How important is a schedule for your dog?

[Jango]

Well from this past weeks experience, VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!! This past week has just been a mess. School is almost over and have been staying up way too late trying to get other things done as well. So what happened? Have been missing Jango's morning pottie break, (No biggie he can hold it now but sure does the pee pee dance when I come get him) and woke up and fed him an hour or so later than normal. So instead of waiting to eat he had to find something to do. He decided to destroy TWO pet beds this weekend. My fault for sleeping late. The look he has on his face is priceless though. It's one of those "It's about time you woke up, look at what I did. Are you proud?" He is such a doofuss butt. Lesson learned. Keep a schedlule. Off to Petsmart again.

[Patty1231]

Mine are on the same basic schedule but about 2 hours later on the weekends than during the week. I normally get up at 5 and feed them at 5:30 during the week. On weekends, Rocco stands at the bottom of the steps (baby-gated) and starts to "pfutt" anywhere between 6:15 and 7:00 (usually no later than 7:00). I get up at that point and let them out to pee (being a man, Rocco usually needs to poo-poo, too ) and then they get fed when they're done. Mine are both creatures of habit.

[LavenderRott]

I don't have puppies or young dogs, so I make sure to shake things up for my girls. The reason for this is, my brother has a cat who gets fed at 5:00. Not 4:45 or 5:15, but 5:00. Any deviation from this schedule causes stomach upset. Of course this means that any family gatherings or anything else for that matter, must be scheduled around the cat.

[Karlan]

Originally Posted by LavenderRott

I don't have puppies or young dogs, so I make sure to shake things up for my girls. The reason for this is, my brother has a cat who gets fed at 5:00. Not 4:45 or 5:15, but 5:00. Any deviation from this schedule causes stomach upset. Of course this means that any family gatherings or anything else for that matter, must be scheduled around the cat.

I am sorry but I found this funny. I would imagine there is a touch of bitterness from the family due to the scheduled feeding! (ther would be in my family!)

[Canadianrotti]

I hear what you are saying about a schedule, it is very important to our pups as well. They are so use to the morning routine that it continues on the weekend even (which sucks because our pup gets up at 5:45 !). If there is any deveation from the routine, there better be some good rewards, like going for a long walk in the woods, or a day outside with the other dogs in the back yard.
I guess that it would be good advice to anyone getting a pup, that you should start them off on the schedule you want to get them into for the long haul.

[Brooke&Ryan]

No real schedule in this house.

I don't want Julius freaking out for food at 6:00 every night. Sometimes he eats at 5 & sometimes he doesn't eat until 9 or 10 (on training class nights). He gets two to three walks per day & those aren't at a specific time either.

Jules is a pretty laid back guy though. He's happy when he's eating & when he's out taking walks. He doesn't really care when he does those things, though.

[spoteet]

We have a very flexible schedule. During the week, Sajan gets fed between 6:30-7:00. On weekends, he'll let me sleep until 8:00(nice of him). I'm normally up at 7:00 anyways. Supper is at 6:00 if we are home, if not it's whenever we get home unless it's too late and then he goes without, no biggy for him, he wouldn't eat it if I put it out. Sajan doesn't freak out if the food is late, about the only thing that gets him is when I try to sleep in and he has to peepee, then it's whine whine whine.

[Patty1231]

Originally Posted by spoteet

Sajan doesn't freak out if the food is late, about the only thing that gets him is when I try to sleep in and he has to peepee, then it's whine whine whine.

This is what gets Rocco to "pfutt" in the morning. He could care less about breakfast - he wants to go out and peepee, poopoo.

[Rott'nKids]

Our two are on a schedule for the most part, but variance does not bother them too much. I always say the same phrases when I am leaving, different phrases for longer lengths of time and if I tell Carl "I'll be right back" and end up gone for more than a few hours, when I finally get home, Carl is a little upset and won't look at me. He will sit in his corner and if not already facing the corner, will turn his face as far away from me as possible, but he is easily wiled back into being a happy dog.

[Luvs]

Our schedule is pretty flexible around here. I don't want the dogs or horses to think that they HAVE to eat at a certain time. When I was younger I had a friend whose horse would colic if she was not fed on time. Since then I have always kept my animals on a VERY flexible schedule. Since horses are supposed to be kept on a feeding schedule close to 12 hours apart, I keep mine close to that but I do feed them anywhere from 10-14 hours apart.



During my work week we do stick pretty close to a normal schedule but that is always subject to change

[Jaegergirl]

no schedule in this house.. not for the dog or for my kids. we get up, eat, and go to bed at all different times. i tried feeding maverick on a schedule at first but we didn't keep up with it and he didn't seem to mind.

[TrishB]

When Parker was a pup, I kept things on a pretty tight schedule. I wanted it to be easy for him to house train and not to 'test him' by leaving him for too long. I didn't think it was fair to set him up for possible failure.

Now he's 22 months old and can wait things out. Our schedule is looser, but follows the same pattern. The pattern being the constant, rather than the time.

Wake up
Walk
Feed
Work
Home
Walk
Feed
Walk
Walk
Feed
Walk
Go to bed

If I'm up late, Parker is always my very last thought before I go to bed. Regardless of what time I'm going to bed, he gets a walk. So if I go out and I don't get home until 3am? Parker gets a walk at 3am. That way he still sleeps a full 8 hours from whenever we got to bed.

P.S. I too knew of stables where the horses were always on a schedule. It got so bad that some would colic if the timing was off. Others would kick the stalls and cap their hocks and their knees would swell up.

Waiting an hour or two won't kill them. As long as they know that food is going to come to them, fretting about it is silly.

[Laura]

I have a flexible schedule. The only schedule I have for her is during the week in the mornings when I get ready for work. On weekends I like to sleep late if nothing is going on. Chance seems to know when it is the weekend, she doesn't bother me. Of course my son lets her out whenever he strolls in at night on weekends

[Squeaky2004]

Since Squeak is learning our schedule has been a little more flexible. She is able to hold her washroom trips during the night so no more waking up at 2 am to take her out! We do kinda stick to some sort of schedule during the day for pottie breaks, feedings, play etc......

[poohbearsmom]

Very important for puppies. This assists in toilet training, and setting boundaries to a certain extent.

As adults... not so important. They live around my schedule.