What Should A Great Puppy Routine Look Like?

Plus…check out Daisy’s puppy pictures below!

Just like all of us, puppies benefit from regular routines. Random feeding, intermittent house training, infrequent exercise, and change up of sleeping locations can adversely impact a puppy. Establishing and sticking to a puppy routine will provide peace of mind and facilitate a puppy’s social/emotional progress. Here are some key consistency considerations for your golden retriever puppy.

Schedule regular feeding intervals 3-4 times per day within a 30-60 minute window. While free feeding is easy and convenient, it encourages overeating and can lead to nutritional deficits. Plan to give supplements or vitamins at these times as well.

Plan play and exercise intervals. The actual activity can be flexible-walk, outing, exploration, ball toss, etc. but the puppy should have a 15+ minute opportunity for constructive movement multiple times throughout the day.

Implement house training. Use your puppy crate to minimize accidents and choose a designated outdoor location for “getting busy”. Determine when your puppy will need to go out in the morning as well in the evening. Fluctuating widely between early and later AM hours as well as nightime trips will confuse and delay house training progress.

Incorporate “nap” or downtime for your puppy. As growing youngsters, they needs lots of rest. If possible, ensure that the crate or rest area is in a quiet location where your pup can sleep undisturbed.

Post your pup’s schedule for the entire family. This can be printed and displayed in a hub area or shared digitally via a calendar app. It helps to have multiple family members know what the schedule involves and when each member is the designated puppy caregiver.

Daily life is hectic and busy. Maintaining a consistent puppy routine will enhance your home and give your golden retriever puppy a great start. We would love to see how you have crafted your personal puppy routine. Visit here to view more photos and videos of Windy Knoll Golden’s kennel routines and litter updates.