Puppy on a Schedule?
 

Hey Guys,

I found this online and I was wondering what you guys think of it! You think it will work? Is it a good idea to put feeding on a schedule? Should the feeding be free? I would love to hear your experiences and ideas! :D

? 6:00 AM puppy wakes. Take him outdoors immediately. Wait for him to eliminate and praise.
? 6:15 AM indoor, 100% supervised play time and access to water.
? 6:45 AM put puppy back in crate with his breakfast meal.
? 7:00 AM take puppy outdoors (remove food). Wait for him to eliminate and praise.
? 7:20 AM put puppy back in crate, leave for work.
? 12:00 PM take puppy outdoors. Wait for him to eliminate and praise.
? 12:15 indoor, 100% supervised play time and access to water.
? 12:30 PM pup puppy in crate with lunch meal.
? 12:45 PM take puppy outdoors (remove food). Wait for him to eliminate and praise.
? 1:00 PM put puppy back in crate, back to work.
? 5:30 PM take puppy outdoors. Wait for him to eliminate and praise.
? 5:45 PM play with puppy outdoors.
? 6:00 PM indoor, 100% supervised play time and access to water.
? 6:30 PM, put puppy in crate and tend to your required evening tasks.
? 7:30 PM, take puppy outdoors. Wait for him to eliminate and praise.
? 7:45 PM, indoor 100% supervised play time. Access to water.
? 8:30 PM, in crate with evening meal.
? 9:00 PM, take puppy outdoors (remove food). Wait for him to eliminate and praise.
? 9:15 PM, indoor 100% supervised play time.
? 10:00 PM, last trip outdoors.
? 10:15 PM put puppy in crate for the evening.

I have to say that was pretty much what our schedule was when
Buddy was a pup. I still stick to a schedule. He knows it so well
he comes and gets me in the evening for his 8:00p.m. snack:D
I never have free fed any dog I owned. I have always used a
schedule for 2x per day. This way I actually know how much he
is eating. I'm a schedule kid of person anyhow. Drives family and
friends nuts:p

Nope, I don't believe in a schedule. I have a little girl and felt that being able to eat when she wanted to was very important. When she needed to go out, I took her, she slept with me(still does). She's now completely housebroken and never had any health problems. She was first in her obedience class.

I must say I never had a schedule with my kids either. They're both on the honor roll and have been pretty darn healthy. I think doing what feels right to you is much more important than following anything 'by the book' because pets(and babies) don't read those books.

I must say that I did keep my little Mango on a strict schedule regarding feeding and potty breaks, although not quite as rigid as the one above. Now, after having her home for just 6 weeks, I would say she is 90% toilet trained:) She will only have an accident (maybe) if she is upstairs and has no access to her doggy door. By the way, the flap of the door I had to tape up because she is too little to lift it herself - she is now 2.2 lbs at 4 months, so hopefully she will soon be "heavy" enough to open it herself.

The schedule would be great if I happened to be at home or working from home .. Pepper is free fed and pees on the pad - it took longer to have him potty there than if I was there throughout the day to tend to it. If you are able to stick to schedule, that's great