Help with cockapoo pup routine

[Whattodowithcockapoo]

Puppy is 14 weeks old. This was thought over long and hard and felt manageable but I am constantly wondering if she isn’t getting enough time on walks etc. Does anyone have advice on a routine. I have 3 children so it’s all in amongst juggling them too.

Partner works from home so she is very rarely alone but she will lie and sleep if I’m not here and I feel guilty. I try to take her out as much as possible(at least 3 times a day at a minimum of 20 mins but usually longer) mainly in garden as she hasn’t mastered walking too far yet. I’ve got lots of puzzle toys etc and she mainly follows me everywhere I go. She is a bundle of energy and constantly at my feet all day. I have her booked in for training sessions.

any advice is appreciated.

20 minute walks 3x a day at 14 weeks is enough.

You should work on 5mins per month of life. So three months old is 3x5 = 15mins walk. That 2-3 times a day is good. But it should be outside on walks - you have until they reach about 20 weeks before the ‘fear phase’ starts so socialisation before then is key

Up until they’re about a year you should be wary of over exercising them.

Puppies do sleep a lot! Something like 18-20hours a day.

It’s when they get to about 5-6 months they being tossing little shitbags that never sleep.

Enjoy it while it lasts! Sounds like you’re doing everything right :)

Sleeping if you're not there is pretty amazing. Mine is a similar age and doesn't believe in long naps in case she misses something.

You do need to get her out and seeing the world, in your arms if necessary. Do you have one of those checklists of things they should see/hear/smell? Cattle, railway stations, motorbikes, other dogs, elderly people etc? It's quite good fun ticking things off!

For instance, yesterday we fitted in 'being good in a café' (ha!) and 'seeing a donkey'; the day before was city traffic and a railway concourse.

Thank you for the replies.

Maybe I was a bit hasty worrying n feeling guilty about her sleeping.

I have been in the house the past few days and I think she has just got too used to me being here now and is struggling when I leave a room or going in her crate for a few mins (only way I can actually move and do anything)

I do take her out walks but it is a struggle to get her to move too far. She was great the first few times but is now constantly pulling to head back home. We have met other dogs and etc and booked in for classes to let her socialise more.

partner is struggling with how much she needs but it is completely understandable, she is only a pup. But he’s feeling we may have bit off more than we can chew.

thank you for suggesting checklist. Will have a look into this too.

'But he’s feeling we may have bit off more than we can chew'

Oh god, don't we all! Mine isn't my first puppy and even so I'm run ragged. But I know that persistence now will get us another lovely dog for the next (hopefully) 12 to 15 years.

Get the book Easy Peasey Puppy Squeezy to cover the first few months.
IMO 3 x walks of 20 mins each is too much for such a young pup. The world is new and scary and it sounds like she is becoming over whelmed. You would be better doing 2 x walks of 20 mins and then 15 mins training in garden with: recall, heel work.
Socialisation doesn't mean letting her rush headlong into playing with other dogs. It is about introducing her to the world calmly so she doesn't develop fear or anxiety. The best thing you can do is teach her to ignore other dogs as that will pay off in the long run.
Puppies are incredibly demanding and need a lot of training and input if you want a well mannered and behaved dog.
You have got a cross breed which is made up of 2 high energy breeds both prone to anxiety and stress so you need to factor this into your management and training.

Great. Thanks for the advice.

This is our first dog so all new to us. I am trying my best and trying to train but I’m worrying I’m not doing enough as I’m trying to juggle the kids too. I did look at that book so I might go ahead and buy.

The 3 x 20 mins isn’t always a walk at the moment. Usually play in garden and trying to work on recall etc, usually I’m trying to get her out a walk maybe once or twice n lasting 10/15 mins with encouragement. But maybe best changing this over to what you suggest.

My current dog (working cocker) who is 2 and half didn't go on walks until she was 16 weeks. We only trained in the garden from 8-16 weeks until she was 100% on lead, walking to heel and recall. She then went out twice a day for 10 mins with 10 mins training in garden. The world is massive to them so you need to introduce it slowly so they can acclimatise to the sights/sounds etc.
You need to nail all the training at home first so the basics are there before you introduce the distractions of the outside world.
Puppies also need lots of sleep so our routine up until 6 months would be:
6am outside for toilet, walk, breakfast, sleep for 2 hours
10am toilet, play and train in garden, sleep for 1-2 hours
1pm toilet, walk, lunch, sleep 2 hours
4pm toilet, train and play in garden, sleep
5pm toilet, play in house, Potter around
6pm tea
8pm toilet and bed

At 14 weeks I would worry more about socialisation than actual exercise.

The socialisation window for puppies closes at around 16 weeks of age, so before then you need to be getting them used to as many sights, sounds and smells as you possibly can.

Take her in the car, go and sit on a bench somewhere so you can watch the world go by. Take her to go and see sheep and horses and cows. Get her used to the vacuum cleaner and traffic lights and all sorts of everyday things that she''ll have to experience over the years.

One of the most invaluable things we did with our puppy was get him used to going to cafes, pubs and restaurants. It's made life so much easier as we can go out for the day and know he'll settle by our feet while we eat/drink/rest. Getting him used to the car was another huge benefit.

The walks at that age are just to get them used to going out for walks and to see stuff... it doesn’t matter how much distance you actually cover. So if for now walks are more standing and looking at stuff, that’s not an issue.

I forgot to say; if she doesn’t want to walk too far then you can always drive her somewhere new about 10 mins away or carry her there.

Take her to a cafe and sit outside. I know it’s a bit cold atm, but it’ll be good for her to get used to knowing that sometimes her humans take her out and she has to be chill.

I carried one of my dogs in one of those carry vests you can get when I used to walk my other dogs. Gets them used to being out and about without tiring them. Just don’t do it in a heavy dog place (park etc) because dogs in arms are a magnet for attracting every dog there!

@twistyizzy see I find that really interesting. In my thirty years of dog ownership my dogs have gone outside (even in arms) from day dot. Never did it slowly - have had five completely well adjusted and perfectly trained dogs. My parents did the same. If a puppy is on the lead its recall and behaviour doesn’t need to be perfect IMO when it’s that young. Training inside/at home all tends to fall apart anyway when you take your puppy to a new place anyway as they get overstimulated. Guess different things for different people but it goes to show there is more than one way to raise a dog - OP just needs to find what works best for her.

@Devilshands we carried her outside to see traffic, people etc. We didn't walk her, with high prey drive dogs (red pedigree ie all FTCH) even from an early age I want the foundations to be in place before I commence walks.
I've trained working gundog in this way for years and they all have excellent recall using this method. It doesn't fall apart outside because I introduce distractions slowly and always make sure that the dog is focused more on me than the distractions.
Working gundog have to be able to ignore all distractions and focus on their handler. The basics of this are taught at home and if you can't succeed at home before you start walks then you will struggle once you add in distractions.

Hi OP, how are you getting on with your pup now? :)

I think it's lovely you are so committed to her but you're over thinking it she is only a baby at that age I would say 3 walks is plenty maybe too much ? If she is sleeping she is tired from the walks you have burnt off her energy give her cuddles and love .