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?!

She is 5 .

3 yr old collie cross lab

Gets up with kids, goes out side for a wee etc

Has lunch
Lies on her bed
Licks the kitchen floor

Goes for a long romp around the local woods with kids

Gets a shower as she likes to roll in gross fox poo

Gets sent to her bed to dry off

Plays in the garden

Asleep by 7/8pm

Rarely goes out for late night wee as she doesn't like the rain 🤣

5 month puppy

Recently got into a good routine. We get up at six, out in garden and breakfast. Walk 8-8.30, sleeps til 11.30 while I work from home. Sometimes wakes up and wants to play but if ignored after a pat will go back to bed. Lunch and a half hour walk. Sleeps until 3.30 when I finish work. Another short walk or half hour play. Watches while I make dinner and feed kids. Has dinner and then watches me make dinner for us. Fast asleep on sofa at 7.30, we go up to bed at 10 and she comes up to sleep in her bed until 6am.

Just wondering if this will change... hope not as it’s working well.

I stand on the step while ours wanders, he's a right faffer, and is not averse to mooching about for ages, not doing anything and then being desperate in the dead of night, so he gets the Torch of Observation shone on him at bedtime

We have only had him since November, so it's been too cold to leave the doors open, but in the better weather the other dogs have been allowed to wander in and out....the back is a walled courtyard so pretty safe.

Getting a dog has been the best thing we have ever done. I was like your dp and it was my dp who was keen. He had been trying to persuade me for ages even though he will always work from home (he runs his own business) and I (pre Covid) worked in the office. I just felt that like most things (!), the responsibility would probably end up with me and that it would be too much work.

Well 6 months in and we are both totally besotted. There's nothing I wouldn't do for the dog , he's so much part of our life now and I can't imagine not having him. Dp and I actually said thank goodness we didn't have dc together (we have 6 between us but not together and mine all adults and left home) as we love the dog so much, I'm not sure when the dc would get a look in

15 month old rescue boxer.
Daytime whilst working from him routine.
6am and go out for hour walk. Breakfast and zoomies stand in the bathroom and try and get int be shower.
Stand on bed and watch for cats whilst I dry hair.
Pick up toy box and scatter the contents all over the hall. As soon as the first call starts he goes and lays In His crate all day. Or by the fire if DH is wfh. M a few wee breaks and garden zoomies. About 3pm he appear he surfaces a and start to harass me with a toy and maybe joins my teams meeting! Second walk at 4pm some days not always. A few training breaks thrown in.

Play time with toy and run about whilst I make tea and tidy up. 6pm tea time - sardines and biscuits.

Lie in bed in front room. Lie on human. Snore. Dream. Play. Chase. Wake up and play with dh.

As last human goes to bed go out for week and Into crate to sleep as can't be trusted at night after "carpet gate "

During non lockdown he goes today care with relatives. He's a proper handful but calming down all the time I do try and do brain games. We also go to 'dog school' one day a week in normal times!

The biggest issue is he can't be left for long. But we are working it out and have amazing parents who look after him.

3x20 min walks most days, here. When the weather's like this, and the days are short. My dog doesn't like poor weather any better than I do. In the mornings this time of year I put waterproofs over my pjs on weekends for the morning walk, so that I can get back in bed after we get back.

It might help to explain to your husband that while we sleep 8h and are awake 16h per day, dogs are the other way round. 16h sleep, 8 hours awake. So for at least half the time he's awake, the dog will be sleeping!

Also, many dogs like a lie in. I feel a bit guilty if morning walk is 11am, but I think dog quite likes it.

The rest of the day is spent like this

Dog: Can I get on your lap?
Me: No
Dog: Can I get on your lap?
Me: No
Dog: Can I get on your lap?
Me: OK
Dog: Can I have something to eat?

Mine has just so gone 2 and I think we’ve been really lucky!

We wake up and he has to be LIFTED out of his bed. Usually 6.30/7ish. Outside for toilet then he legs it back to bed after a treat.

He generally lazes around til lunchtime(morning routine changed since lockdown) has a 20 min walk.

Eats lunch(he’s not a breakfast eater)

Lazes around some more. May bring his toys and demand we play.

Another quick walk or beach trip at 4ish

Eats tea at 5 ish. Plays a bit with toys/Kong

7ish he heads to his bed on the landing and waits for us to go to bed.

I put him out at 9ish for toilet and he sleeps til we kick him out of bed next morning.

Best things we ever did

YES regarding going into garden by themselves.... first and most important thing to do if you possibly can... ensure a dog-proof space... ideally your whole garden but even just a portion of it.

So 100% we let him out whether he's wanting a wee or just to chase the non-existent cat he's convinced is at the other end of the garden.... off he goes, ten minutes later (or less if its cold) he's back... and meanwhile I've just done whatever.

I poo patrol most mornings and there's usually one on the lawn!

Love this thread.

I'm waiting to adopt a rescue . Do your dogs sleep/chill all morning without a walk first thing? I was assuming I'd have to walk early doors. I can do a big walk at lunchtimes. When the world stops being insane I will have to do an office day twice a month so was assuming better to walk beforehand so was going to get in a routine of a 630 walk? (Have a dog Walker neighbour for the big lunch walks on those days).
I'm slow in the morning, going into the garden with the ddog would be much preferable but also cheered by tip to throw waterproofs over PjS. I don't mind getting up early, just need tea in hand for first hour ...

@tootyfruitypickle I read on another similar thread that it’s actually quite good to do walks at different times so the dog doesn’t pester you for walks at the usual time if you need to change the routine!

Most dogs fit into the routine they're set. They wouldn't be so popular if they mostly forced people outdoors at 6:30am and were hard work all day. Some of them push their luck more than others, but if you keep clear boundaries and learn to communicate with them, it works. They sleep a lot.

That's useful thank you. So maybe just stick with my usual routine go for the big walk at lunchtime (i do this anyway !), and I can always add a walk in early doors when I eventually do the occasional office day if I think it might help with settling.

Just got garden fully secured. Cant put in application yet due to lockdown but I've waited all my life so can wait longer. After a greyhound

@tootyfruitypickle

Love this thread.

I'm waiting to adopt a rescue . Do your dogs sleep/chill all morning without a walk first thing? I was assuming I'd have to walk early doors. I can do a big walk at lunchtimes. When the world stops being insane I will have to do an office day twice a month so was assuming better to walk beforehand so was going to get in a routine of a 630 walk? (Have a dog Walker neighbour for the big lunch walks on those days).
I'm slow in the morning, going into the garden with the ddog would be much preferable but also cheered by tip to throw waterproofs over PjS. I don't mind getting up early, just need tea in hand for first hour ...

It will entirely depend on the dog.

Mine is three and wouldn't sleep all morning without a good walk of at least an hour first. Others are quite happy to do nothing until mid-afternoon!

I used to leave for work at 8.30am and walked the dog at 7am for an hour. He then went to my in-laws all day and got another two 30 minute walks through the day, then came home, ate dinner and slept all evening.

Nowadays he walks anywhere between 1-3 hours a day but never before 8.30am. Most days I have to boot him out of bed, but once he's up, he's up and wants to go out within the hour or he starts getting silly.

[quote CityDweller]@tootyfruitypickle I read on another similar thread that it’s actually quite good to do walks at different times so the dog doesn’t pester you for walks at the usual time if you need to change the routine![/quote]
That's what we do.
Dog has no set times for walks. Mainly because my days can vary quite a lot.
We usually go for a long walk mid morning but it could be afternoon/first thing on occasions.
It works well for us and dog isn't pestering at an allotted time. Also means I can plan things without worrying about his routine

@tootyfruitypickle

Love this thread.

I'm waiting to adopt a rescue . Do your dogs sleep/chill all morning without a walk first thing? I was assuming I'd have to walk early doors. I can do a big walk at lunchtimes. When the world stops being insane I will have to do an office day twice a month so was assuming better to walk beforehand so was going to get in a routine of a 630 walk? (Have a dog Walker neighbour for the big lunch walks on those days).
I'm slow in the morning, going into the garden with the ddog would be much preferable but also cheered by tip to throw waterproofs over PjS. I don't mind getting up early, just need tea in hand for first hour ...

One of minewill go out into the garden for a wee first thing, the other will check the weather before he decides to go out. Other than that they don’t get a walk until at least 10am.

@HappyThursdays your post just gave me the warm and fuzzies – I bet that was the most wonderful surprise for you

Can we have a picture please, of the pooch that turned your doubts upside down?

I've persuaded him

'Honestly, they just sleep loads and follow you around a lot'

@HappyThursdays that sounds so like us. We'd been putting it off till we were 'ready' and we were never ready!

Then this time last year, we'd moved to a house with a garden, I rang the breeder to ask about waiting lists, and she had one that had been turned down for being the wrong colour! So we nabbed her. Absolutely the best decision ever, we love her to bits, the rest of the family love her to bits, she's funny, great to have round, sleeps a lot - and yes follows us around everywhere!

I remember postion on here about the pup being the one left over - and I got piled on by people saying 'that's what puppy farmers always say!' and 'don't take her'.

We met by chance the people who had turned her down, they'd waited for a different coloured one. Their loss as she's adorable.

3 year old retired greyhound.

Up on bed for a snuggle. Garden. Breakfast. Sleep. Walk. Sleep. Wander to kitchen to scrounge a bite while we're making a bit of lunch. Sleep. Walk. Sleep. Dinner. Sleep. Wander to kitchen to see what we're cooking. Lie on his duvet while we eat dinner. Wander back to "his" armchair to sleep. Garden. His bed.

We love him to bits.

5 yr old Springer spaniel
8ish - she moves from her bed on floor to come up for a stroke then get up, out for a wee, mooch around for a bit, has her breakfast, snoozes.
10am - Out for a walk -1-2 hrs depending on if I am working.
Afternoon - will sleep in study for my entire work session, will occasionally go to see other house members and bark for delivery drivers. May go for another walk or do outside jobs - see below.
Late afternoon - outside for short walk around field.
Dinner at 5:50-6ish. loves to sit by the counter surface and have raw veg etc whilst we cook.
Going to watch TV on the sofa in our sitting room in the evening - this is a privilege - not allowed in during day unless we are in there. We share one sofa and husband and any offspring have the other.
Bedtime - she lies on the stairs from 9ish onward if we are being active and not sitting, goes out for last wee, has a couple of gravy bones, checks the cat hasn't left any of his supper then goes and gets into her own bed.
She also "tells" on the cat, if he gets up on the kitchen counters or dresser she gets frantic about letting us know.
Very happy to be outside doing jobs - this can be anything as long as she is with you, dirty jobs are best such as ditching, and getting to ride shotgun in the truck - this makes her especially smug.
She is ace and life wouldnt be the same without her.

2 spaniels (working cocker aged 7 and sprocker aged 2).
Up by 7am, wee outside then snuggles in bed.

7.30am I'm up and ready for walkies - about 45 mins.
8.15am bath, towel dry and feed breakfast
9am to 3.30pm at work with me, few toilet breaks outside and lots of cuddles from staff!
4pm afternoon walkies, again 45 mins or so, longer in summer
5pm all dry from 2nd bath of day... and tea time
8pm wees outside
11pm final time outside and bedtime.

Hours in between these mainly involve repeating throwing of tennis balls , lots of cuddles on lap, barking at birds out the window and greeting everyone they see like long lost relatives. Oh, and standing where people can trip over them and leaving balls/bones as trip hazards....... but I looooooove the bones of them, they're my constant companions and make my world a stupidly happy place.

@Definitelyrandom

Love your post. Take a step, sleep. Take another step, sleep. Sleep. Take a step, reach the bed, sleep.

Yes very encouraging as I'm after a retired greyhound! That's basically perfect !

This thread is great for letting me know my dog is normal, and therefore my training has been good, but not so great as I thought we were special and so many other dogs sleep until we get up .