Do you need a daily routine for your new puppy? If you are a parent, you obviously know this all too well. You’ve probably already gone through it. I can tell you for sure that I have. You have been nagged at least one if not a zillion times to get your young ones a puppy. Since we got our Maltese, it’s been constant love and a flurry of activities cleaning up the home, not to mention spillages and teeth marks. But hey, it’s all for the kids, right?
Some downsides come with having an additional family member. I wish I had some training to equip me for what was to come. I came to discover that a daily routine for new puppies would go a long way in easing my frustrations. Since you are here, there’s no need to fret. I’ve got you covered.
Let’s take a deep dive and look at some daily routines for a new puppy that you need to do to co-exist peacefully with man’s best friend. But first…
Why Would You Need a Daily Routine For New Puppy?
Creating a schedule is essential. Understand that your puppy is coming home to a new environment, and this can be confusing if not overwhelming. They need to understand its new family and environment. Put yourself in its “paws” for a moment. You’ve come to a big house that probably doesn’t have another dog. You are all alone since you’ve been separated from your siblings.
Chances are that at this point, you’ll be highly mixed up, not to mention stress kicking in. You will definitely have a hard time adapting and trying to understand your new surroundings, and that’s where a daily routine comes in to save the day.
Having a daily routine, particularly for activities such as potty training, mealtime, playtime, and resting time, will help your new puppy understand its environment more quickly and make its world more predictable. Since they know what’s coming next, they’ll tend to relax more and exhibit better behavior. However, inconsistencies will lead to erratic behaviour such as poor feeding habits, nibbling, or barking.
Pro Tip: Before bringing your puppy home, sit down as a family and craft a routine that makes sense. Introduce it to the puppy from the onset. You won’t be able to execute it diligently every day. Please don’t beat yourself up over it. As long as you keep to it on most days, you’ll be just fine. Puppy adapt to routines quite fast.
So, let’s look into some of the daily routines that you could assign to your puppy, shall we?
Chow Time
Whether you are an early riser or, for whatever reason, wake up later in the day, you should ensure that your breakfast, lunch, or dinner time coincides with your dog’s feeding time. Puppies usually eat three times a day. This is generally easy to apply on the first day. As is with nature, inconsistency with feeding usually means inconsistent potty time, and that’s where frustrations usually begin.
Potty times typically occur 30 minutes after feeding for most puppies. However, this varies depending on their activity level or if they are napping. Closely keep track of your puppy’s potty time and establish a pattern to anticipate its next “go time.” This will avoid expensive potty accidents and save you frustration.
Potty Breaks
You will need to do potty breaks more often since it’s a critical part of success towards potty training. It will be frustrating at the onset as your puppy figures out when and where to go, and as they grow older, they’ll be capable of holding it in longer. You need to understand that they will frequent the potty more during the daytime compared to nighttime.
The standard rule of thumb is to take your puppy’s age and divide it by two to determine how long they can hold it for. For instance, for a four-month-old puppy, it’s appropriate to take it out to the potty after every two hours. This is definitely an ideal starting point for making your schedule.
You could always hire a dog sitter or a family member to help you out with potty breaks if you are held up or busy with work.
Fun/Play Time
Playtime is always a great bonding session, and your puppy will need it to rid itself of the excess energy. It’s also an opportune time to impart proper play manners by discouraging nipping. Incorporating chew toys for nibbling is a great idea to dissuade them from nipping on their hands and feet.
Nap Time
Always ensure that playtime is followed by nap time. Puppies grow at an overwhelmingly fast rate, and they easily tire. They need roughly 20 hours of sleep a day. Scheduling naps during the day ensures that your puppy gets ample rest. Puppies do get fussy and can act out by nipping or barking. It’s just a way of telling you that it needs its precious nap time.
As a daily routine for new puppies, nap time can be pretty challenging, particularly at night.
Pro Tip 2: You’ll need to harden your heart for the first few days if you don’t want to share your bed with your puppy. Sometimes, nighttime can get quite lonely, and it may lead to excessive whining or barking. If the barking persists, slightly bang the door but don’t go in. Your puppy needs to understand that it’s nighttime and that you’ll be back for her in the morning. A talking radio or a hot water bottle can do the trick.
I get it. You feel all mushy on the inside, but standing your ground will ensure peaceful nights ahead. You’ll thank me later.
To Cap It Off…
I hope you get some ideas on Daily Routine For New Puppy. Puppies are pleasant animals to be around. Sometimes, having a routine seems daunting. However, all the effort will be worth it once your pet picks up. Oh, and one more thing! Punishing your dog when young will only erode the gains you’ve made this far. You don’t want a timid dog, trust me. Normalize the use of “No” and “good” when reprimanding and encouraging.
Never use two words together, as in “No, not good”, as this will confuse the dog even further from what’s right and wrong.