The Importance of Routine for Your Puppy

Written by Anna Hollisey

UpdatedAug 1, 2024

From 8 weeks to 18 months – discover the importance of routine for your puppy, and how to establish it.

Do Dogs Need Routine?

Dogs love routine. And they’re not just being stubborn – their routine is way more important than you might think.

Why? Basically, feeding and sleeping routines support a healthy circadian rhythm. This is a dog’s internal biological ‘clock’/learn/dog-lifestyle/do-dogs-understand-daylight-saving-time.

Dogs can’t tell the time, so they rely on cues like sunlight, temperature, and human habits to know when it’s time to sleep, wake, or eat.

Circadian rhythm also triggers metabolic and hormonal changes in their bodies, which we can’t see, but which help to keep our dogs healthy – for instance, preparing them for a good snooze, or activating their digestive system after supper.

As a result, disruption to routine can cause problems with your dog’s digestive, mental, and physiological processes.

Your Puppy’s First Routine (8 weeks)

When you bring home a new puppy/learn/dog-diaries/traveling-with-a-puppy, you’ll have a lot of decisions to make. Where will they sleep? Do you need to put up any fences, safety gates, or doors? How will their routine fit in with yours?

At 8 weeks, your puppy will have a distinct lack of routine. You can help them to shape it, but don’t expect it to be instant. Puppies sleep a lot in their first few months, and not just at night – they will play and sleep, on repeat, all day long. They’re not ready for long walks yet and will benefit from lots of short play-times during the day. This will change – just not yet.

Start contemplating the long-term routine you want, and then begin to introduce it to your pup.

Housetraining Routine

Many dog owners report that their adult dogs don’t just eat and sleep at the same time every day – they pee and poop at the same times, too! This predictability can be very useful. But it won’t happen yet. While your pup is young, take them out for toilet breaks every 2-4 hours, and give them praise when they squat. They’ll almost inevitably have accidents in the house, never shout at them because you’ll make them associate going to the toilet with negativity which can cause bigger problems down the road.

Begin a Feeding Routine

The easiest way to feed your puppy at the same time each day is to tie it in with your habits. For example, you might give them breakfast when you make your first coffee, and lunch when you make yours. It’s important to establish a solid feeding routine so that your puppy has energy throughout the day. Until they’re 12 months old, puppies (with small stomachs) benefit from eating 3 smaller meals – you can reduce it to 2 when they’re around 18-24 months old.

Introduce a Bedtime Routine

The next routine you’ll introduce is bedtime. When night falls, dogs naturally become sleepy and you will reinforce that.

Take your puppy out into the yard to empty their bladder, then take them to their bed (introducing a quiet word like ‘bedtime’, if you like).
Position their bed in a quiet, cozy place where your pup won’t be disturbed.
Stay calm, even if your puppy becomes excited, while you exit. (Your pup’s bladder hasn’t learned the routine yet – so leave plenty of absorbent paper or puppy mats around the doors.)
It’s normal for young puppies to cry a little at first, but coming back to the room will encourage them to keep doing it – try to resist returning. (It’s not easy.) You will be rewarded when your puppy starts to sleep at night, happily greeting you in the morning!
In the morning, take your puppy out into the yard again before giving them breakfast.

Building a Routine for Your Puppy (12+ weeks)

From 12 weeks onwards, your puppy will begin to settle into a permanent routine. They’ll still be very busy during the day and will benefit from plenty of short playtimes.

Your Puppy’s Walking Routine

Your puppy will be able to walk outdoors 1 or 2 weeks after completing their course of vaccinations. But you won’t be able to take them on your favorite hike yet. It’s important to establish their exercise routine gradually. Too much exercise while their bodies are still developing can contribute to joint problems later on in life. If you have a larger breed dog or one that’s more susceptible/learn/dog-health/which-dog-breeds-are-most-prone-to-joint-problems to conditions like hip and elbow dysplasia/learn/dog-health/what-is-hip-and-elbow-dysplasia-in-dogs, it’s even more important you don’t overdo it when they’re a puppy/learn/dog-lifestyle/preventing-future-bone-and-joint-problems-in-your-puppy.

Keep leash walks short, and let your puppy pick the pace. They’ll want to sniff everything. Vary the location for your walks so that your pup becomes acclimatized to roads, hills, long grass, crowds, food stalls, kids and other dogs. Exposing them to all this stuff is known as socialization/learn/education/key-steps-to-make-a-happier-healthier-dog/home-how-to-socialize-dogs. It will help them to become a cool, confident adult dog.

There’s probably a certain time of day when you’ll usually walk your puppy. Try to introduce and stick to it (roughly). It won’t be long before your pup expects a walk at that time!
Introducing a harness, coat, or collar is best done while your puppy is young.
You may find that your puppy becomes restless or playful in the evening; consider introducing an evening walk or an indoor play session, and encourage your puppy to settle afterwards.

Introducing New Things to the Routine

While they are still young, it’s a good time to introduce little habits which will improve their health and wellbeing. For example:

Gently towel-dry their ears and paws/learn/dog-health/ears-eyes-mouth-and-nose-is-my-dog-healthy after a wet walk
Rub puppy toothpaste over their teeth/learn/dog-health/how-to-keep-your-dogs-teeth-and-gums-healthy before giving them their favorite chew toy
Brush their ears, chest and tummy after a walk in long grass/learn/dog-health/what-are-foxtails-and-how-do-i-protect-my-dog-from
Practice leaving them at home/learn/dog-training/separation-anxiety-training-advice-for-dogs for short periods (just minutes in the first few instances).

What to Expect From Your Older Puppy

Puppies can be busy and unpredictable. In their first few months, you might wonder if they’ll ever fit in with your regular routine.

Don’t despair. By the time they’re 18 months, most puppies (and their humans) adapt to their shared routine. This means they’re more likely to sleep well during the night, conserve their energy for their designated walk or exercise time, and settle down with you in the evenings.

“Our pup comes from a very active breed and we wondered if we’d taken on too much/learn/dog-diaries/the-puppy-diaries-3-our-first-month-with-louie-the. But at 19 months, he has adapted to our home life well. He gets two high-energy walks – first thing in the morning, and then a longer walk at lunchtime. Between those, he settles well, apart from a bit of a wild hour at about 5pm!”