What Is a Good Routine for Puppies?

Puppies are like babies. In the early months, their lives are dominated by three activities: eating, going to the bathroom and playing. Like young infants, puppies must be put on a strict schedule. When reinforced daily, the schedule provides a puppy will a stable environment in which it can count on certain activities occurring at a certain time. The better you adhere to the routine, the more likely the puppy will learn that you are the alpha in the relationship and it is less likely that you will end up with a dog that has behavioral problems.

  1. Eating

    • Establish an eating schedule. Puppies need to be fed, at a minimum, three times a day. For ease, schedule the puppy's mealtime prior to yours in the early morning, mid-day, and in the early evening. Feeding the puppy before you eat will also make it less likely that the puppy will beg for table food. Leave the food out for no more than 15 minutes. This teaches the puppy that food must be eaten when left out and that feeding only occurs at certain points during the day -- not all day.

    Potty Training

    • Set a potty training schedule. In addition to taking the puppy outside after each meal to go to the bathroom, take the puppy out for potty training at least two to three more times during the day. Also, if the puppy is crying, take it outside to see if it needs to go to the bathroom. For each month of the puppy's age, the puppy will need to relieve its bladder in intervals of that many hours (e.g., 4 months old means bathroom every four hours). Failing to take the puppy out at the designated times will likely cause the puppy to have an accident in the house. When a puppy goes to the bathroom inside the house it gets confused between inside versus outside.

    Exercise

    • Schedule regular play times throughout the day. Puppies should get exercise at least three times a day, preferably after mealtime, but before crate time. In general, puppies need to have play time every two to three hours. Play time not only gives a puppy needed exercise, but always tuckers it out before going back into the crate. During play time you should interact with it. If the puppy is being emotionally needy during non-play time, ignore this behavior so that you can teach it that play time is not all day.

    Crating

    • Crate your puppy at least two to three times daily. Place the crate in a central location in your home and require the puppy to stay in the crate while you are busy getting ready for work or completing tasks, while you are at work and at nighttime. Every so often, given your puppy a treat while he is in the crate; this causes a puppy to associate the crate with positive experiences. Never punish a puppy by putting him in the create; this will cause a negative view of crate time and make it difficult to get your puppy into the crate when necessary.

    Tip

    • Setting and maintaining a routine for a puppy is so important that if you cannot be home during the day, hire someone to feed, potty train and play with your puppy.