What is your 5-6 month old puppies schedule like?

[Karen C]

Please share an example schedule for your 5-6 month old puppies. How long do they go at night without pottying or what time is their last night time potty and first morning potty? During the day how often are you taking them out now? And how long to you leave them to roam free (at your side and watched of course) without either crating them or confined to a ex-pen or small room with a gate? Just curious to get others ideas and schedules. I am always encouraged by others suggestions and thoughts. We seem to be on a great schedule right now but I'm always wondering if I am taking him out too often and if he could go a bit longer. Thanks for your input!

[Cynthia Shoe]

Hi Karen, 

We have a fenced in backyard that has been covered in snow for the past 2 months, so most of the hazards I was concerned about (Lambeau LOVES digging up the rocks to destroy the weed fabric), I don't need to think about right now, so during the day and evening, I let him tell me when he needs to go out. We have not left him for more than 3-3.5 hours alone during the day, so that is the most time he has not had access to the yard to go potty. 

Lambeau's schedule at 6 months looks something like this Monday thru Friday:

6:30 am - Mommy wakes up Beau for potty. He usually sniffs around, potty's and falls back asleep on the couch. 

7:15/7:30 - Beau has breakfast & goes outside for a poopy. 

7:40 - Beau goes on a walk (on the days he stays home, or gets ready for day care)

8-5 - Beau is either at daycare or home with daddy or playing with the neighbor and is in and out all day. 

12:00 ish - Beau eats lunch

5:30 - Beau gets his evening walk (on non-day care days)

6:00 - Beau eats dinner 

7:30/8:00 Beau falls asleep on couch on on puppy bed

10:00 pm - we wake Beau up for his final potty, put him in is crate, and he sleeps through the night most nights. He just started making it through the night around Christmas. 

I do leave him unattended when I go to the bathroom, or when I go change for work, or put on my comfy's when I get home. Or small things like take out the trash. When he is dead asleep, I might leave him for longer, to go clean something upstairs for example, but I am usually listening for any movement and checking on him every 5 min. The other day, I was visiting my family and they do not have a puppy proofed house and I asked 5 people to watch him while I went to the bathroom. They took their eyes off him for 30 seconds and he chewed through my sister's C Pap, so while I trust him (in short bursts) at home, he is still not to be trusted! 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Winnie was fully potty trained by 4-5 months, so we pretty much just let her notify us when she needed to go out- which was about every 4 hours during the day. Her last potty of the night was typically around 9 or 10 and she had no trouble holding it until 6am. We have always taken her doggy daycare 2-3 days a week. So, she is typically only home by herself a full day 1-2 days a week, and is always let out over the noon hour on those days. Since she wasn't destructive, by 6 months we were gradually able to transition her to have full run of the house while we were gone.