Our Daily Routine
One of the first things people want to know, once we’ve set a meet and greet, is what a day will look like for their dog when they come to stay with my family. I’ve gone over ‘a day in the life’ many times in person and over the phone and now I have decided to add an example to our site.
This is also a great template if you are thinking of adding a new furry member to your family. You can adjust the timing to fit into your existing schedule. Just remember with dogs and training, consistency is key and helps keep everyone happy and healthy. Times can be adjusted depending on other commitments, weather, dog’s age and ability.
8 am – Wake up, breakfast and out to pee
9 am – Morning walk
10 am – Outdoor playtime
1 pm – Nap
3 pm – Afternoon walk
5 pm – Dinner and indoor playtime
8 pm – Cuddles on the sofa
10 pm – Bedtime
Wake up, breakfast and out to pee
Dogs bring their own food with them when they come to stay. The directions should be written on the bag/can or on a separate piece of paper. This is helpful because everyone has different food and eats different amounts at their meals. If dogs are allowed certain human foods such as veggies, chicken, eggs, etc. we are happy to provide that part.
Morning walk
Our walks are almost always with other dogs that are staying with us or need a walk as well. Walks are a fun way to socialize your dog with other friendly dogs in a safe environment so consider meeting a friend with their pooch next time. We don’t use dog parks due to not knowing the other dogs there but if no one is around or you know the neighbourhood dogs there, that’s also a great way to get some exercise and socialization. If no one is there it’s an excellent place to practice ‘here’ and ‘come’ commands.
Outdoor playtime
Depending on weather or what your day looks like this could be indoor playtime but I like to give the dogs time to do both as they like to explore many areas throughout the day. We are lucky enough to have a fenced in yard so we can play in the snow, with the sprinkler, catch, etc.
Lunch
Some dogs (usually puppies) have a third meal and we would have that around 12noon.
Nap
My boys are still in the napping phase so we have nap time for everyone! Usually we are all exhausted by this time and we all curl up together and get our snuggles in before the energy bunnies wake up and we are at it again.
Afternoon walk
Usually we will switch up our PM walk – if we walked around our neighbourhood in the AM then we will hit a trail in the afternoon.
Dinner and indoor playtime
Indoor playtime could be a Kong, zoomies, playing fetch inside, enjoying the toy basket. I like to pull out whatever it is to offer it to them so they know we are having playtime, an invitation to play!
Cuddles on the sofa
The littles have gone to bed and it is time to relax again, usually the dogs are settled long before this but we enjoy this time together reading or watching a movie before bed.
Bedtime
Everyone outside for a last pee and then off to bed. Bed looks different for the dogs just like mealtime. If they sleep in a crate on the main floor at home then they are able to do that with us. If they are used to curling up in the master with Mom and Dad then thats what happens here!
Some notes on our schedule:
Obviously, not everyone is home all day with their dogs and each dog’s activity level is different. A senior dog would not be going out for an hour walk but just a short trip around the block whereas large breed, active puppy may need multiple playtime invitations throughout the day. We change things up – It may be a heatwave and walks turn into swims! Whatever it is, we are happy to keep your pups happy and that comes with you knowing what a day in the life looks like when they come here.