Puppies And Setting Routines
As soon as you make that commitment to get your new puppy, you know that it is just as important to begin creating a routine so as to have your home prepared. You may have the puppy food, the bowls, the leash, the toys, and the organic dog basket in place. However, if you are not planning to set a schedule and routine for your dog, it will make both of your lives complicated. This is why it is really important to set up a schedule and routine.
Firstly, a puppy needs to eat three times a day whereas an adult dog needs to eat only two times a day. If you are adopting a puppy, then you will want to work his or her feeding times around yours. When you have breakfast, feed your puppy. When it is lunchtime for you, it is also lunchtime for your puppy and the same goes for dinner. If you are adopting an adult dog, then fit within your schedule to feed the dog twice a day and keep the time consistent.
Don't forget to clean out your dog's water bowl and food bowl as well daily if you can. Bacteria and other dangerous microbes can easily end up in the bowls that can make your dog sick. The best time to clean the bowls is right before you go to bed. Feeding, however, is not the only thing to keep consistent with creating a routine for your dog.
In addition to feeding, create a regular time for giving your puppy or dog a walk. If you want to take your dog for a walk after your dinner, then keep that as the time to do that. Your dog will know after you finish your own dinner that it is time for the walk. Predictability keeps them calm.
However, you may not be able to take your puppy out for a walk before he or she has had the necessary shots. Your dog's veterinarian will make that clear to you. Once your puppy can start going for walks, then add walking time into the routine then. Before that, it is important to add outdoor play in your dog's or puppy's schedule as he or she will be staying in the backyard.
if your puppy is not housebroken, then create a routine where you take him or her out in the backyard every two to four hours. This opportunity will encourage them to do their business and keep accidents in the home to a minimum. If your dog is housebroken, you still want to add time to their schedule for outdoor play.
Dogs will need to exert their energy if they are under two years of age in the evening as well. Therefore, schedule in playtime in the evening so they can release their pent up energy. If they have gotten their energy out, they will get tired, and therefore, they will be more willing to stay in their natural dog bed at night. You definitely want your dog and yourself to get a good night's rest so everyone is well-rested to take on the next day.