Puppies and adolescent dogs explore new behaviors as they explore the world. As their caregivers and guides, it’s important to set young dogs up to repeat behaviors that make them excellent companions. The best way to do this is through structure, management, and supervision.

Structure

Your puppy should have a reliable routine every day. Every puppy has different needs, and their needs will shift as they continue to grow and mature. Consider keeping a log of their behavior to understand what works best for them. Most puppies’ days should be a rotation of meals, potty breaks, nap times, and enrichment activities that looks something like this:

Daily Schedule (repeat 3 to 4 times)

• natural wake-up
• potty break
• meal in an enrichment toy/puzzle/mat
• potty break
• 30-60 minutes of enrichment activities (play, socialization, exercise, and/or training)
• potty break
• nap time with a stuffed Kong (30 minutes - 2 hours)

Here's a little bit more about how each of these topics is important when it comes to full-puppy health.

Meals
In an ideal world, your puppy will not eat out of a bowl very often. Canids are genetically wired to spend significant parts of their days freeing food from its confines, and your puppy is no different! Licking, gnawing, and snuffling are all essential activities of daily living for dogs. Your puppy will also love using their brain to get food through training. Measure out your puppy’s food and treats at the beginning of every day, put some of the mixture in puzzle feeders like Kongs, Busy Buddys, Toppls, Wobblers, food puzzles, lick mats, and snuffle mats, and put the rest in your treat pouch for training.

Potty Breaks
The general rule of thumb is that puppies should be given the opportunity to pee or poop every time there is a change in activity. Just got up from a nap? Potty break! Just had a training session? Potty break! Just ate dinner? Potty break!

Nap Times
Young dogs need a lot of sleep. Like... a lot of sleep. Younger puppies usually need to sleep after an hour of playing, training, socializing, eating, or chewing. When they nap, some puppies will take a 30 minute snooze, while others will sleep for two hours straight. A young puppy who sleeps for 18 hours in a 24 hour period is not at all unusual. In order to be in control of when nap time happens, using a crate and/or exercise pen is highly recommended.

Enrichment Activities
You are the lucky one to introduce your puppy to the world! Enrichment activities can include socialization to new sights, sounds, smells, or situations; training for all basic skills; fun playtime with humans, other puppies, or puppy-safe adult dogs; and chew time with high-value, long-lasting treats such as pig ears, bully sticks, and tendons.

Management

When you cannot directly train and supervise your puppy, set them up for success by manipulating the environment so that they can only make good decisions. Utilizing management tools like crates, exercise pens, baby gates, and tethers will be a huge asset as your puppy learns the do’s and don’ts of living with humans. The smaller the confinement area, the less chance of potty mistakes and destructive chewing. 

Additionally, remove all items within your puppy’s reach except for the things they are allowed to play with and/or chew. Completely limit access to things like electrical cords, children’s toys, electronics, books, office supplies, pillows, picture frames, clothing, trash cans, shoes, and ALL food. For particularly chewy dogs, you may also need to limit access to throw rugs, carpet, furniture, and/or baseboards and wall trim.

Off-leash time in the house should be introduced in very tiny increments and with 100% supervision. More freedom should only be given when your puppy reliably offers desirable behavior. If your puppy begins to exhibit undesirable behavior, they are not yet ready to be unsupervised. 

Many trainers recommend not allowing your dog free range of your home until they are one year old; some recommend waiting even longer.

Supervision

The majority of puppies will develop undesirable habits if they are allowed to roam freely in the home with minimal or no supervision. Many habits are self-reinforcing, meaning they are likely to become strong habits if allowed to develop. When your puppy cannot be directly supervised, they must be crated or confined in a way that allows them to only practice desirable behavior. 

Lesson Activity

Recommended Media for Structure, Management, and Supervision

• Watch: Housetraining puppies for dog owners and breeders, Dr. Ian Dunbar, Dog Star Daily
• Watch/Listen: Critical Info for Your Puppy’s First Day and Night at Home, Susan Garrett, Shaped by Dog, March 2021
• Watch/Listen: ​​Puppy Freedom: How Much Is Too Much?, Susan Garrett, Shaped by Dog, July 2022
• Watch: Management and Prevention, Emily Larlham, KikoPup, January 2021
• Read: Your Dog’s Behavior: When to Manage, When to Train, Pat Miller, Whole Dog Journal, January 2018
• Read: Question: How do I get my puppy to stop chewing on shoes?, Kerry Ryan, Dog Adventures Northwest