Tell me about your daily schedule please!

[Mikalela]

So as some of you might already know, I'm experiencing some difficulties in convincing my sweet girl that it's time to go out either for toilet or for a walk. I read that consistency it's very important, especially at the beginning (it's been 2 months today!!), so I'm trying to stick to a schedule - failing mostly eheh!

This is how ours looks like:

-We get up at 8:00, go for a 20/30 minutes walk then breakfast

-We try again to go out for quick toilet break between 13:00 and 14:00, sometimes she's up for it but often she's not

-We try again to go out for toilet and longer walk at 17:00, and this time I really really really insist if she skipped the lunch break. If I don't, it's pee on the floor lol

-Dinner at 18:00

-We go out again at 23:00 for the last quick toilet break before bed.

What do you think? Too much? Too little? Should I shuffle stuff around? Like meal first then out? The thing is, she goes straight to bed after a meal so I don't know if she would be happy with that. I realise that each grey and each situation are different, but I'd love to hear your opinions!

Thank you all for your help!

 

[Feefee147]

Samson's Day:

* Wake around 9am and clamber onto our bed (not a big fan of cuddles but has worked out that if he sprawls his 37kg out lengthways across our legs when he wakes up we will too)

* 9.30am - Breakfast, toilet (we have a small garden) and then back to bed. He's not a morning dog, likes to eat and then sleep for a few more hours. He'll generally sprawl out near wherever I am working and snooze 

* 12ish - Big stretches, wander around checking where the pack are located, waggly tailed greetings and then performs Operation Food Reconnaissance to see if anything is lying around that was previously missed or has magically appeared overnight

* 12.15  - Walk with just me. He's less confident than when the whole 'pack' (ie partner too) take him. I (rightly or wrongly) let him dictate the pace, direction and interaction with other dogs/humans but it's usually about 20 minutes of sniffing, timid hellos, toilet and then he heads for home

* 12.45 to 6pm - sleep interspersed with random 15 minute play/training/stroking periods - I'll sit next to him and stroke. If he paws for more I'll continue until he's had enough, but he's not a cuddly fan of overzealous touching, throw a squeaky ball around to fetch, play "find it", give him treat toys..etc. He'll snooze nearby around these periods whilst I work

* 6pm - another walk with just me. Same as above

* 6.25 - Stare at me, put his head in my face, tail waggle and try to herd me to the kitchen - how do they know it's dinner time?!

* 6.30 - dinner time and then out to the toilet

* 6.40 - stare at me for food tray (we give him a tray of wet food each day plus biscuits, and leave a little bit of wet food in the plastic tray as a lick treat for after he's eaten)

* 6.45 - bark at me intensely with tail waggling and lead me to the kitchen for tray. Lick that and then chill out for a bit

* 7.30 - partner and I eat, he has a snuffle mat with held back food biscuits 

* 7.30 to 10pm - more chilling on the sofa interspersed with stroking (he doesn't come to us, we go to him!)

* 10pm (ish) - Get up, stretch, get increasingly hyper and bark excitedly for a walk

* 10.15pm (ish) - walk with partner and I, varied route and length which we dictate whilst he cheerily prowls for foxes and cats

* 11pm to midnight - snoozes in the lounge until we have "bedtime toilet". He goes in the garden and then into the bedroom onto his bed and sleeps until 9am.

Rinse and repeat...

We also head to an enclosed area to chase a ball several times a week for a good run around which he loves!

[1Moregrey]

I have had Journey since the end of August and she had a reaction to the stitches for her spay and also has hookworms.  So her schedule is limited. 

Gets up with the sun anytime between 5:30-7:00 turn out then back into the crate or onto dog bed her choice.

9:00 turn out if needed and breakfast 

1:00-2:00 walk 

5:00-6:00 dinner after dinner she gets put on a long line attached to me she is getting used to the cat and will go into the crate if the cat is active.

9:00 turn out then bedtime.  If she had her way bedtime comes when the cat comes around after dinner

with training time mixed in depending on weather and what we are working on.  Nails after a walk, recall before meals etc.

Tips ideas to try:  attach a leash to her and you and have her follow you around the house for a while each day to get comfortable being out of the crate.

I have found that as long as the same thing happens for the most part they are not that picky about timing.  Potty first thing, food water, being with you, walks training and love.  If given everyday timing is only important for potty breaks and they will let you know when they need out or adjust to your schedule.  

Past dogs have all done well when life happens and days are spent at the hospital taking care of family as an example they got four times a day not always same time or by someone the knew, and fed at random time to.  So be nice to yourself they are very forgiving just make sure to get the basics in potty, food, water everyday and relax on timing.  A schedule is nice but if it does not hit exactly no harm no foul maybe some floor clean up.  The adjust for next time.

Soon you will fall into a good pattern!

 

[DocsDoctor]

Tiger's day:

7.15 a.m. alarm clock goes off. Tiger like his two predecessors sleeps in the back bedroom, I in the front one. Doc and then Ken liked to come running in to greet me when the alarm sounded, then come downstairs with me wanting a loo break in the garden. Tiger prefers to stay put until:

7.50 or so, morning walk time!  30-60 minutes depending on what else we have on. He will hang on and save his peeing and pooing for the park.

On return: quick daily grooming session, with a slicker and then a silk scarf. Brush teeth. Breakfast. He is a greedy chap who really loves his food.

I work from home mainly but he might get left if I need to go to the shops, or whatever. Will rest happily anyway until:

11.30 or so, lunchtime walk. Again usually 30-60 minutes depending on what else is happening. Like Feefee above we have one smallish fully-enclosed park down the road where he can be let off for a good run around once a week or so, otherwise it is lead walks. He was a bit of a worrier about other dogs when he first came to me, but is much braver now and really enjoys his walks. He also really enjoys it when we walk with friends - loves meeting people, and is happy to travel further afield on public transport.

Afternoon: more napping.

18.00 dinner time!  If he had his way it would be 16.00 or so - from then on the excitement will be mounting, with lots of teeth chattering/ squirming around on his back to try and attract my attention, plus occasional mad zooming with a toy.

After dinner: quick loo break in garden. Perhaps a little more playful zooming, followed for sure by more napping, either in the living room or in his bed upstairs. He is free to choose and varies between the two.

22.45 or so, pre-bed loo break. "Must I mum? I really don't need to!" But a rattle of the treat tin gets him outside, and then after he's been outside he'll get a goodnight treat upstairs in bed.

Just occasionally, I'll hear him set off downstairs in the night in silence. I used to think he was wanting a loo break because when I followed him I would find him standing by the back door. But he never actually seemed to need one, so I conclude he hears foxes or cats in the garden....

[Remolacha]

Other than mealtime and morning walk we don’t have much of a routine because I am home most of the time and she has a dog door into a fenced yard, so she can come and go as she pleases. Many greys don’t need or want a mid day walk. When I was working and before the dog door I tried coming home at lunch to let them out, and they would be annoyed with me for interrupting their nap 

[Hubcitypam]

I'm guessing you can't put in a dog door which is on my list of top ten inventions ever.  I'm with Jan on that count.

Pre dog door and when I'd foster up to 6 at a time they'd go oit in the yard we'd go out morning mid day and before bed.  The all knew "go potty" and last call was "go potty .go to bed". When I lived in an apartment inn Chicago and worked 10 hour days I paid a neighbor teen $3 a day to walk Axel mid shift.  Three times a day should be good.

[HeyRunDog]

I think female greyhounds don't pee as often as male greyhounds.

Grace's basic day even at the weekend. Visits to friends (when allowed), my mother and trips out are in addition but I try to feed and give her a toilet opportunity at the same time whatever I'm doing.

7:00 - 20 minute walk including poos and pees

8:00 - Breakfast

8:10 - Sleep with the occasional change of position

12:00 - Dental chew and the opportunity to go for a pee if required. If I'm at work she is happy to wait until I get home at about 15:30

12:15 - See 8:10

17:15 - Dinner and sometimes she goes out for a pee if she didn't go at lunch time

19:00 - Evening walk if she wants to depending on the weather and how tender her foot is from her corns

She doesn't go out again until the following day.

[Kathy02]

Zula's schedule (it's on the early side due to work schedules; we stick to it even on weekends for consistency):

6:00am Wake up/breakfast, then snoozing

7:00am Potty/morning walk (30 min)

7:30am Snooze until we (the humans) have to go to work

8:30am Kong, then snoozing in various positions throughout the day

3:30pm Playtime/potty/afternoon walk (45 min)

4:30pm Snoozing until dinner

6:00pm Dinner, then snoozing

7:00pm Teeth-brushing and dental chew, then snoozing again

9:30pm Last out; usually just a pee

 

 

[Mikalela]

Awww I'm loving this thread, thank you all for the nice replies and keep them coming please!

Lots of good tips and nice ideas and activities to try (dog door! I've only ever seen a cat door!), thank you so much. I hope we'll find our own pattern soon, but it's good to have at least an idea. And you're right guys, I should be more relaxed about this because as 1Moregrey said, if everything fails it's just some floor clean up, not really a big deal!

[Remolacha]

I just wanted add, this morning it was cold so *I* refused to go for our walk until it warmed up a bit  I knew she could go out into the yard if she needed to pee. She didn’t, so it was from around 5 yesterday afternoon until around 8 this morning between pees 

I’m used long times between outs, especially overnight, but this was, I think, a new record for my dogs!

[Legendaryfrank]

9 hours ago, Remolacha said:

I just wanted add, this morning it was cold so *I* refused to go for our walk until it warmed up a bit  I knew she could go out into the yard if she needed to pee. She didn’t, so it was from around 5 yesterday afternoon until around 8 this morning between pees 

I’m used long times between outs, especially overnight, but this was, I think, a new record for my dogs!

This gives me some peace of mind whenever I worry about the 8-9 hour mark

[Mikalela]

Oh wow,

18 hours ago, Remolacha said:

I just wanted add, this morning it was cold so *I* refused to go for our walk until it warmed up a bit  I knew she could go out into the yard if she needed to pee. She didn’t, so it was from around 5 yesterday afternoon until around 8 this morning between pees 

I’m used long times between outs, especially overnight, but this was, I think, a new record for my dogs!

Oh wow that is really a record!! 

Me too @Legendaryfrank, I'm always worried when the 8th hour mark approaches and I start to insist that now it's really really really the time to go