I have been a cat owner for most of my life. Cats are easy. You make sure there’s food, water, and a litter box, and you’re good to go. Dogs, on the other hand, require some work and a well-planned routine. It’s this finessing of schedules that I’m currently struggling with.
Having a few high-risk factors during the era of COVID means that I practically never leave the house. So, there’s probably never been a better, more convenient time in my life to learn how to live with a dog. You’d think that not having the added stressors of trying to get out the door by a certain time for work would make things easier. And yet, somehow, I’ve found a way to make things complicated for myself.
I should probably share that I am not a morning person. At all. If I had my way, I would stay up until 1 or 2 am every night and not wake up until well after 9 am. But society and work commitments just aren’t conducive to that schedule. So maybe after I retire, I can finally become the night owl I was meant to be.
Before G came into my life, but still during COVID, I’d typically go to bed around 11:45 pm and get up just before 8 am. (As a part-time consultant, I usually start my workday at 10:00 am.) With no commute thrown into the mix, that always gave me plenty of time to do what I needed to do in the morning to make myself presentable if I knew I had to be on a Zoom call. And on those glorious days when there was no chance for any humans other than my immediate family to see me? Then my morning routine time would be blissfully cut in half. No time spent fussing with the hair, no effort given to adding make-up to my face, no deliberation spent in the closet over what professionally acceptable casual clothing I would wear on my top half (‘cuz let’s not pretend that it’s not sweatpants or leggings all day every day during the pandemic.)
But now that G is here, I can’t seem to figure out what my new schedule should be. And this is despite the fact that he has now been here for a little over two weeks. Now during the week, I get up at 7 am to let him out. It’s at that point that I don’t know what should come next. Should I feed him right away? Do I feed myself first? Do I take a shower before giving him food, or is that cruel making him wait that long? Before he arrived, I would get up and start getting ready before I ever stepped foot into the kitchen to get my breakfast. Now, I’m in the kitchen first thing and feel out of sorts with what to do next.
I know some of you reading this may be scratching your heads and wondering why this is even a “thing.” I guess it’s because I am such a creature of habit, and I haven’t determined what the new habit should be exactly. So far, I’ve adjusted to feeding him right away, then feeding myself before moving on to getting myself presentable. I think it’s working out, although it feels a little weird for me to eat breakfast so early. And then I obsess over how long I should wait to let him out again. (No matter when I let him out after feeding him in the morning, he never ever seems to do anything by way of relieving himself until much later in the day.)
And I’m also curious about how this schedule may or may not need to change once I start leaving the house again.
Any other dog owners out there, I’d love to know what your morning schedules are/have been, both during COVID and pre-COVID times. Do you feed your dog right away in the morning, or do you get yourself together first? How many times a day do you let your dog out? What about when you’re gone the entire day at work? Please let me know what seems to work for you in the Comments section—I’d really appreciate it!
The Pick-Up Artist 
I’m in the same boat about finding a routine with a new dog!
I was pretty independent before maple came along but I typically was a morning person. I would wake up anytime between 5 and 6:45am and go to sleep around 10:00-10:30. I learned that even though she typically puts herself to bed around 9:30, if I go to bed around 10 she gets up super early. I learned that the “sweet spot” is me going to bed at 11pm and waking up around 6:30am on weekdays. Unfortunately on the weekends she has an internal alarm clock at 7:15 so there really isn’t “sleeping” in anymore.
I learned it’s best for Maple to get all of her stuff out of the way first. I let her outside and I convince her to run back in when I say it’s time to “eat” and have breakfast. Typically I feed her in our master bathroom so I can shower and she can eat and I can keep an eye on her. She typically lays down and waits for me. Now I work from home I typically go straight to my “office” and she goes back to sleep until 10 am.
If I don’t have meetings, 10 am is the perfect time for her to go on one of her walks for the day and we usually do a half mile 2-3 times a day. Other than that she will put her head my knee if she needs to go out during the day.
The night is chaos. She expects me to play with her at exactly 5:30 after her dinner and if I don’t give her enough attention she constantly wants to go outside. I learned the biggest help are toys you can stuff treats into to keep her busy.
Sorry I just wrote a novel but hopefully that gives you some insight into my world 🙂
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I SO appreciate the info, Mandy! I’m curious how much this schedule will change once you have to go back to the office full-time.
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I’m not sure there is a “right” or best answer here but I’ll share our approach. We usually feed Hansel first thing in the a.m. He’s highly food- and treat-motivated and will not leave us alone until he’s fed 😊 The actual time varies pretty much by day. He goes to Camp Bow Wow twice a week, so on those days is fed and out the door before I’m even out of bed (by 6:30, weekends are more like 8ish). Then we let him out and are patient so he does ALL his business at once. It’s paid off this winter so we can minimize trips out to go potty in the freezing cold mornings! The best tip I have is to put a bell on the door handle and teach him that every time he goes out to ring the bell. Within a few weeks he should use the bell on his own to tell you when he has to go out. Takes the guesswork out!
Also we have Hansel trained that he has a “spot” to sit/stay when we are eating. It’s perfect and has nearly eliminated all begging. Our former dogs were beggars during mealtime, and it was always so annoying….especially when we had company. But we’ve worked to train him that he sits over on a rug away from the table when we eat. Now all we have to say is “go to your spot” and he goes there. SO glad this has worked out for us….might be worth trying if G needs a bit of structure during mealtime.
So, for our family, we feed Hansel, then let him out so he’s taken care of first thing. That gives us the freedom to then go about our business. Also, he would likely follow us and whine if we did anything else. 😉
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Thank you for the info, Casey! I’m trying to figure out Gunther’s bathroom habits still. He definitely pees first thing in the morning. We let him out again around noon and then again at 3 pm where he pretty much does nothing at all. Right around the time we feed him around 5:30-6 pm we let him out and maybe – just maybe he pees. Then around 8:30-9pm is when he usually takes a dump and pees. We then let him out before bed around 11 pm and sometimes he pees, sometimes he doesn’t. I know that all dogs are individual, but we definitely thought he would poop and pee more than he seems to. Maybe we need to wait him out more like you guys do. How long does it usually take for Hansel to do ALL his business?
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Hansel is VERY regular and poops 2x/day. One in the am (first thing) and one in the pm (just after dinner). His morning routine is only outside for maybe 5 min max if he dances around a bit. We keep it tight in the winter…. Which is why we have doggie daycare, to get him the exercise he needs. If I take him for a long walk, no matter the time of day, he nearly always poops. The exercise must get his bowels moving 😉. But Hansel always had one last per before bedtime…usually around 8:30ish (he sleeps with Graysen so we’re winding down by that time). So in total he probably has 4-5 bathroom breaks during the day, starting as early as 6:30 and ending around 8:30pm.
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Your mileage may vary because our dog is a Bulldog breed and therefore, lazy. He normally does not wake up before he has a reason to (like the treat store opens up at 10 AM, so he will sleep in until 10:15 AM…).
But there are exceptions, so I will pretend it’s a Sunday morning. He always wakes up early on Sundays because he wants to go to Nana’s House and play in her backyard. We’ll wake up to him snorting in our faces while staring at us. We have to get cleaned up before we take him downstairs, because once he is downstairs, he grows very impatient about getting to the car.
So we hurry up, carry him down the stairs, give him his “crunchy peanut butter” (medication in a Pill Pocket), see if he wants food… and then harness him up. On a weekday, this would be his morning walk on the way to the treat store. But on Sundays, he is determined: Car to Nana’s House. He will run to the car. He will hold it.
On a weekday, after going to the bathroom and noshing on his breakfast sausage purchase, he will find a sunny spot and go back to sleep. On a Sunday, he will play for hours in the backyard and crash by 2 PM.
For meal times, Pierre is pretty fluid because he usually sneaks in snacks throughout the day. So he may skip breakfast knowing he will get a sausage and be okay with a later dinner (like 9 PM) when we eat because he had midday snacks.
We do not give him cooked people food at home ever. He may get raw fruits and veggies while I am cooking, but he would be absolutely insufferable if he even thought pizza would be a possibility.
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Nikki – appreciate this info so much! Thank you for sharing. Obviously, personality comes into play here (especially with Pierre!) and I need to keep all that in mind for G as well.
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Dogs are creatures of habit. My morning routine is always the same. I get up and let the dogs out to pee. They don’t spend too much time outside because they know breakfast will be waiting, food and fresh water. After I feed them, they go outside again, this time to finish the job! I take care of the dogs first before I get myself ready. I need my coffee in the morning and time to wake up. So after the dogs are taken care of, I can sit and have my coffee. At the point when I take a shower, the dogs will often lay on my bed nearby. My dogs are fed twice a day. I swear they can tell time. They will stare me down when its time to eat later in the day.
Your schedule for dumps and pees sound very normal. I find the dumps usually follow feedings.
There isn’t a right or wrong schedule. It’s what works best for you. If your past routine is to get up and get ready before heading down to the kitchen, then stick with it. G will follow your lead. My husband gets up for work early. My dogs know its not time. They will wait for me, because that’s the routine.
Regarding number of times they go out in a day, would depend on the age of the dog. I have a 3 and 5 year old. The older dog goes out 2 – 3 times during the day, where the younger one goes out more often. The length of time to leave a dog home with a potty break is based on age.
Love reading your adventures with G!
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Cindy – I may need to have you on speed-dial for the advice! Ha ha! 😁 I kind of already changed my morning routine but I’m finding that it’s not so bad. You are absolutely right that G follows my lead. During the week, my husband gets up at 6:15 to take Aidan to Jazz Band and G doesn’t demand to go out at that point even with all the activity happening.
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Tommy’s schedule:
7am walk around the block
Feed him immediately after the walk and then get ready for work and I eat later. We walk him or let him out in the yard at noon and again at 5 pm. We feed him at 7 pm and walk him again at 9 or 10pm. He never has accidents in the house if we stick to this schedule. Good luck! You will love having a dog.
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When Ace was a puppy, and before we had the invisible fence, we would walk every single morning between 6 – 6:30 am. We got up, I made coffee, and we headed out on our morning walk. He would do his business, I got my steps in, and I fed him immediately when we got back from our morning walk. Then in the evenings we would do pretty much the same… walk, business, and then dinner. We had this same schedule for more than year. Then we got the invisible fence installed a few months ago, and I started skipping the morning walk with just “letting him out” first thing, making coffee and then feeding him when comes back inside. This past summer with working from home, we started taking smaller walks a few times during the day… just to break up the routine. Ace is somewhat of a finicky eater…he will either gobble all his food immediately or just casually graze. Sometimes he even skips a meal, which throws me off, but I have gotten used to this and let him decide when he eats. But it’s always happening around the same time each day.
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Our morning routine with Lily really did not change much when covid hit. Lily pretty much will sleep in her bed until we get up, whether it is at 6:30am on school days, or later on weekends. Keep in mind she is 8 years old and a small, lazy dog. Shortly after her morning potty stop, she gets fed. Then we all go about our business and she typically finds another dog bed to curl up in and go back to sleep. Remember I said she’s lazy? When we get up in the morning, we cannot get ourselves ready for the day before one of us lets her outside. Her breakfast time is flexible and she’ll wait patiently, but also stare us down until we feed her. We could get ready for the day and then feed her, but it only takes a second to feed her. I don’t know if you need to stay nearby while G eats. Lily is fed breakfast and dinner. She goes outside about 3x each day (morning, afternoon, 10pm). Occasionally, there’s a 4th request. Lily only poops 1-2x a day. Definitely not every time.
Casey’s suggestion for a spot during meals is a very good idea, especially for big dogs. Lily is 11lbs and she just silently stares at the floor under the table, wishing my girls were still messy toddlers.
Thank you for sharing your journey and keep asking questions! xoxo
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Thank you so much for sharing, Amy! Everyone’s experiences are so helpful for me to get my footing. Appreciate the info and words of advice so much!
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Murray usually goes out first thing in the morning around 7:00 am. While he is out, we fill his water and get breakfast out for him. Sometimes when he comes back in, he eats this breakfast right away, sometimes he does not. We let the food sit there throughout the day for him to eat. In the evenings, gets more food. We fill up his water as it gets low throughout the day.
He usually goes out to use the bathroom around lunchtime and then again in the early evening and before bed. If for some reason we are out during the day, he uses the bathroom before we leave and then of course we let him use it when we get home.
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Thanks, Michelle! Sounds like most people have similar schedules. I don’t know G’s “tells” yet but so far, no accidents! 😁
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We trained Bowser to ring a bell to let us know when he needs to go out so we usually rely on him to let us know. In general though, dogs can hold their bladder pretty long, especially if they’re larger. Bowser is 27 pounds and he can hold his bladder for 9 hours during the day (when he’s not very active) and at least 12 hours overnight. Right now, he can usually hold it for about 6-7 hours without having to go out (even when we play with him for 10-15 mins 2x during work hours). We have noticed the more water he drinks, the more likely he’ll ask to go out after 3-4 hours. I think he can hold it in longer but since we’re home, we just let him go out. We know it’s urgent if he’s constantly ringing and starts barking. So if I had to guess how many times… it would probably be about 3-5x a day right now.
My current routine involves me getting ready in the morning, preparing my tea, and then letting him out. Half the time he’s too lazy to get out of the bed so I usually let him come down by himself to let me know when he’s ready to potty. In terms of feeding Bowser, I always prepare his water and food before I prepare my breakfast. Bowser is a little different though. Almost 85% of the time he doesn’t eat when I set his food out. Bowser eats when he’s hungry so the food is always out. He doesn’t overeat either (unless it’s treats and human food).
Pre-COVID… My routine was letting Bowser out, set his food and water out, got ready, prepared my breakfast, and let him out again before I left for work. Bowser would also do the same thing where he doesn’t eat unless he’s hungry. Even with the food out while we’re at work, he didn’t eat or drink because he was too sad about being left alone. It’s not until we returned from work that he would usually eat right away. He has major separation anxiety.
In terms of number of times to feed your dog… I think the internet and vet usually recommends 3x a day. We can only get Bowser to eat 2x a day. There are times where Bowser may only eat once a day because he wasn’t active enough (typically on rainy days or when he’s being a butt about not wanting to walk).
Our new puppy Luna… we’re trying to get her to eat 3x a day but she kind of eats about 4-5x a day right now. She was super skinny when we got her (you can clearly feel her ribs) so we’re trying to fatten her up. I guess it’s working since she gained 4 pounds during the two weeks we had her hahaha.
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