puppy routine

[Mel]

Hi everyone, sorry to bug you all with another question !

when our puppy comes home next week we are planning to keep him in the kitchen in a puppy pen where his crate will also be. It's a good size kitchen and the children are usually there or nearby. In between potty breaks and walks in the yard he will be either in his pen or in the crate....does this sound ok ? i didn't want to introduce him to the rest of the house until he is more or less housebroken and used to us ...i thought it may be overwhelming for him to have a run of the place too soon.

Once the children have gone to bed around 7:30 pm i am not sure what i should do with the puppy...it seems early to crate him for the night but if i leave him in the pen i don't like the idea of him in the kitchen alone while my husband and i are in the front room watching tv. If we brought him in with us for a while to hang out would this confuse him ? should he be left alone to unwind before bed time ?

The other questions i have are :
what time should he be crated for the night ? My husband gets up for work around 5:30 or 6 am and i get up around 6:30 am. If we take him outside to potty at around 10:30pm will this be enough or should i set an alarm to get up again during the night ? He will be nearly 11 weeks when we get him.

In the morning when my husband gets up and takes the puppy outside for potty should he give him breakfast afterwards this early ? or should i do it at 6:30 ?

What routines worked for your puppies ?


thanks so much ! i honestly don't know what i would do without this forum, i have spent so much time reading posts on here lately and there is so so much i have to learn !

[deepnite10]

a routine will work when its consistant..like you, we had a plan when Toby came home at 14wks..

we gave him the run of the house as long as someone had an eye on him..even at a young age they ll start chewing anything..we thought this would work best since we also had 2 other dogs in the family..

the first night we started his potty training..everything seems to work around that goal....

outside to potty every hour and would nt allow him back in till he did a #1 or #2..not food or water 2 hrs befor bed time..

at bedtime he d go into the crate in a extra bedroom..i kept a tv on all night to keep him company..i also put a blanket infront of the crate facing the door way..then it was outside every 2 hrs and he did nt come back in till he did his business..

we still had accidents despite putting him out regularly..but, after a couple days and evenings he got the idea..*i d have to potty or i don t get to go back inside*..eventually he d fake it if he really did nt have anything to do..

of course i lost alot of sleep during the first 2 weeks..but, at the end of the 2 weeks, he was potty train d..along the way he learn d that when he heard me say *potty* he go out on his own thru the doggie door..

as for his feeding routine..4 time s a day..8am, noon, 4pm and 8pm..last meal and water for the evening..at 6 mos. we switched to 3 times a day and 10mos we finally settled into twice a day, where we re at today..

[Daisy'sMom]

It's hard to remember, even though it wasn't that long ago!! Riverbend (Chad and Kristi) provided us with lots of wonderful training materials (puppy training, puppy manners, potty training, crate training, etc), it was beyond helpful. One of those had a nice timeline to follow for the day so we basically followed that and it worked nicely. I remember the bottom line best advice Kristi gave me over the phone one time - you need to go about with your daily life and routine and your puppy will adapt to you and your routine. So true and important to remember. Yes, it's kind of nutty and crazy the first day or two at home with your brand new puppy, but you will quickly learn together and your puppy will adapt to you If Daisy wasn't in her crate, we let her run free most of the main floor of our house as long as someone was always with her until she was for sure housebroken, but also because of the constant chewing and getting into things. But you'll find that your puppy is tired, it's very much like having a baby/toddler, they need naps and get very tired and worn out.

After our kids went to bed around 8:00, that's when my husband and I would totally bond and snuggle with Daisy! I loved that time of night because I had her all to myself I don't think your puppy would be confused if you did that. They like to be with you, it's very sweet and just the best. Daisy would snuggle up on my lap like a baby, literally. I loved every minute of it!! We then didn't crate her until we went to bed around 10:30 or 11. She would stay quiet all night but by 6:00AM she would whine to go out to potty and eat. She never got us up in the night but she was also already 14 weeks when we got her. She was up and ready to go out at 6:00AM for the first few months, I was exhausted cuz I'm not an early morning person! That eventually stopped and she now isn't even crated and doesn't get up to go out until 7:00ish.

Anyway, don't worry, you'll get a nice schedule from the breeder to guide you and you'll feel good about things. You'll quickly fall into a nice routine.

[Mel]

Deepnite, that's so funny that Toby would 'fake it' to get back into the house lol, thanks for the great info ! the 2 hourly wake ups do not sound appealing ....i really hope i don't have to do that !

Daisy's mom, we have the info from RB re: the schedule...very helpful and a lot of good info to refer to. I just need to adapt it to our schedule especially the school days.
I like the idea of bonding with puppy during the evening my hubby has already said that the dog is bound to love me the most because it is me here all day lol.

Do you think 11 weeks is a bit young ? should we wait until 14 ?

what did you use to redirect the chewing ?

thanks so much for your help...i am all consumed with puppy stuff !

[jesstat]

We got Diego when he was 9 weeks. I think only the first 2 nights he didn't sleep all the way from 10:30/11 to 6ish. The crate helped so much.

We had tons of nylabones, a couple bully sticks, and squeaky toys to redirect his chewing. The first few weeks I would also give him some peanut butter in a kong while I ate breakfast so we wouldn't jump on me and spill my cereal.

[Daisy'sMom]

Oh good, you already have the info. I kept the schedule on my kitchen counter and just kept referring back to it. We didn't strictly follow it but used it as a guide until we knew what we were doing, lol! And yes, with school days you have a busy enough household and schedule with your kids. Our mornings consisted of getting up with Daisy and letting her out to potty, feeding her, then getting the kids up and dressed and ready for school, and if Daisy was just too much during the time of getting the kids ready we would crate her until after they were out the door, it was too stressful to have to watch her and get the kids ready. And I don't know if this is true for everyone and all dogs, but Daisy immediately knew from probably day 1 or 2 of living here who was who in our house, and our vet confirmed that for us. She knew instantly who was the mom and who was "the master" if you want to say and then who the playmates were. And those roles she still follows to this day. She does love me most cuz I'm the mom (I'm home FT) and with her all the time, my hubby was a tad bit jealous in the beginning But on the other hand, Daisy listens much better to my husband and he has more control over her. And then Daisy knows the kids are her buddies and playmates. But the vet did say that Daisy knew that I was the mom from the minute she arrived in our house, interesting!!

As for age, no, 11 weeks is not too young. The only reason we got Daisy at 14 weeks is because we happened to find her "for sale/available" on Riverbend's website when we were looking for a puppy. She was available as an older puppy and we decided to take her instead of picking a brand new puppy from a litter. So, that's the only reason we got her when she was a bit older, the age of when she came home to us was not planned, they just happened to still have her at 14weeks of age.

We constantly redirected chewing, we just made sure we had plenty of chew toys for her. We just used (and still use) the command "off" and would then give her a nylabone or rope toy. We had a few stuffed toys but quickly learned to stay away from those cuz she would destroy them and take out all the stuffing, she still does that

[Daisy'sMom]

Oh, and for redirecting the chewing, for a long time we used the command "no bite" and would clap our hands pretty loud before saying it to get her attention. For the most part it worked, she'd drop whatever it was she had in her mouth and then we'd give her something else. Eventually though she got more and more bold and would run and want to be chased so then it was time for a new strategy, that's when we switched to a very firm "off!" That still works to this day quite well, but there's definitely times that she's stubborn and wants to make it a game!! Thank goodness for Old Navy flip flops that are 2 for $5, we went thru several pairs of those last summer, for some reason flip flops were Daisy's thing! We have a few handless Barbies as well, but for the most part we have survived the chewing, but we had to constantly redirect and consistently use the same command over and over.

[Mel]

Originally Posted by jesstat

We got Diego when he was 9 weeks. I think only the first 2 nights he didn't sleep all the way from 10:30/11 to 6ish. The crate helped so much.

We had tons of nylabones, a couple bully sticks, and squeaky toys to redirect his chewing. The first few weeks I would also give him some peanut butter in a kong while I ate breakfast so we wouldn't jump on me and spill my cereal.

the peanut butter in the kong sounds like a good idea...we have a puppy size one, can he be left in the crate with this ? or will it be too messy and lead to him needing to poop again quickly after eating? I am thinking whilst my husband takes his shower in the morning this would buy him some time.

[Mel]

Originally Posted by Daisy'sMom

And I don't know if this is true for everyone and all dogs, but Daisy immediately knew from probably day 1 or 2 of living here who was who in our house, and our vet confirmed that for us. She knew instantly who was the mom and who was "the master" if you want to say and then who the playmates were. And those roles she still follows to this day. She does love me most cuz I'm the mom (I'm home FT) and with her all the time, my hubby was a tad bit jealous in the beginning But on the other hand, Daisy listens much better to my husband and he has more control over her. And then Daisy knows the kids are her buddies and playmates. But the vet did say that Daisy knew that I was the mom from the minute she arrived in our house, interesting!!

That IS interesting ! they are so smart ! i am looking forward to seeing what kind of personality our little guy has It is so funny that Daisy listens to your husband more, sounds like my house with our children lol.

I'm glad you said 11 weeks was ok...i don't want to put off getting him any longer than necessary, all this waiting and worrying is worse than actually getting on with it

[Daisy'sMom]

Originally Posted by Mel

all this waiting and worrying is worse than actually getting on with it

So true!!! The anticipation of it all can be nervewracking and exhausting!!! Even more so than actually going thru it

[lindamarie]

Originally Posted by Daisy'sMom

So true!!! The anticipation of it all can be nervewracking and exhausting!!! Even more so than actually going thru it

AMEN!
Your plans sound great with the crate etc.
When you're in the living room, give the pup a chance to acclimate. Bring him in there with you and play!
Always remember that a pup can only play so long before they have to pee, so after a good play session.......take him outside. then either bring him back in or put him in the crate.
The crate should never feel like a punishment either. The pup has to be happy to be there so in the future, he will go in there for his little space.
Bogart is 3 and still LOVES his crate. He goes in and out at will and sometimes just needs to get away from it all. It's their security and "little home".
If he's well exercised...as we always say here.." a good doodle is a tired doodle".......then crate him maybe an hour before you go to bed.
I absolutely would NOT set an alarm. Let the pup wake YOU to go out.
Take the water away about 2 hours before you go to bed so he will have the chance to urinate before crating.

Pups usually have to go within 10 to 30 minutes after eating. I would say that whoever has the time to wait out this 1/2 hr or so, should feed him.

[Mel]

thanks Linda, some more good info i'm glad you reminded me about him needing to pee after a play session, i think RB have mentioned that in their puppy packet info.

I really hope he does well in the crate overnight.....if i can get some sleep the days will be so much easier lol.

I am thinking i should use the divider .....i will see what size he is when he gets here and judge it then.

RB have said to just use a towel for his bedding and he will have a litter scented toy or blanket to go in the crate. I have seen some lovely crate beds/padding that look so comfortable but i guess i can wait until he is trained for that.

[Jules&Beau]

Hi Mel! When I got Beau he was just 8wks. old. I had many of the same worries and questions that you had, relax....its really not that bad! I started "potty" training immediately. Outside to "potty" and yes I did use that word everytime...I still use that word! Initially it was every hour to hour and a half, then every one to two hours at night. I took his food and water away two hours before bedtime. He got up when I did and went to bed when I did, I gave him the run of the downstairs of my home and when I had to go to work I gated him into my kitchen with puppy pads in one section. He picked up on using the puppy pads very quickly, when he got large enough to get over (or knock down the gate) I got him a crate. I had a friend who would come to the house and take him out to potty for me, but by then he was able to hold it until they came and didn't need the pads any longer. Labradoodles are very intelligent and learn quickly! We started 'puppy' obedience class when he was 12 weeks old!

[Mel]

thanks Jules i have some puppy pads and was planning on using them when he is in his pen, hopefully i will get the routine down and he will get used to going outside regularly but they are a good thing to have for the inevitable accident lol.

So you got up every one to two hours at night to take him outside ?

my husband and son are going to take the puppy to classes too, i would also like to go but my 3 yr old would need to be watched, she is sooo excited about puppy !

[Daisy'sMom]

Originally Posted by Mel

RB have said to just use a towel for his bedding and he will have a litter scented toy or blanket to go in the crate. I have seen some lovely crate beds/padding that look so comfortable but i guess i can wait until he is trained for that.

We definitely did this and you'll quickly learn that with puppy chewing that he won't be ready for anything more than a towel. We used old beach towels, she only chewed the corner of one, she must have been bored, cuz for the most part Daisy was always very quiet and content and/or sleeping in her crate. She was very happy in her crate always, thank goodness, we were lucky. We'd always put a nylabone and a few toys in there for her as well, always one of the toys she came home with for sure. And as Linda said, we never used it as punishment. We even fed her in there for the first few weeks like RB suggested. We finally upgraded to a nice fleece pad for Daisy's crate this winter once she earned it and we trusted she wouldn't chew it to shreds, but until then we used old towels and that worked great, very easy to wash and she didn't mind.