Can anyone advise a good schedule for me?
I have a rescue dog coming up to 10 months. Collie x whippet. Had her for two months so she's still settling in. A few issues (separation anxiety and over excited on lead, working on these) but she's bright and very loving.
I'm home all day every day and she has free reign of downstairs and the garden.
Currently:
7am - up & out of crate for a wee/poo/zoom
7.05am - breakfast (in Kong)
7.20am -9am she happily naps on her bed while I have breakfast, get showered & dressed
9am - 3k outside walk & play/run in garden
10-12noon in her crate to nap/get used to settling herself; she whines.
12.05- lunch (in Kong)
12.25-6pm no set structure
6pm 3k walk
6pm-10pm no set structure
10pm bed in crate (very happily) though if she's hyper/over tired she goes in at 8pm.
I'm exhausted because I'm inputting SO much attention for 10+ hours of the day - not including 2x walks. I'm not getting anything else done. I do training every day with her for simple commands and lots of play, cuddles, enrichment activities...
Is that normal? Should she be sleeping more? Help! I'm knackered!
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
10 month old puppy routine advice
Happyhound · 05/06/2019 17:57
mine is coming up for 7 months and his routine is:
wake 7.00 (this is new, he used to sleep longer 
) toilet, prance around in garden, generally underfoot but not a problem, he chews his antler or plays with a toy rather than getting any attention from us
breakfast if I can stretch it...8am
toilet again briefly (5 mins)
nap for an hour or hopefully two in quiet room from 8.30 if he wont settle by himself in the kitchen(you could use a crate, mine has given up on his...)
walk at 10.30 or 11am for an hour and half (walk itself an hour at most, including stopping briefly perhaps for a coffee in park) need to get to and from park too, sometimes in car, sometimes extra walking
1pm home, lunch for dog and me. After lunch has rest for 2 hours or mooches around, no entertaining or training given. Sometimes I put him in dark room, sometimes he settles himself in kitchen or living room whilst I read/do housework. I pay him no attention.
4-5 pm children return, dog interacts, mooches around, goes in garden, again I do no training or particular attention, just pleasantries really..
I expect him to do his own thing.
5 pm beginning to need another walk of some kind...could be an errand on the way to the park, or drive to another park but not too long a walk, less than morning walk certainly. A nice walk for me really, sometimes it is just a walk on the pavement for about 1.5 km Just a change of scene for dog and a runaround really. reinforce a bit of trainign whilst in park or walking, ie wait and recall.
Supper after walk at 5-6pm. Leave dog to settle again, if he is being troublesome/demainding I put him in a quiet room sooner. Usually he just mooches around till 7.30pm, when I put him to bed. Then he sleeps till about 8, mooches around after that, watches telly on the sofa, lies on floor. Sometimes we have a bit of zoomies at 6.30, but I think that is mismanagement on my part! Bedtime proper is 10.30 after last pee. But he always has a very good sleep at some point in the evening from 6pm I would say. No training or excitement after 6 in our house...(perhaps a quiet evenign walk in deserted near small park if the day has gone pearshaped, and I could not do walk earlier, but that isn't my usual routine)
I also do a lot of dog interaction, ie I seek out dog playmates in the park, always asking permission first of course. So puppy gets a lot of stimulation that way. Frowned upon by some in the doghouse.
Really I don't do that much playing with the dog, walking is to my mind the play part of the day for him.
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