As soon as possible, begin introducing your puppy to his routine. To help you plan your puppy’s routine, make sure you’ve..

☑️ ..implemented a management strategy to keep your puppy out of trouble when unsupervised,

☑️ ..learned your puppy’s needs and wants so you know how to fulfill them,

☑️ ..readied your puppy’s confinement areas, potty areas and activity areas, 

☑️ ..consulted with family members about the house rules for your puppy, and

☑️ ..discussed what responsibilities each family member can handle.

Putting all these together, you can now create a workable puppy schedule that will fit within your other daily activities.

Your daily routine will include the following:

Confinement Time

  • Teaches the puppy to settle, rest, and be alone for certain periods of the day.
  • Keeps the puppy out of trouble when no one is available to actively supervise him.
  • Allows you to take a break from watching the puppy when you need to rest, study, work, or attend to other chores or activities.

Potty Time

  • Helps to develop the puppy’s bladder and bowel control. 
  • Creates a predictable potty routine, which makes it easier to avoid house soiling incidents.

Activity Time

  • Provide your dog with necessary mental and physical stimulation.
  • This time is for training, socialization, play and relationship-building between you and your puppy.

These three time blocks will make up one Activity Cycle, as seen in the diagram. As you can see, each time block corresponds to one of the 3 areas you prepared for your puppy in your home. 
A day with your puppy will be made up of several repetitions of this Activity Cycle.
The number of repetitions of the Cycle in a day will depend on:Your puppy’s ageYour puppy’s rest, activity and potty requirementsOther factors specific to your puppy and your lifestyle.

See a Sample Daily Schedule below, to see how a day would be structured for your puppy when regularly cycling through the three time blocks.

This schedule is for a 2 to 3-month old puppy requiring lots of trips to the potty area and will work best for someone who works from home and has a fairly flexible schedule. It could also work for a family that has a parent or household helper staying at home; some of the puppy activities can be delegated to different family members.It would not suit someone who lives alone and spends a considerable part of the day at work, leaving the puppy unattended for long periods of time. A long-term confinement area, where your puppy is allowed to pee and poop in your absence, is needed in this case.

Sample Daily Schedule for a Puppy

TIMELOCATIONPUPPY ACTIVITY
9:00 pm (previous day) to 5:30 amCrate/Confinement AreaSleeping  / Resting
5:30 am to 5:45 amPotty AreaPuppy relieves himself
5:45 am to 6:15 amActivity AreaPlay / Training / Socialization
6:15 am to 6:30 amPotty AreaPuppy relieves himself
6:30 am to 8:30 amCrateFeeding / Chewing / Sleeping  / Resting
8:30 am to 8:45 amPotty AreaPuppy relieves himself
8:45 am to 9:15 amActivity AreaPlay / Training / Socialization
9:15 am to 9:30 amPotty AreaExtra chance to pee or poop
9:30 am to 11:30 amCrateFeeding / Chewing / Sleeping  / Resting
11:30 am to 11:45 amPotty AreaPuppy relieves himself
11:45 pm to 12:15 pmActivity AreaPlay / Training / Socialization
12:15 pm to 12:30 pmPotty AreaExtra chance to pee or poop
12:30 pm to 3:30 pmExercise PenFeeding / Chewing / Sleeping  / Resting
3:30 pm to 3:45 pmPotty AreaPuppy relieves himself
3:45 pm to 4:15 pmActivity AreaPlay / Training / Socialization
4:15 pm to 5:00pmPotty AreaExtra chance to pee or poop
5:00 pm to 8:00 pmExercise PenFeeding / Chewing / Sleeping  / Resting
8:00 pm to 8:15 pmPotty AreaPuppy relieves himself
8:15 pm to 8:45 pmActivity AreaPlay / Training / Socialization
8:45pm to 9:00 pmPotty AreaExtra chance to pee or poop

Following a similar schedule, you’ll be able to adequately provide for your puppy’s needs at appropriate times throughout the day.

The practice of following a routine, by itself, helps to teach the puppy home manners because throughout each day he is thoroughly attended to and guided.

Try to stick to your schedule as closely as possible, but also don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss or fall behind a few times on some schedule items.

Remember that this is a guide that you can tweak until you and your puppy find a routine that works best for you.

As your puppy grows up and learns the house rules and home manners, you won’t need to manage and  supervise as much, and your adult dog will be able to enjoy more freedom around the house.

By