Day in a life of your dog?

[CityDweller]

Can you experienced dog owners give me a sense of a regular day-in-a-life of your dog (grown dog, not puppy)? DH is suddenly getting cold feet about our plans to get a dog and I think having an idea of a grown dog's daily routine would help put his mind at rest that we won't have to be entertaining/ walking a dog from 7am to 7pm the way we do the DC

So, what does your dog do all day?!

Lie in. Breakfast and a poo. Follow people around. Shout through the window at birds, dogs, anything really. Nap. Sit and watch people work from home. Greet me like I’ve been gone for years when I get in from work. Nap. Chew on a toy. Dinner. Nap. Bed.

No walks due to vet advice currently btw, but not bothered about it. Just likes to chill with us.
Oldish dog though.

Teenage dogs are a nightmare. To get a lovely calm dog you have to put lots of early work in.

Ddog is nearly 13. This is our lockdown routine.

Wake up and go downstairs. Dental stick, out for a wee then breakfast.

Stare at us while we eat, then a 20 min walk.

Sleeps at my feet until dog walker arrives at lunchtime. 40 min walk.

Sleeps at my feet until I finish work at 5.30. Dinner. Watches us while we have dinner. Walk (not always now he's an old boy).

Sleeps on knee in front of the TV until about 9.30 when he starts gentle nudges because he wants to go to bed. I give up and we go to bed about 10pm.

When he was younger he'd also have a mad half hour of games at night and wanted longer walks.

Two Labradors, age 9 and 10. One I've has since 8 weeks old the other since she was 6.

One a bit puppy like still - but not crazy. Has playful spells, particularly when out walking. This one is the extremely outgoing one, had since he was a puppy. Very friendly and obedient. The other one is a rescue, has few stranger issues but highly intelligent. What it took me months to train the puppy took me days to teach her.

Anyway, I digress. At their age now they are slow to come round in the morning. Breakfast and back to sleep. They begin to stir late morning/midday for a walk, we go out for 1-1.5 hours but one of them has begun to struggle with legs so I gauge it. Then back to sleep for the afternoon after treats and then they terrorise me for half an hour before dinner time. I could set my watch by them. They are creatures of habit and a routine suits them and us well.

I get up at 7 to take our two Lab x's for a walk for around 40-45 minutes.
They have breakfast around 8 and then usually bomb around the garden for a bit.
They crash out for most of the morning.
They bomb around the garden a bit more at lunchtime.
They laze around all afternoon, chewing on antlers and squeaky bones.
Dinner at 6pm.
Another walk around 7.30.
They play fight for a bit and then go to sleep around 9pm.
Go into garden for a wee before bed around 11pm.
They sleep in the living room.

At the weekends we often take them for a longer morning walk for a bit of variety.

They have a nice life.

Laughing at the 'staring/follow is around comments'

I refer to it as stalking. There is a meme that crops up in my FB memories

Human "For goodness sake Rover what is it now"
Dog "I'm just reminding you of my existence"

Mine has a pretty predictable routine:

8am gets up
8.30-8.45 mooches about outside in secure garden, has a wee / poop, watches the world go by over the fence, sniffs the air a lot.
8.45 - eats breakfast. Sleeps on sofa or under my desk while I work until midday.
12.00 - 12.30 outdoors, has a wee, play catch / do some training & running about
12.30 - 3 - returns to sofa.. sleeping
3-3.30 - we give her a food puzzle / play tug / do some training
3.30 - 5 - bit more active, mooches round the house, plays with the cats, might bring a toy to play
5-5.45 - go for a walk or play outside
6 - dinner
6.30 - 11 asleep in front of fire.

She's a 4 year old border collie x german shepherd. I'd expected to be doing a lot more walking but she's not interested when it's raining or cold. She's a bit more active when the weather is nice.

7:30am, he comes into my room and breathes heavily on my face.

7:40am, we go for a 15-minute wander for a morning pee and to have a quick game of chase with his best friend Becker the Dachshund.

8:00am, he has breakfast and then guards the bathroom door while I shower so nobody comes in, occasionally peering around the door to check I haven't snuck out somehow.

8:30 - 10:30, usually takes a nap in the garden outside my office door

10:30, another 15 minute pootle around the block (he won't toilet in the garden so we do a lot of these)

10:45 - 1ish, he sleeps under my desk while I work.

1pm - he plays with some kind of brain toy while I make lunch – something like a few treats in a water bottle with a hole in it, or a small piece of chicken underneath an upside-down tupperware.

1:30 - 2:30 another turn around the block and then we do separation anxiety training, which largely consists of him sitting in the hallway looking deeply hurt while I sit outside the front door in varying increments.

2:30 - he goes back into the garden, I go back to work. The lizards are usually out at this time, so he has some playmates to try to eat hang out with.

4:30 –his long walk time, usually about an hour, hour and a half. We try and do a different route every few days so we don't get bored.

6pm - he has his evening meal, and then more sleep / scratches on the couch.

He's my only housemate, though, and he's an old man with some special needs, so I wouldn't take our routine as 'standard'. He seems pretty happy with it though.

Wakes when I do. Gives me the evil eye when I tell her to get her lazy arse out of (my) bed. Wanders outside, pees and poos. Follows me around the horse's fields, chases one of the cats - then turns tail when said cat stands up to her. Breakfast. Tries to eat the other dogs breakfasts. Sulks. Back to bed until about 2pm when it's time to howl at the post lady. Exhausted. Dinner at 5pm after a mad hoolie around the garden. Slumps in front of the fire until the REALLY interesting scene on TV when she demands to go out for evening wee. In bed and snoring by 11pm. And that's just one of our six....

And that's just one of our six.... !!

Sleep mainly 😂 she's only 17 months old as well. Gets up about 7, has breakfast. Cuddles me for an hour, goes to the loo. 9.30am Out for a run (anything from half hour to two hours).

Home, snoozes. Might have a roll about with toys on the rug. Follows me around a bit, some days we pop out to drop shopping at my parents in the afternoon. Snoozes some more. She sits on me a lot. Has dinner at 6...might play with tug toys in the evening. She doesn't pester to play, her main concern is being close to people and cuddling a lot!

I wake my two at 7 and bring them upstairs for a cuddle on the bed. Once I'm dressed they have a beach or field walk then home for a sleep lol. The afternoon they are in and out of the house as have a dog flap into garden where they play fight or sun bath. Later another walk sometimes meeting up with family members dogs for a play. Tea of roast chicken and beef mince and pasta then sleep on my bed till taken down at about 10 pm. Best dogs ever as they don't bark and are friendly with everyone. Both Staffies.

4.5 year old dog.

Doesn't wake up until dh or I go downstairs. Somehow she knows if it is the kids and doesn't bark. Used to wake for food at seven when dh got up but isn't fussed if we don't go down until nine.

The minute she thinks we are done and or ready to go or she's happy and excited. If we don't go she goes back to her rug.

Long walk. Home for a snack. Has a sleep. Lunch. Play and nap. Tea. Play. Nap. Play. Sleep for bed.

She does want a lot of attention sometimes but she is exceptionally bright and I just need to keep her brain happy and then she is happy to snuggle with me for a nap.

She loves me best and just wants to be near me.

My dog is 5.
Wakes up whatever time we wake up and goes for a wee in the garden- depending on weather we may have to force her to go out for one.
have a walk in the morning for around an hour.
when kids are at school after her walk she waits for me to tidy up, watching me, the second I sit down she jumps on me and wants to cuddle for the rest of the day.
has second walk around 6pm by oh then lazies round the house the rest of the evening
Has a treat and night wee about 9 then goes up to sleep under the bed.

I missed out that sometimes she has an afternoon walk and she never misses time for a snack. When we had to drop her afternoon snack it took her three days to stop asking. The one she still has she knows when it is due .

Depends which dog , so I'll go for the young adult one, not the dozy old codger or the manic puppy.

c7.30, first run or walk of the day. Either 40-60 mins with a walking human, or 30 mins+ with a running one.

The walk might include a dog or two from another household. If not, canine pals are usually met.

Home for breakfast by 8.30 or so. Never enough of this, obviously.

This is followed by a long snooze, usually being used as a pillow by the puppy. At some point during the morning she'll probably play with the puppy, or go out into the yard to sniff the air. Or both.

Somewhere between 12 and 1 there is a a quick lunchtime walk - usually 10-15 mins, sometimes more, usually a short car-ride away. This may present the opportunity to visit the man who is working in the woods and persuade him, winningly, to part with some of his lunch. An apple core is a serious win.

Afternoon is spent between sleeping, being roused by an antsy and restless puppy, and checking out anything happening in the kitchen, esp if dinner prep is underway. In the summer, sunbathing is a popular option.

At about 3 one starts to hint that one's walk is due.

At about 3.30 or 4, one is finally taken out for a training session. This is usually a short trip in the car to a suitable wood or whatever, and lasts 20-40 minutes. This is, I gather, the best bit of the day.

By 5 (sometimes later in the summer) dinner has been eaten (inadequate quantities again, obviously), and it's worth hanging about in the kitchen, just in case.

By 7pm, it's time to be on the sofa next to a handy human.

At 10/10.30, taken through to share a bed with the puppy for the night.

Ours is a 7 year old, small, lazy breed.

Get up 8.30ish, have a wee. Wait by the door for the dog walker.

Walks for 60-90minutes with dog walker.

Eats breakfast. Sleeps in office while husband works.

Gets bored. Sleeps on bed while husband works.

Lunch, wee, second lunch (toddlers dropped food)

Sleeps on bed while I work.

2nd walk, if the mood takes, usually plays ball with toddler.

Dinner. Second dinner.

Bed time story with toddler. Sleeps on sofa until bed. Goes to bed in crate, until the door is 90% shut then 'sneaks' back onto sofa.

This is aforementioned pooch right now - doing a good impression of what he does for much of the day...

Two miniature schnauzers age 4 and 5. We both wfh. They are medium activity dogs so don’t need as much exercise as spaniels, cockerpoos etc.
6:30 am I get up for work and they go out into the garden for a wee.
Back to bed until the postman comes about 10 (they love a lie in) when they have to keep the house secure.
Then a quick walk and breakfast.
10-12:30 - monitoring the front and back windows for cats.
12:30-1 - Supervising lunch breaks just in case some ham or cheese tries to escape.
1pm until I close my laptop - Staring at me. Lots of going in and out of the garden
The minute I close my laptop. Go bonkers, cry and bark until I get my shoes on and take them out for a walk.
Post walk napping until 5:45 when staring is resumed
6pm Dinner
6-8pm games with us and each other/ cuddles and general fuss.
8pm sleep on the sofa or bed.

Your dogs all have very nice-sounding lives!

We have an anxious GSD...so his day mostly consists of a good deal of supervision of whoever is home, deciding who the prime escapee might be and then not letting them out of his sight. At All, the whole day, bathroom visits included.

Today we went out in the car to collect some DIY stuff, and we had a small walk and some chips in the car. (me and dh....no chips for the dog!)
I came home to do painting and dh went to the tip so more car journey-ing for puppypants, which he adores.

We do mostly include him in everything and oddly he will settle alone better in the car than at home with just one person if someone has gone out, so we will have to sort something out for the summer!

We are making small progress though, he would constantly pace and whistle when we first had him in October if someone went out, and now we are down to sad faces, occasional sighing and huffing in his bed....and now he will settle himself in the hall or on the sofa in the other room if he is feeling brave!
Also since Christmas, if I keep up the chatter he will hold back from stalking me about the building as long as there is no delay in my return!

Gun dog here so lots of energy and only 3 years old.

Gets up with me between 6 and 7 - out for quick wee.
Breakfast then out again 8.30 for 30 minute walk
10.30 out with the dog walker for a few hours
Home by 12.30
Out again at 3 for 20 minute walk (eldest child usually does this after school)
Sleeps in the afternoon unless something interesting is going on / being cooked then will not leave kitchen.
Dinner at 5 then last walk at 6ish for 30
Mins.
Bed by 7.30 pm usually.

At the weekend we do at least two long walks a day but she is a very active breed and we knew that.

V lazy breed, gets up around 9.30, waits for me to finish my morning meeting then a walk, usually about 40 minutes then breakfast. Then he'll sleep, usually in the office behind me until about half two when it's time for lunch. Then more sleeping until I finish work and we have another 30 minute ish walk, sleep again until dinner at 8 followed by more sleeping then a bedtime wee, teeth clean and he's off to bed, obviously exhausted from all that sleeping. I'm so jealous

7am up for a wee/ pooh and has some breakfast then he just chills normally with one of us at moment as I am home
Teenagers play with him for a bit lunchtime now there home then sleeps and 3.30 ish ds2 takes him for a walk
5 ish dinner , 6 -7 ish has a play or does a puzzle thing for treats , hide treats so he used mind.
Then he lazes around about 10 pm he takes himself up to bed
Weekend slightly different routine as dh tends to take him long morning one and ds2 just a quick one in evening
Border collie - 6 but very chilled for a collie

9 yr old miniature schnauzer:

Lifts head up when someone appears in the morning - sometimes wags tail and stretches, then goes back to sleep. Comes to life about 11 and maybe stares in garden or goes upstairs to sleep more.

Ignores breakfast.

Starts barking incessantly around 12 if not walked.

Goes for walk - comes back - eats breakfast.

Sleeps

Plays

Sleeps

Stares at back door

Stares at us

Maybe eats dinner at some point thru evening.

Plays

Sleeps. End of day.

Schnauzers are their own dog.

My dog is quite an old lady and very easy.
Short walk around 8 or 9, very tolerant of us having a lie in. Breakfast. Sleeping.
Longer walk when DD finishes school (3 or 4). But will happily come for a pootle to the corner shop with my me if needed before then. More sleeping.
In the evening if I'm downstairs she'll stare at me for a bit. If the cats get fed I give the dog a chew too.
Dinner. Short walk before bedtime. More sleeping.