so sad?

We all know that dogs are great family companions. Therefore when we bring a puppy home, we expect them to be happy and active.

Yet, there is a possibility that your puppy may look sad though you show affection. Here’s why.

• Dealing with fear or shyness

Some puppies have had bubbly personalities since day one. Such puppies don’t often show fear or shyness.

However, in most cases, when you bring home a puppy for the first time, it will be an unfamiliar environment for the puppy.

Imagine getting home a newborn; it takes some time for them to adjust. The same thing happens with puppies because they also have emotions.

Therefore your puppy might get a sense of loss in the first few days, and that might give you the feeling that your puppy is sad.

For a puppy, it takes a couple of days to socialize with the family members. However, this usually doesn’t take a lot of time.

• Health concerns 

Another reason behind your puppy’s sadness could be health concerns. They can be either mental or physical.

Speaking of mental health conditions, a puppy could quickly get depressed once it leaves the litter, in other words, the other pups and mother.

Suppose you can notice specific changes within the puppy for a considerable period, such as changes in appetite, sleeping than usual, lack of energy, and overall sadness.

In that situation, this could indicate that your puppy is dealing with depression. On the other hand, if the puppy has physical health concerns, as it makes them uncomfortable, you’ll notice that the puppy seems sad. 

Why does my puppy seem so tired?

Not only sad sometimes a new puppy also may act tired and lethargic as soon as you bring them home.

Tiredness also could be caused due to more or less the same reasons that cause sadness, such as the unusual environment and lack of experience in socializing.

Other than that, weather conditions, more precisely extremely hot weather, and health issues could also be potential reasons that make your puppy look tired.

It is better to take your puppy to a vet if it indicates tiredness for a long time.

What can I do when my puppy seems so sad and tired?

Generally, tiredness and sadness can be seen among a lot of new puppies. If you are a dog owner who faces this issue, the below actions will help you overcome it. 

• Creating a nurturing environment

To avoid the sadness and tiredness of your new puppy, it is crucial to create a nurturing environment. This article has already discussed how separation from its litter could be distressing for a puppy.

Especially not having sufficient time to associate with their mother can be traumatizing for the puppy. So they require a lot of affection and attention.

Building a nurturing environment does not necessarily mean playing or cuddling with the puppy the whole day.

It’s better to keep the surrounding environment calm and relatively quiet than having lots of people chatting around for the first few days.

Apart from that, it would be ideal for bringing something from the litter, a toy, or a blanket as it helps reduce the puppy’s anxiety.

Also, there are soft toys specifically made for puppies, which aid them in coping with sadness, tiredness and smoothly transitioning to the new home.

• Play games

Eventually, you can start playing small games, which will help the puppy to socialize better with family members, and also it will cheer up the puppy’s mood.

You can play fetch or hide and seek with your puppy. Also, you can buy a new toy for your puppy and let it play on its own. Once the puppy starts interacting with the toy, its moods cheer up easily.

• Give treats 

It is essential to give your puppy a good and balanced appetite from the very beginning. But don’t forget to give your puppy a treat once in a while.

It helps a lot to make puppies happy. You don’t have to do this often, but when you play a game with the puppy and play energetically, you can give a dog treat as a small compliment.

They feel good to get the treat and feel good about getting attention from you. 

Here are some final thoughts

We all have to agree that dogs are ideal pets to raise in a household without any doubt. They usually are active, friendly, and bond quickly with the family, so it is pretty normal that you get thrilled when you bring a new puppy home.

We expect them to reciprocate the way we feel about the arrival of the new member to the family. But we have to understand that it takes some time for the puppy to settle in, which is why we require patience.

It’s normal for them to be sad and tired during the first few days. Don’t push your puppy to do things because eventually, it will get there.

Making the nurturing environment and giving the needed affection and attention sufficiently will help your puppy overcome the fear of unfamiliarity and quickly adapt to its new home.

Thank you for reading and Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts about your favorite dog breed.