You’ve just got your puppy and you may be thinking to yourself, “now what do I do?”. In this hands-on guide, you’ll get a strong understanding of how to meet your puppy’s needs while staying sane. At the end of this guide, you can download a printable schedule that you and your family members can use to keep track of everything your puppy will need at this time.
When you first bring your puppy home, your world quickly changes – completely. It can feel daunting and overwhelming. Being able to add some semblance of structure to this will keep you sane. It will also keep your puppy happy. Your puppy will love the routine that you’re establishing for him or her
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Why Are Puppy Schedules Important?
When you first bring your puppy home, every experience will be a new experience. Just like us humans, puppies feel more comfortable when they know their daily routines. Your puppy will likely be overwhelmed when they first arrive at home. Establishing a routine will make them feel safe and comforted.
What’s even more important is sticking to the routine. This means that taking your dog potty at 6 am on weekdays and then sleeping in until 8 or 9 am on weekends is a bad idea. Your dog, of course, doesn’t know it’s the weekend. All they know is they have to pee!
It’ll confuse them and mess with their rhythm. It may seem frustrating and annoying but stick to a schedule while your puppy is growing and develops physically.
What Are My 8 Week Old Puppy’s Needs?
During weeks eight through ten, your puppy has four primary needs:
In the next four sections, you’ll take a deeper dive into each of these four needs. You’ll gain an understanding of how these needs are unique to puppies of this age and how you can support your puppy in their growth.
Potty Needs of an 8-10 Week Old Puppy
At this age, your puppy won’t have too much control of their bladder and bowels. Because of this, it’s important to be proactive to prevent any accidents. Similarly, this is about building positive habits for your puppy.
In addition, your puppy can develop and know expectations of when they’ll be taken out. If they know they’re being taken out once an hour, they may learn to know to hold on as much as they can.
You may have read the sentence above and thought to yourself, “once an hour? That’s crazy!” But remember, your puppy won’t know not to pee inside! Getting upset if and when this happens won’t solve the problem. Rather, building positive habits around potty training will.
When you take your puppy outside, bring them to the spot you’re intending for them to use. They’ll learn where you want them to go and they’ll learn to associate that spot with doing their business.
After your puppy does their business, reward them with a treat and with praise. Eventually, you may even be able to get your dog to do their business on command.
Getting through the night
Especially when you do take your puppy out in the night, make sure you don’t try and play with your puppy. You don’t want your puppy to think this is playtime.
Lastly, by week 10 your puppy may be able to make it through the night without going outside! This may look like a midnight to 6 am night, but the end of sleepless nights is in sight.
Exercise Needs of an 8-10 Week Old Puppy
Your puppy will benefit tremendously from some light exercise and interaction with you. What’s important here is to not overexercise your puppy. Your puppy is not fully developed (and may not be for a full year), so keep away from strong, strenuous exercise. If you’re unsure, always consult with a vet.
That said, your puppy will be full of energy. Finding ways to tire them out physically and mentally will make sure they can grow stronger. The added benefit of this is that it’ll tire your puppy out and keep them engaged – meaning they’ll be less likely to destroy things out of boredom.
Playtime as Exercise
The use of interactive toys is a great way to bond with your puppy, but also to begin teaching them important skills. At this point, they’ll be learning how to learn from you. While they may not yet be able to take on learning commands, they’ll learn to see you as a leader and that you’re the provider of fun.
Letting your puppy see you as a source of fun will let them enjoy being around you. Don’t simply hand them an interactive toy (like a plushy) and let them play. Not only are they more likely to immediately destroy the toy, they also lose the benefit of bonding with you.
Socializing as Exercise
Similarly, it’s important to socialize your puppy. Do this slowly – at this age, your puppy will in their fear-imprint phase, meaning that they may frighten easily and seriously. Similarly, your puppy will not yet be fully vaccinated. Because of this, don’t introduce them to too many other dogs that you don’t know. Find a balance between caution and overwhelming. As always get advice from your vet about how to socialize your puppy safely.
Socializing is a critical phase of your puppy’s development. Take this seriously and introduce them to as many people, pets, and environments as you safely can. Not socializing your puppy can lead to significant behavioural issues later on in life.
Food and Dietary Needs of an 8-10 Week Old Puppy
While this may seem like a straightforward task, there are some important things to note about the food needs of your puppy. Again, let’s focus on routine first. Your puppy will want to know that food comes, and that it comes consistently.
Consider having a feeding schedule, where your puppy can quickly learn the times when they’ll get fed. Similarly, focus on having a single feeding location. If you’re crate training your puppy, it may help build positive associations with their crate if you feed your puppy in the crate.
While adult dogs will eat twice a day, a puppy generally eats three times a day. They’re in a period of tremendous growth and have much smaller bodies.
Your puppy will be used to the food that the breeder or shelter had been giving him or her. Keep using this food, at least at first. Also make sure that you thoroughly clean and wash their bowl daily. Providing fresh water is equally important and try and change this multiple times a day.
One thing you can begin building are positive habits associated with food. While your puppy may not be able to immediately understand to wait, you can gently guide them to wait until they begin eating. Consider having them sit patiently as your place the food bowl down and give them a positive “Ok!” when they listen.
Sleep Needs of an 8-10 Week Old Puppy
When you bring your puppy home, he or she will still be a baby. Because of this, they’ll require a lot of sleep. That sleep should also be good quality – meaning it should be undisturbed by other family members, pets, or things like the noise of the TV.
That said, your puppy will need to feel safe! They likely haven’t been alone yet in their entire life! Because dogs are denning creatures, they can actually build very strong positive associations with their crates.
If you are crate training, it can even be helpful to have the crate by your bed. Consider placing the crate on a nightstand facing towards you. That way your puppy will know that you’re right there. It will be a lot less stressful. Additionally, you’ll then know when your puppy needs to go outside!
Try building their confidence slowly in how much time they spend alone (even time they spend sleeping!). Letting them know you do come back will build confidence in their ability to be alone. Of course, find a balance between not only coming back when they bark or whine. Otherwise, they may build an association that barking or whining makes you come back! That’ll be a hard habit to break.
Does Someone Always Need to be Home With An 8 Week Old Puppy?
At this age, it’s not recommended to leave your puppy alone for extended periods of time. They’ve likely never been alone in their short life and it can be quite traumatic for them. Your puppy will likely still be uncomfortable in their crate for extended periods of time. If you absolutely must go away for longer periods, consider having a friend or a dog sitter swing by a few times during the day.
Make sure whoever is coming by has a clear sense of the puppy’s routine. This includes when they last went outside, when they last ate, how long they slept through the night, etc.
Schedule of an 8-10 Week Old Puppy
Below, you’ll find a sample breakdown of how your puppy’s schedule can look! Of course, everyone’s days are structured differently, so we’ve included a printable file. You can print this file and customize it to your own wake up times. Then, you and your family members can check off when anything’s been completed.
Remember, this is just a sample! Everyone’s day is different and every puppy is different. This can just give you an idea of what your day may look like.
- 6:00 AM – After a long night’s sleep, take your puppy outside right away
- 6:30 AM – Exercise your puppy a bit to give them some mental and physical stimulation.
- 7:00 AM – Your dog will be hungry after the play session.
- 7:30 AM – Your dog will likely need to go outside shortly after eating and drinking.
- 8:30 AM – Now your puppy is ready for another nap.
- 9:00 AM – Play a little more after they’re recharged. Take your puppy back outside when they wake up to avoid any accidents.
- 10:00 AM – Your puppy will be ready for another nap.
- 11:00 AM – It’s that time again – get on outside!
- 12:00 PM – Time for another meal. Your dog will need to go outside one more time before another nap.
- 12:30 PM – Your puppy will be ready to sleep, and you’ll be ready to eat your lunch.
- 1:30 PM – Before playing, take them outside quickly. Get a bit more play time in to keep them from getting into mischief.
- 2:30 PM – Yup, it’s that time again, get on outside!
- 3:00 PM – Play a little more to keep them engaged. Even 5-10 minutes will keep them happy. Your pup will probably snooze a little more.
- 4:00 PM – Your dog may not sleep, but he or she will love a chew toy in their crate.
- 5:00 PM – Exercise your puppy so they’ll be calm when you cook dinner. Don’t forget to head back outside.
- 5:30 PM – Feed them their third meal of the day.
- 6:00 PM – Let them out before they sleep. Your puppy will likely need some well-earned rest.
- 7:00 PM – Take your puppy outside. Your puppy will likely snooze on and off.
- 8:00 PM – Take your puppy outside. Consider limiting their water at this time.
- 8:30 PM – It’s likely your last play time with your puppy. Make it a good one and tire them out (physically and mentally), so they’ll be more likely to sleep through the night.
- 10:00 PM – Get your puppy all settled into their bed.
Want to download a customizable planner you and can print off? This tracker keeps track of your puppy’s activities throughout the day. You can add the times that fit your schedule, check off when your pup has completed an activity, and add relevant notes. Download your file below!
Conclusion
In this guide, you learned about the schedule of a 9-10 week old labrador puppy. You learned about their four elementary needs:
- Sleep,
- Food and water,
- Potty breaks, and
- Exercise and socialization
You then learned how to break down your day with a sample of what your day may look like. In order to keep track of your puppy’s day, you can download a free day planner.
Disclaimer
All content on this site is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be nor can it be considered actionable professional advice. It must not be used as an alternative for seeking professional advice from a veterinarian or other certified professional.
LivingWithALab.com assumes no responsibility or liability for the use or misuse of what’s written on this site. Please consult a professional before taking any course of action with any medical, health or behavioural related issue.
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