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Bringing a new puppy home is an exciting time, and we know things can get a bit hectic. From puppy proofing your home to buying bits and pieces for them like the perfect dog bed, it's easy for both you and your pup to feel overwhelmed.
But setting out a daily routine for your new puppy can help keep things on track. While you should spend time getting to know each other at your own pace, a loose schedule can help lower stress, reduce anxiety and make training easier.
Here, we discuss what should go into a daily routine for a new puppy, how it benefits young dogs and common mistakes to avoid.
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Why do puppies need schedules?
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A schedule helps puppies learn about what to expect day-to-day. A solid routine allows them to know when it's time for bed, exercise, food and play, which, generally, calms them down and settles nerves.
A good schedule makes all training easier - if your puppy is experiencing teething issues with behaviour or potty training, a puppy routine can give them a sense of structure to get better results.
Repetition is essential for puppies to learn. They're exposed to so many different things every day, plus their memory is just kicking into gear, and a set routine exposes them to consistent, steady lessons and naturally positively reinforces them.
Benefits of a new puppy schedule
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For the puppy
Bonding and confidence
Consistency and a lack of stress can help a puppy feel secure, which can form stronger bonds.
Easier behaviour training
A predictable routine can help prevent issues like feeding problems and separation anxiety, which makes behaviour training easier.
Faster settling
Your puppy will likely settle into their new life and environment faster with a consistent schedule.
Helps with sleeping
Consistency is an important part of setting up a healthy, easy sleep schedule.
Less stress
Routines can help puppies feel more secure and less stressed.
Potentially reduces food obsession
A consistent feeding schedule can help lower food obsessions, reduces obesity and improves pet nutrition.
Smoother potty training
Potty training is much easier when you have a consistent schedule, as puppies will learn to go to the bathroom at appropriate times.
Socialisation benefits
Scheduled socialisation time can help improve how well your puppy faces social situations.
For you
Better communication
Schedules improve expectations and communication between pets and their owners.
Fewer accidents
Consistency with house training reduces the chances of accidents happening, which means less clean-up for you!
Less training stress
Training is much smoother when scheduled, reducing any frustration or tension.
More time for other training
Once your puppy is well-trained, you have more time for the fun stuff, like tricks.
Understanding your puppy’s needs
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Puppies have a few key schedule needs, namely:
Feeding schedule
Puppies need a consistent feeding schedule that changes with age. While a nine-week-old puppy schedule will look similar to a 10-week-old puppy schedule, changes do happen.
Our puppy feeding guide covers more.
Sleep pattern
Puppies struggle to sleep at night, so a new puppy bedtime routine is essential. You should focus on making sure they're exercised, fed and mentally stimulated sufficiently every day.
House training
House training needs to be consistent and ideally at the same time every day. Our house training guide can give you step-by-step tips.
Playtime and mental stimulation
Mental stimulation and play are very important for dogs - it helps them to learn, relieve stress and develop. Our enrichment guide can give you some ideas.
Feeding and hydration schedule
Broadly, a puppy's feeding schedule is:
8–12 weeks: Three to four times a day.
12 weeks to 6 months: Around three to four times a day.
6 months onwards: Reduce feeding to twice daily.
But do note this varies widely depending on your dog's breed and size, so speak to your vet first. Read our puppy feeding guide for more details.
House training tips
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Like any other potty training, you need consistency, patience and positive reinforcement to be successful.
Signs that a puppy needs to go are:
Circling
Moving to a previous soiled spot
Pacing
Restlessness
Scratching or waiting at the door
Sniffing the ground in circles
Squatting
Suddenly stopping play
Vocalisation (barking and whining)
You first need to know how frequently a puppy needs to go to the bathroom during potty training:
| Age | How often they'll need to go when awake |
|---|---|
| 8-10 weeks | Every 30 to 60 minutes |
| 10-12 weeks | Every hour or two |
| Three-four months | Every three to four hours |
| Four-six months | Every four to six hours |
Secondly, you need to be aware of triggers like:
Waking up from sleep or a nap
A few minutes after eating and drinking
Play
Before bed
Before being left alone
Our house training guide can give you more detailed, step-by-step advice.
New puppy bedtime routine tips
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You need to focus on establishing a good routine and making your puppy's sleeping space comfortable when training your puppy to sleep.
You should focus on feeding your puppy around three hours before bed to stop them waking up and make sure your dog is well-exercised and stimulated.
Socialisation and training routine
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For socialisation training, we recommend:
Gradually introducing new environments, people and pets
Keep training sessions short, and thread in basic command training at the same time
Use positive reinforcement principles
Our puppy socialisation guide covers more.
Adjusting the routine as your puppy grows
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As your puppy grows, they'll naturally need fewer naps and feedings, and are better suited for longer walks and more intense exercise. You may need to make small changes to your puppy's schedule based on their evolving needs.
Here's some of the changes you can expect:
Puppy age-specific needs cheat sheet
Early days (0-8 weeks)
Focus: Nurturing, socialisation and learning.
Feeding: Milk from the mother. Seek professional guidance if you're feeding a puppy this young yourself.
Sleep: 16-18 hours a day.
Socialisation: Littermate exposure.
(8-10 weeks)
Focus: Crate, potty and obedience training.
Potty training: Frequent training with bathroom time aroundevery 30-60 minutes during waking hours.
Feeding: Roughly four times a day.
Socialisation: Body handling and sensitivity training.
(10-12 weeks)
Focus: More technical training (like lead and harness training) and socialisation.
Potty training: Frequency reduced to every two hours when waking.
Feeding: Reduce feeding to about three times a day.
Socialisation: Bite inhibition, impulse control.
(Over 12 weeks)
Focus: Obedience training and reinforcing existing training.
Potty training: Establish a consistent schedule, roughly every three to four hours.
Feeding: Around three times a day.
Socialisation: Reinforce socialisation, but do so gradually.
(6-8 months)
Focus: Working through any behavioural challenges.
Potty training: Reinforce your existing schedule.
Feeding: Twice daily.
Socialisation: Expose your puppy to new things and make sure they're mentally enriched.
Sample puppy daily schedule
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If you're struggling to get a new puppy routine together, you can use this as a start:
Morning (Wake-up, potty, feeding, short playtime)
Midday (Training, socialisation, nap time, potty break)
Afternoon (More play, short walk, second feeding, another potty break)
Evening (Calm activities, final potty trip, bedtime routine)
Common mistakes to avoid when making a puppy schedule
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Avoiding regular check-ups
Forgetting about dental care and grooming
Ignoring socialisation
Impatience
Inconsistency
Negative reinforcement (always use positive reinforcement training)
Not allowing for rest
Not giving them enough attention (or not scheduling in enrichment and play time)
Overfeeding or underfeeding
Skipping potty breaks
What to do if your puppy is struggling to adapt
Assuming you've made every effort to make your home as welcoming as possible, given your puppy lots of time to settle and used positive reinforcement training and your puppy is still struggling, it may be time to get further help.
Speak to your vet or a registered dog behaviourist as soon as your notice consistent issues, as a puppy not settling can indicate numerous health problems, from anxiety to physical illness.
Of course, good puppy insurance can help cover vet fee costs, and our Complete Care has vet-referred behavioural treatment cover up to your vet fee limit to treat a condition.
Plus, with us, you'll get 24/7 video vet access and a host of ManyPets Perks, giving you more than just insurance.
Generally, by putting a plan in place, practising patience and staying consistent, your puppy should fit into their new life smoothly.
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