Louis have been home for 3 weeks now and my girl friend went home and i am back to work so it is "steady state"/"normal life" for Louis now. The good thing is that he has no separation anxiety by now but want to make sure it stays that way and that he has a great life and the best possible within the context. I am looking for advice on what a daily schedule could look like. Especially I am in doubt about the mornings and evenings as I can shuffle the sequence of things around. This is what I have in mind Monday-Friday (Saturday and Sunday will try to stick roughly to those routines so he does not get confused but will take advantage of the free time to spend more time with him instead of the nanny Mon-Fri). Times will vary a bit but this is the rough outline 5:00 am day starts 5-6 am: Louis and Andreas time. A shortish walk, a bit of play, bit of training, breakfast for him 6-8 am: Louis alone time I will be working out or working on emails or documents. Louis alone 8-08:30 am: Louis and Andreas together to spend some time together doing what ever comes to mind. Probably a quick walk, play, train session to tire him a bit. 08:30 I leave for office 08:30-10ish: Louis alone in puppy proof room (in a few weeks he will hopefully be crated 10-16 Woman who cleans will be there and do her things while Louis can be around her. She will take him for walks when she arrives and early in the afternoon and he will be fed early afternoon. Also, they will be around eachother 16-18: Alone time for Louis 18-19: Louis and Andreas time: I get home and we will go for a long walk and play for about an hour (short while he is still a puppy) 19-20: Louis alone time. I will be working, cooking and doing other stuff while Louis will eat and rest 20-22: Louis and Andreas together time again (final walk, play, training, hanging out) So in summary from 5 am to 10 pm Monday to Friday there will be: -- Louis alone time approx 6,5 hours but never for more than 2 hours at a time -- Louis and Andreas time (walk, play, train, hang out) 4,5 hours -- Louis with dog sitter/woman who cleans: 6 hours Would love to spend more time with him than 4,5 hours but I take comfort that he will be with the nanny a lot of time (she loves dogs and is taking very good care of him and she is almost member of the family) Any ideas on how I might improve this schedule?
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis Does all of that time need to be "alone time"? My dog is content just to be in the same room as me - it's a big difference if he is shut in another room. When he was a puppy, he had a pen in the room I worked in, and now he has an armchair. He knows if I open my laptop it's settle down time, but it matters to him that he is near me. I don't know anything about your cleaner, but mine is no substitute for me. Charlie has to be in his pen (otherwise he nicks her dusters : ) and I do not think it is much better than him being alone just because she is in the house. Your set up might be very different though. He sleeps with you, doesn't he? That helps...
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9760.msg141182#msg141182 date=1422898765] Does all of that time need to be "alone time"? My dog is content just to be in the same room as me - it's a big difference if he is shut in another room. When he was a puppy, he had a pen in the room I worked in, and now he has an armchair. He knows if I open my laptop it's settle down time, but it matters to him that he is near me. I don't know anything about your cleaner, but mine is no substitute for me. Charlie has to be in his pen (otherwise he nicks her dusters : ) and I do not think it is much better than him being alone just because she is in the house. Your set up might be very different though. He sleeps with you, doesn't he? That helps... [/quote] Julie, thanks a lot. 1. No, depending on what I will be doing he can be "free", be in a crate or be in his room. Will reduce his alone time as much as I can. 2. The time with the cleaner during the day is what concerns me the most. That said, while the cleaner is not me but I am very comfortable with her. Much more than I would be having a teenager with Louis or a "non-dog loving spouse". Last weeks he has been sleeping most of the time though when she is there anyway. Also, some days I can spend more time working from home on docs, calls etc depending on what I have going on at work so can spend more time with him. 3. Yes, he sleeps in my bed
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis sounds like a reasonable schedule, and if you are reducing his alone time as much as feasible, I think you'll find he adjusts well. I think it's the quality of the together time that makes the most difference - so long as they are comfortable and safe, they quickly adjust to a routine.
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis Sounds very organised, but I would maybe think about all these scheduled walks thoughout the day ( you mentioned 5) as he's only little and they advise 5 mins for every month of the dogs age e.g 3 months =15 mins per day max. Maybe replace some of those sessions with more training / playing together? Bella is around me as much as possible when I'm working , cooking, eating etc, I sometimes have to put her behind a baby gate if she gets too excited when I'm eating but she gets the idea after a couple of times, I give her a kong or a chew if I'm on my laptop to keep her busy ( she usually then lays next to me) ;D
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis Very good idea to have a schedule and some structure If nothing else it serves as a great reminder to you as the day races you by. There is an interesting schedule recommended in Gwen Bailey's book The Perfect Puppy which I used as a baseline to help us through the early weeks. Does anyone know if The Happy Puppy Handbook includes something similar? Those 1.5hr - 2hr alone time sessions might be pushing your luck for toileting! There's a good chance he'll have a nice nap for an hour then wake up and immediately want to pee pee. Having said that I guess you've had enough time with him already you probably already have a measure of that. Like CDM says, definitely too much walking in there I think. One 15 minute walk is plenty, or two shorter walks. Try and replace "whatever we feel like doing" with some set training and play sessions each day. Back to toilet breaks, depending how you are managing that! If you want to succeed with toilet training, include these in your itinerary at hourly intervals. Try and put specific times down for puppy meal times, so not only you but your helper also follows them. Early afternoon could be a bit vague. Try and keep them at regular intervals so if he's on 3 meals a day try and make them every 6 hours. Make sure you have a plan (weight a meal out ready?) so she doesn't overfeed or over-treat him too. Alone time doesn't sound so bad if you call it a rest time As you've probably seen, a young puppy will tend to have a surge of energy for up to an hour, then will be ready for an hours rest. A good schedule would be something [do stuff up an hour] [rest] [toilet] [repeat]. You should avoid exercise and play directly before and after eating, especially after. So watch out that your last play session isn't too soon after giving him chance for his meal to settle and digest, otherwise there's a chance he might throw it up. Now, the hardest part till last. "10-16 Woman who cleans will be there and do her things while Louis can be around her." I think it would help to break that up a bit, giving her some plan to follow too. I'm really not sure how that's going to work out for you in practice. My pup was a total nightmare when I tried to clean and hoover. Cleaning the house became a military operation and my house stayed pretty grubby for the first few puppy months! Everything was an exciting curiosity. She soon learned not be scared of the hoover (used treats etc) but it was a fascinating for her wanting to follow around it's every movement (and get right in the way!) or chase it. Duster comes out, oooh what's that, can I chew and play with it, sniff sniff, head in the way of everywhere I wanted to be! Teaching a "Leave It!" helped a lot, but 12 weeks is a bit young to get that working reliably for non-food objects. Wiping the floor? Again, fascinating to a pup, but also potentially very dangerous, ooh what's that smelly wet stuff on the floor, can I lick it, what's it taste like. Yikes! Just about all household cleaning products are toxic to our dogs. So I can't help but fear that those 6 hours of together time with the cleaner risks turning into a lot of exclusion and alone time, for practical sake and safety's sake. But if you can both adapt, plan, discuss and stay opened minded I'm sure you'll work something out Maybe try carving it up into an hours cleaning, with the Louis out of harms way, then some free roaming time so on and so forth.
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis My pup goes to dog day care when I am working. That needs careful research. As Louis gets a bit older you will notice if he has not been able to socialise with dogs or people outside in different situations. Lucky having a nanny
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis I would add that unless it is your ambition to get up at 5.00am every morning of your life don't be too cheerful or playful with Louis at that time. Just a quick wee and then pop him back in his crate. In another post you were querying the use of a crate. I cannot recommend them enough. They are a safe (for both pup and your possessions) place for a pup. They happily sleep in them. They can be put into them when a time out is needed or when they become over excited. You can keep Louis safely contained with you (rather than shutting him in another room) when you are doing tasks that you need to concentrate on for both your own and Louis safety. Get a fairly big one, they have a habit of growing!
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis [quote author=Mollly link=topic=9760.msg141313#msg141313 date=1422954635] I would add that unless it is your ambition to get up at 5.00am every morning of your life don't be too cheerful or playful with Louis at that time. Just a quick wee and then pop him back in his crate. In another post you were querying the use of a crate. I cannot recommend them enough. They are a safe (for both pup and your possessions) place for a pup. They happily sleep in them. They can be put into them when a time out is needed or when they become over excited. You can keep Louis safely contained with you (rather than shutting him in another room) when you are doing tasks that you need to concentrate on for both your own and Louis safety. Get a fairly big one, they have a habit of growing! [/quote] Thanks. I am going to the US in 2 weeks and I will bring back a crate. He will be about 15 weeks at that point but think its a good idea despite not having it from day 0. I love getting up early so 5 am is great for me -- as long as lights are out at 10 pm or earlier
Re: Pls help with a daily schedule for Louis [quote author=JohnG link=topic=9760.msg141272#msg141272 date=1422921388] Very good idea to have a schedule and some structure If nothing else it serves as a great reminder to you as the day races you by. There is an interesting schedule recommended in Gwen Bailey's book The Perfect Puppy which I used as a baseline to help us through the early weeks. Does anyone know if The Happy Puppy Handbook includes something similar? Those 1.5hr - 2hr alone time sessions might be pushing your luck for toileting! There's a good chance he'll have a nice nap for an hour then wake up and immediately want to pee pee. Having said that I guess you've had enough time with him already you probably already have a measure of that. Like CDM says, definitely too much walking in there I think. One 15 minute walk is plenty, or two shorter walks. Try and replace "whatever we feel like doing" with some set training and play sessions each day. Back to toilet breaks, depending how you are managing that! If you want to succeed with toilet training, include these in your itinerary at hourly intervals. Try and put specific times down for puppy meal times, so not only you but your helper also follows them. Early afternoon could be a bit vague. Try and keep them at regular intervals so if he's on 3 meals a day try and make them every 6 hours. Make sure you have a plan (weight a meal out ready?) so she doesn't overfeed or over-treat him too. Alone time doesn't sound so bad if you call it a rest time As you've probably seen, a young puppy will tend to have a surge of energy for up to an hour, then will be ready for an hours rest. A good schedule would be something [do stuff up an hour] [rest] [toilet] [repeat]. You should avoid exercise and play directly before and after eating, especially after. So watch out that your last play session isn't too soon after giving him chance for his meal to settle and digest, otherwise there's a chance he might throw it up. Now, the hardest part till last. "10-16 Woman who cleans will be there and do her things while Louis can be around her." I think it would help to break that up a bit, giving her some plan to follow too. I'm really not sure how that's going to work out for you in practice. My pup was a total nightmare when I tried to clean and hoover. Cleaning the house became a military operation and my house stayed pretty grubby for the first few puppy months! Everything was an exciting curiosity. She soon learned not be scared of the hoover (used treats etc) but it was a fascinating for her wanting to follow around it's every movement (and get right in the way!) or chase it. Duster comes out, oooh what's that, can I chew and play with it, sniff sniff, head in the way of everywhere I wanted to be! Teaching a "Leave It!" helped a lot, but 12 weeks is a bit young to get that working reliably for non-food objects. Wiping the floor? Again, fascinating to a pup, but also potentially very dangerous, ooh what's that smelly wet stuff on the floor, can I lick it, what's it taste like. Yikes! Just about all household cleaning products are toxic to our dogs. So I can't help but fear that those 6 hours of together time with the cleaner risks turning into a lot of exclusion and alone time, for practical sake and safety's sake. But if you can both adapt, plan, discuss and stay opened minded I'm sure you'll work something out Maybe try carving it up into an hours cleaning, with the Louis out of harms way, then some free roaming time so on and so forth. [/quote] John, thanks a lot for taking the time to write an extensive answer. Point taken about making sure the 10-16 slot with the nanny does not become a random "I can do as I want e.g. eat when I want, chase the hoover, eat plants on the terassa etc.". The first 3,5 weeks it has not been an issue as he tends to sleep 4-5 of those 6 hours, he does not chase her around more than maybe 10-15 minutes and the nanny has participated in training sessions with the dog trainer. I think I need to a) establish a fairly detailed schedule for that time b) get a pen or crate he can hang out in part of that time and c) agree with the nanny on education Regarding the walks, I will reduce those and replace with training and light play sessions. I have a pretty active lifestyle so it is easy for me to overdo the activity level so have to be mindful about that next 12-18 months. His house training is pretty good so the 2 hour slots of alone time is not a concern. At night he is okay for 4 hours and during the day, when resting 2-3 hours works. This is the revised schedule, hope it is better. Key changes are: -- only one real walk of 10-15 minutes which will be EOD when I get home but in addition to that many potty stops outside during the day. These should not be actual walks but a quick trip outside to potty and then back in. As he grows older the EOD day walk and the potty stops can be extended -- the alone times will include his 3 meals and will be time to sleep often anyway. Will get a crate and a play pen so as many of these alone times can be near people -- several slots for training and play during the day to replace walking. Might do some of the playing and training outside eventually as I want to teach him that the house is not a play ground -- the evening slot with me from 20-22 I will keep ad hoc. He will not be alone here but depending on what is happening that day, the slot might be used for having people over, training, playing, watching tv, working a bit or whatever. 05-06:15 am: Quick 5-7 min trip outside to potty and wake up, then a bit of play and training 06:15-07:45: Time alone including breakfast (next weeks in puppy proofed room, then later crate) 07:45-08:30: Quick 3-5 min trip outside to potty, then a bit of play and training. I will also have breakfast at this time 08:30-09:30: Time alone 09:30-10: Quick 3-5 min trip outside to potty and a bit of play and training -- this is with nanny 10-11:50: Time with Nanny (I will speak to her about what to do during this time to ensure Louis feels he is with someone yet it is not a crazy party of do what he wants) 11:50-12: Quick 3-5 min trip outside to potty 12-13:30: Alone time including lunch 13:30-13:40:Quick 3-5 min trip outside to potty 13:40-15:50: time with Nanny 15:50-16:00: Quick 3-5 min trip outside to potty 16:00-17:30 Time alone until I arrive at 17ish 17:30-18:30: Short 10-15 min walk, play, training, enjoying time 18:30-20:00 Time alone including dinner. I need some time to take care of work (he will be either in room, crate, pen or "free" depending on what I have to do) 20-22: Ad hoc time for working, cooking, playing, peeing, training, hanging out
