Your daily routine with a puppy

[MiniatureRed]

We're meant to be getting a puppy at the end of May.

After a long lay in and then breakfast in bed this morning, I've realised how massively my life is going to change.

What's your daily routine please? Are my weekends laying in bed gone forever?

[MrsTumbletap]

Our puppy is 9.5 weeks

6am or 7am puppy wakes, take outside for a wee
7am breakfast
7-8am play
8-10am she naps
10am -11am plays in the garden, training
11-1pm naps
1pm lunchtime
1-3 plays, garden, training
3-5pm naps
6pm dinner
6-8pm play, training
9pm sleeps
10:30/11pm our for last wee
11pm in crate in bedroom for night sleep


Can't believe how much she naps!!! love it though.

[OnlyToWin]

Meant he was asleep in bed in lounge from about 9pm but not “put to bed” as such (final wee etc.) until 10pm.

[OnlyToWin]

Woke him up and took him outside!

[BeeBella]

@OnlyToWin what do you do about the last wee of the night if pup is asleep at 9?

[Ifeel1000yearsold]

Thank you

[sian1971]

@Ifeel1000yearsold - our local Vets is doing puppy vaccinations and we have an appointment on Wednesday. I've also heard that many other Vets are now also offering them, as they're essential for puppies' health.

[OnlyToWin]

We did not use puppy pads - just kept taking outside and massive praise for doing business!

[OnlyToWin]

Did not have a routine as such - just got up at about 6/6:30am - let puppy out for toilet. Then fed puppy 1st meal of the day. Rest of the day was spent watching the puppy for signs of needing to be put outside for the toilet interspersed with playing little games and feeding. Watched him like a hawk for about 4 weeks! It was exhausting but worth the fast house training it resulted in. Only had 2 accidents in the house.

At first was four meals per day
Breakfast at about 6:30am
Meal 2 at 11am
Meal 3 at 3pm
Meal 4 at 6:30pm

We dropped one of the meals at about 14 weeks and then he had breakfast, lunch and tea!! He now has only 2 meals a day. Can’t remember when he dropped middle meal - breeder should advise you.

We used to put him to bed in his crate at about 10pm but he was always asleep from about 9pm.

We never got up in the night with him. He was almost 12 weeks when we got him so that made a difference. No accidents in crate/pen ever.

Congratulations on your puppy and good luck.

[Ifeel1000yearsold]

I did you manage to get her injections okay @sian1971? Our puppy is meant to come home mid May

[sian1971]

Our lab puppy is now 9 weeks and we've had her for just over a week She's been relatively easy and is absolute lovely.

For the first three nights my partner slept downstairs in the living room where her crate is, and she slept through - from 11-6am with no accidents. She goes to the toilet at 6, has breakfast, plays for a bit and then naps. We've been taking her in the garden every 30 mins or so when she's not napping, and feeding her kibble 4 times a day (6.15, 10.30, 2.30 and 6.30). She wasn't interested in using puppy pads but that's actually meant that we've focused more on making sure she goes out regularly - and she's not toiletted in the house for the last three days.

When I've been up with her at 6, I've sometimes cuddled up with her on the sofa and had a nap from about 7-8.30. We're not letting her go upstairs (we have cats) but if we were, I imagine she'd love to snooze on the bed.

[Mustbethewine]

It will change for a while during the puppy stage. But my shihtzu is now 1 and he's the laziest dog I've ever met, lie ins are a common occurrence here at the weekend and the dog also joins in, doesn't wake up for his morning pee until around 10am.

[Lara53]

30 minutes!!!

[Ifeel1000yearsold]

@Lara53
Every 3 minutes?!!

[Lara53]

I have a 10week old Golden Retriever. We picked her up from breeder at 7.5 weeks due to lockdown. Thankfully we only had to get her from next door neighbour!

It has been absolutely life changing. I have not slept past 7am since she arrived. I’ve never cleaned up so much poo and wee from the downstairs of our house!

It is getting better - most of the time she is toiletting Outside. We take her out every 3 Mins when awake. She also sleeps around 8 hours in her crate at night. She eats really well and has fitted in to our family well.

Even DH, who swore black and blue he didn’t want a dog, is in love with her.

[Asdf12345]

Our 11 week old lab has the following routine:

0715 get up and toilet outside plus let poultry out and do feeds.
The rest of the day is spent under the other half’s desk as they work or infront of the Rayburn but with occasional breaks either when they go outside or it asks to go out for toileting.
Adhoc 10 minute max training sessions 5-6 a day.
Twenty minute walk mid to early afternoon
A trip in the car every evening to muck out the horse.
2100 first evening toilet trip
2300 final toilet trip and bed in crate.

Dry food and water available from getting up to going to bed.

Almost always sleeps through the night.

In all it has been much easier than expected.

[TeddyIsaHe]

I really rate crate training, especially when they’re little. It gives them a safe space to go to when they’re overwhelmed/tired etc. My spaniel takes herself off to her crate when she’s sick of us all

Poodles are great dogs, and very intelligent so you shouldn’t have much problem toilet training, as long as you’re consistent. My aunt breeds chocolate standards, and has 3 at home. They’re the loveliest, friendliest things ever. They do need lots of stimulation both physical and mental or they can get destructive (making their own fun!) but once they’ve had their exercise they curl up like big cats. I’m sure miniatures are similar.

[MiniatureRed]

back to the original thread, little bump :)

[MiniatureRed]

Sostenueto I wasn't asking for options on crates!!!

[JosieJosie1]

@sostenueto there is giving a different opinion and then there is giving out false information saying crate training and using a crate are cruel. It’s simply not true.

[Sostenueto]

I left the thread 5 hours ago and in case you haven't noticed it's a free country. You asked for opinions and not everyone has the same opinion. So if you wanted a thread where everyone agrees with you you should have said so!

[MiniatureRed]

@Sostenueto please just leave this thread, you’ve said your bit. I’d quite like it to go back to the point of the thread which I was finding useful.

[JosieJosie1]

@Sostenueto you don’t know what you’re talking about . Crate training is great for pups. I have read x3 books on training dogs and also had a Skype session with a pet behavioural therapist and all said crates are great and recommended. Just because you don’t have the foresight to see past the bars on it.

As one book said, you think you are doing your dog a favour letting it have free run and giving it a blanket or basket to sleep in. But think about how you would feel if you were brought somewhere new away from everything you know and put in a cavernous hall with only a blanket or basket to sleep in. That’s what being in your big (to the pup) living room with just a blanket or basket. Would you feel safe and cosy or would you feel scared?

Crate training gives your pup a place to feel safe and to identity as their own. My pup loves his crate. He goes into it to nap on his blankets plus hot water bottle. He plays with his toys in it and it’s where he gets all the best treats, his dinner and his water. It has blankets draped over the top so it’s super cosy. We take it upstairs at night and someone’s have a job getting the pup to leave it for ten mins so we can bring it up to our bedroom.

You are looking at the crate with human eyes and seeing its bars. You’re not looking at it from the perspective of the pup.

@MiniatureRed please don’t be put off crate training.

[Sostenueto]

Apologies misread your post about utility room. Glad you found my 'input' valuable. Because though it's opposite to yours it is none the less ' valuable'!

[Maggie9000]

@sostenueto they have run of the house in the day, the utility room is their bed. I don't allow my dogs upstairs, they are dogs.
I'm well aware of how to train my dog, and the age at which she's allowed to COMPETE (18 months correct), basic floor based agility foundations can start to be put in place from any age. Thanks for your 'valuable' input.

[Sostenueto]

My dog neutered at vets crated no problem ( never been in a crate either) . Crikey 12 weeks still having accidents! You won't be doing agility till she's at least 18 months because of her bones. I know as all my dogs have done kc obedience and agility. P.s my staffie had achieved puppy, bronze silver before she was 26 weeks old.