18week old puppy schedule

[Superchef]

Hello again another question to ask

What’s everybody’s schedule/ routine with their pups? As a first time dog owner I’m struggling to ....... not sure what the word is but how do you not end up revolving your life around your puppy/dog. Does that sound terrible? I mean how do you get your pup to fit into your lifestyle? I can’t seem to get anything done around the house because I feel I should be playing or sitting with him. We both work (self employed) so are pretty flexible. I’m struggling to know how much time he should be in his pen/crate. My day goes like this

6.30 get up
7am Chester’s breakfast
8-9am training/playtime
9.30 goes in crate for sleep ( I go to work)
12-1pm out of crate and lunch time and play/training
1pm walk and play in the park 20mins or so
2pm back in crate for maybe 1-2 hours ( he doesn’t sleep for very long)
3.30pm-5pm this where I struggle what to do with him No wonder nothing gets done in the house
5pm 20 minute walk
5.30pm onwards teatime prep

Or is this just how it is with a puppy?
He can’t be left unsupervised in any room at the moment because he is still chewing?
So what’s everyone’s routine/schedule

Thanks again

[David Morgan]

He's a baby, parents lives revolve around their babies.

I normally get up at 05:30, but when Mason was 4 months old he frequently woke me up an hour or more early. For the first month, I slept in the kitchen, next to the "mud room" where the dogs live, just in case he woke in the night and needed to be let out. After I left for work, my wife would watch Mason like a hawk as he might chew or pee/poo indoors (he was pretty good from the beginning, but not perfect). We had to watch that he didn't annoy the older dogs too much or they might put him in his place too firmly. At six months I thought this need for vigilance was never going to end, but it did. By seven months he was happily wondering around on his own and not chewing much at all and completely house trained. He now wakes when I wake - though they all still wake me weekends because they forget to reset their alarm clocks. Mason is now absolutely lovely. He is a bit more self-reliant than the other too - they hate being alone - but still loves to snuggle up and is pretty obedient too; he passed his Gold Obedience Award last week.

[bmthmark]

From my experience (I have a 17 month cocker) it does get a lot easier.
He is very young and is still learning and everything is exciting and new to him.
Stick to a routine and eventually you will be able to do your own things and he will just be happy to follow you around.

Just for reference our routine is:
6.30am get up (not sure why he wants to get up so early )
6.45am Jett's Breakfast
7am - 7.30am Training
8am Walk
9-12 he entertains himself (if i'm at work) or just follows me or wife all the time 
12 Walk
1-3.30 he entertains himself (if i'm at work)
5pm teatime
6pm Long walk
10pm Bedtime

[Digger]

...and our routine in case you're interested...
8am ish let the pup out of her area.
8.30 Breakfast
Try and eat my breakfast while she is causing havoc (usually involving some 'off' training...)
She mills around while I sort a few things out, then
9.30/10 - walk, followed by inevitable mud and so bath and dry off-straight into pen
11-12.15 ish in her pen
Then let her out and she does her own thing while I make lunch etc
2pm-5pm I might go out or be busy so she has to entertain herself. I don't lock her up when I go out as I find she is good when I am not there and she can use the dog flap if she wants to go out. I did this as soon as she stopped eating everything in the garden.
5pm another walk (well, important ball hunting expedition if you ask Inca)
6 onwards- mooching around, interspersed with a few training opportunities as they arise.

Yup, they do take over your life when they're young.

[Leo0106]

Fully agree with digger... they do tend to take over your life when so young. I too thought it would never end but our pup is 16 months now and he pretty much fits in to what we do. I work from home but have to travel out for various meetings and so a strict solid routine was never really an option as my work schedule changed daily. However, when my OH is home from travels Leo gets up at 6.30 with him. When he was a young pup it was breakfast and straight out for a walk before he could chew the sofa in boredom. Then it was pen time and sleep. Then play time. Then nap time then training time etc etc etc the list went on! I felt like my life revolved around a little bundle of chewing biting pooing fluff!!

Nowadays Leo looks at us and decides to stay in bed if we wake him before 9am  he also then just goes with our flow of the day.. yesterday we were up at 7. He slept until 9 and then he had 3 short walks throughout the day and slept in between.
Today my partners fixing my car and I am resting due to hip issues so he will happily sleep on the sofa until we can take him out for a long walk at middayish.. Then the all important rugby is on so he will crash out while we scream at the tv...

I'm not sure if we trained Leo to fit in with us or if it just comes naturally but it will get easier

Another point to add is Leo is super duper clingy and I always worried about seperation anxiety. So I feel I gave him wwayyy too much attention from a young age which resulted in some rather nasty attention seeking behaviours. Make sure you give yourself some time and teach him to be on his own for short periods as soon as you feel comfortable. Ours is still super clingy.. But rather than destroying things for attention he now just forces cuddles on me which I can live with!

[Patp]

I never had a routine as my life is so disorganised that I didnt want to be watching the clock or having a dog watching you if you happen to be 10 minutes late with dinner!

Weekdays are different to weekends and all depending on what time I need to be at work.

As a general rule and from memory when Jinley was a pup it was up about 8, breakfast about 9, 10 am walk then sleep or potter till lunchtime (I tend to go out after her walk).  Now she is older I walk her at 9am then she has breakfast when we get back.

At lunchtime she would be fed (this lunchtime feed finished at about 9 months I think) then sleep / potter till tea time.

Another walk if not going out then tea or tea then off for a walk to the pub if its a nice evening for a couple or three hours

Home and biscuit before bed.

No fixed times for anything.