Puppy's Daily Schedule

[Toto-lee Cairn]

I feel like the luckiest Mom in the world -- things are going as well as can be expected with my Toto -- and better (I'm sorry) than what it appears some experience.  It has been 40 years since I brought home a puppy, and that was a female German Shepherd.  This is my second puppy, second Cairn.  I fell in love with a 10-year-old rescue that died this past month, and decided since this would in all likelihood be my last dog (I am 63), I wanted a puppy.

My question is:  at what point do you adjust a puppy's daily schedule?

Toto's schedule is:  up at 8:00, out to potty, breakfast.  Back out to potty, then 2 hours play time with me, my husband, or both of us, his dog, a sweet Weimaraner -- some outdoors on our porch/deck, and some indoor play.  Down for a nap, from roughly 10:30-12:30, repeating morning routine of out to potty, lunch, out to potty, followed by play time until about 3:00.  Down for a nap until 5:00, then dinner, repeat routine, until bedtime at 8:00 p.m.  I take him out again at 11:00 p.m. before I crash, and my husband takes him out between 5-6 -- for potty breaks.  Then, it's back to the crate for sleep again, after 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

When will he require fewer, or shorter, naps, and will he eventually -- as he matures -- put himself down for a nap?  This was my experience with my first Cairn, a 10-year-old rescue.  At about what age will he stay up later, with me, to just 'chill?'  I like to snuggle, give scratches, pet while I watch tv.  Is that realistic for a younger Cairn?

He readily accepts crate time -- whines for a few seconds -- and I can put him in the laundry room, secured with a gate, when I can talk to him while I work in the kitchen.  He is good about not fussing about it.

I brought my Toto home at 12 1/2 weeks, and this has been our routine.  He will be 16 weeks this coming Thursday.

[Dianne]

Hmmm. Sounds very similar to our schedule. Also similar to our having a Cairn puppy in our retirement..

Katie is almost 16 months and now pretty established in our schedule. Probably settled in about 6 - 8 months.

My husband is an early riser and so he usually rises about 6am , showers, dresses and then leaves for coffee and paper in the village. Katie is in her crate and does not awaken. He returns about 7 opens her crate, out for potty and then fixes her breakfast. Takes her out for her first short walk of the day, checks emails, watches news  and then leaves at 7:45 to meet his coffee buddies.

Katie comes  to bed with me until I arise at 8am. Daytime schedule is like yours. Dinner for her is at 4:30 then a long walk. If we have errands, they are between 11 and 3pm and often we all go together. Last potty break at 9:30, watch TV with me until 10:30 -11 or sneaks off to bed to cuddle with Kirk until I entice her with a little snack to lure her to her crate. never had any trouble with crate time. It's a large crate...could hold 3 Cairns. If we have to leave for a couple of hours, day or evening, we adjust her meals so that she can have a  puppy Kong stuffed with her meal. We leave the TV on for her. 

We do not have a fenced yard, so she must be leashed to go out to potty. She was easy to train...as a new puppy, out every hour, then 90 minutes then 2 hours etc. now its on the schedule. She will go to the door or deck gate if she wants a extra potty break. We have a large fenced deck where she spends time watching the walkers along the beach path next to our house or taking a snooze in the sun. 

This schedule makes her sound sedate. She is not!!! She is very playful, loves her walks, WILLFUL to a fault, loves endless games of fetch and tug of war. I predict another year of obedience training FOR US to learn how to teach her that come, sit, stay are ALL HER IDEA....!!!

This forum has been an invaluable source of information and humor. We soon learned that a lot of behaviors we were concerned about were just " a Cairn Thing"...and we are now much more relaxed and accepting of this funny and spirited fuzzy face terror. 

Cheers!

Dianne

 

 

 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

How cute is she!  She looks just like my first Cairn, the rescue, who was, without a doubt, the sweetest dog I have ever had.  I cried for weeks before I got this puppy.

Thank you for your response.  The vet assured me yesterday, when the little guy went for some of his shots, that he could stay on this schedule.  She also said he may indicate when he no longer needs/wants a two-hour nap, but reminded me that dogs sleep a lot.  So far, so good, and I still have no complaints.  Toto has settled-in so nicely, with all of us.  I have only been disconcerted with the behavior of the Weimaraner who wants to act like a Cairn -- when he nipped me, snatching a treat, or was rough getting the ball from me, I was really taken aback, but I surmise that for Rupert, this must be a lot like an older child 'regressing' when a baby comes home.  Rupert is still in the running for the Best Dog of the Year Award for all he does with Toto, and the patience he demonstrates, time after time.

My husband and I both are incredibly patient -- years of 'training' with a hard-headed child and a Jack Russell Terrier, rescued from the Humane Society.

I am still working with Toto on NOT biting the Mama.  Ironically, he only bit George once or twice (my husband truly is either a 'dog whisperer' or easily acknowledged as the 'alpha' around here). Toto is so cussed funny in that when we are playing, he will nip me -- not exactly in the course of play, mind you, and then look at me as if to say, 'Oh, sorry, Mama.  I really didn't mean to bite you.'  All the while with that impish look, and paws crossed.

I feel so special to have such fun in my life.