WHAT IS YOUR DAILY ROUTINE AND SCHEDULE WITH YOUR DOGS? FEEDINGS,,ETC. - Page 1

Just interested in seeing and getting idea's from other breeders as to what their daily routine is with there dogs...feedings,,,,clean-up...vitamins,,etc...training...
please share all...

Are you looking for input on breeders that keep dogs in the house or breeders that have dogs that live in a kennel situation?

Ours live in the house so potty time is 4am breakfast at 7am poop duty walk/hike/take care of the horses with the dogs. depending on the weather and who i'm training and what i'm doing during the day as well as heats some will go in the dog runs outside. If it's bad weather or a lazy day all will stay in the house with me. usually we go out at least 3 times a day and also do short training sessions in between. If I have a younger dog I go to town daily to get them out for exposure to different things/places/people/etc... Dinner at 4 pm and then horses and poop duty again. All go potty one last time at 9pm. Three sleep with us in our bedroom and 4 sleep in crates. As for vitimans/supplements I don't use them as I feel if you are feeding a nutritionaly complete meal you shouldn't need to "supplement" their diet. Heartworm preventative is given once a month I do not worm unless I have puppies or a fecal comes up positive since I see no need for unecesssary chemical in their systems.

I'm not a breeder.... we only have 2 dogs, only one of which is a GSD, the other is a little mutt and is my dads dog technically so is on a different schedule than my girl... but I'll add ours in.

We wake up around 2pm average, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Immedietly go outside for a potty break and play a little frisbee (about 30 mins, but totally depends on weather). Go back in for a bit, and then at some point within the next hour or so we go for a walk around the lake nearby ( a good 4 miles+). At the lake, there is a field where we do some tracking, and also practice obedience during our walk and throughout the day. Really our exercise/training schedules vary though, due to weather, and sometimes we have a friend come with us. The really set part of our schedule is at night - I work overnight and my dog comes with me to work. Once 1:30 am hits, she certainly knows it. She LOVES going to work, and knows that before she can get in the car she has to go potty/poop. While at work she completely knows the routine - when she can come, and when she has to stay... what people are acceptable, and which ones need a warning to stay away. I swear she has a fan club. Then when we get home in the mornings, she and my cat get their breakfast and her buddy bite, and then its bedtime. She alternates with the cat when it comes to sleeping in the bed with me (sometimes they both will, but thats rare). 

Feed AM with any supplements needed. I also do not like to use them but I have  an almost 12 year old who's skinny, picky and sort of gimpy; and a 13.2  year old that is a chow hound; and not skinny and can be a little gimpy at times.  These two seniors get walks every other day; 3/4 of a mile; they also all get salmon oil/Vit E supplements and all are fed raw;  AM feeding is Honest kitchen with some kind of raw ground meat;  except skinny picky boy gets l/2 cup cottage cheese, l/2 cup yogart (greek) and he quit eating Honest Kitchen so he gets 3 Stella & chewy's duck/goose complete dinner patties (by the way those are great for breaking up into small pieces and using for training trests) if not Stella's the meat source is Ziwi Peak's venison complete dinner which is also GREAT and clean for training treats as it is freeze dried and not at all messy.

OK, PM feeding everyone gets raw chicken quarters somtimes whole, sometimes I cut up as they are too big;  picky skinny boy will only eat leg quarter legs, usually 3.  He gets Dogswell Happy hips duck jerky at PM feeding 2 each;  everyone gets happy hips duck jerky (has glausamine and condroitent (SP sorry) for AM feeding they get 2 each and that is all.  Sometimes they get pork necks or beef necks instead of chicken.  With yogart usually every other day and raw eggs 2 or 3 times per week added to AM feeding.  I do all the adding of stuff in AM as it makes PM feeding easy.  Just meat, raw.

My 2 younger guys (almost 3 and almost 6 years) get walks every day (whether permitting which is usually all the time) between 2 and 3 miles each.  Training has been lax but need to pick it up some;  respect everyone that trains daily, really love that concept but I don't; shame on me and believe me dogs pick up bad habits.

Once a week my 3 year old female and I go to the  park and hike some of the trails, small lake with ducks; geese (Canadian honkers) and other water foul; rabbits, squirrel, lots of birds for her to be trained to leave, but they dart out in front of us.  Haven't taken her to the beach boardwalk as she is such a handful, but will soon, need pretty good manners as people are swarming around her for pets.  I would rather they did not do that but am patient at this point, want her to be social.

They all live in the house with us loose and roaming in and out on their own, whether permitting my back door stays open so they can come in and out on their own;  all are crated if I leave maximum of 2/3 hours at a time usually less.  I do not trust them in our yard without us here and animals CAN come in off the street, stray cats and loose dogs and COULD clear our back fence if they wanted to so all come in for their safety.That is about it; great days everyone;  Nan

Right now we have three dogs and they all live in the house. We have a female German Shepherd named Shelby, that has DM, a male Shiloh Shepherd named Josey Wales, and an Aussie mix named Summer, that we are fostering until we find the ideal home for her. Shelby and Josey have free run of house. They are crate trained, but are never crated anymore (a DM dog should never be crated). Summer is in her crate when I'm not home, but she has free run of the house when I am home. They do spend some free time in the yard, although my dogs are never in the yard unattended. Shelby and Josey sleep in our bedroom on their beds or where ever they choose and Summer sleeps in her crate. Josey and Shelby are therapy dogs, but Shelby can't go much anymore. We still take Josey out weekly to a local nursing home.

I feed first thing in the morning (the shepherds get raw and the Aussie gets kibble and canned). Shelby gets a number of meds and supplements added to her food for the DM. All dogs get Salmon oil and probiotic. All dogs get some steamed veggies (broccoli, squash, kale, zucchini and others). Summer is on a weight loss diet and the veggies serve as a good low cal filler. THe vet said the veggies are good for a dog with DM and Josey gets some just because the other two get some and there is no harm in doing so. THey also get two eggs a week.  After feeding I take them out to potty and we go for a short easy going walk around the yard (2 acres), off-leash of course. These days Shelby needs support with a sling.  I do a PT session with the Shelby at that time and give her a short massage. At noon we go for another short walk and have some playtime. At 3:30pm I feed Shelby and Josey their second meal and I use Summer's kibble portion to do a clicker/marker training session with her- she is 4 years old and I don't think she's had any prior training. Again, I take them out to potty and for a short walk. I sit out on the grass and hang with Shelby and Josey.  I give Shelby her daily massage and we do another PT session. I also give Josey some rubs and a bit of a massage. Summer is not interested as she is too busy investigating everything, visiting the neighbors' dogs at the fence and making her own good time. At around around 5:30 - 6pm we take our long walk for the day, usually 45-60 minutes. Shelby is unable to go on this walk, although once she gets her cart this may change. Around 9:30pm I feed Shelby her third and last small meal of the day. I have to do this because my she requires DM meds three times a day and one of the meds must be taken with food. I take them for a walk around the yard one last time. After that I will brush one of the dogs (I rotate). I'll sit with Shelby on the carpet and give her some TLC and some rubs. At this point getting pets, rubs and massages is one of her few pleasures in life since she is not very mobile anymore.  At bedtime, I give them all a few sweet potato treats and then it's lights out. Once or twice a week I give them a Bully Stick before bed.

Of course, I'm not telling you I stick to this exact routine everyday, but most days it is pretty close. My life largely revolves around my dogs and some may think I'm extreme, but I wouldn't have it any other way. BTW, I do work, but it's part time and I have the luxury of doing most of my work at home, for which I am very thankful. 

PS;  ;FORGOT TO MENTION ALL OF MINE SLEEP LOOSE IN OUR ROOM; some use the dog beds, some do not they like the tile floors.  Nan

I'm not a breeder but as I have 3 GSDs I'll add in my twopence worth as wll.

I get up at around 0530am and give the dogs their breakfast. I then get showered, dressed and unless it's a weekend when my Son is with his father, i then get him up too.

The dogs are walked separately, on lead along the street for approx 45-60 minutes. Back home and then take it in turns to do 3/4 sessions of 2-3 minutes of training. We then have playtime out in the rear garden.

Around the middle of the day, the dogs get to go to the park. Sometimes together, sometimes separately. I may do some training with them, I may not. This is their time to mill about and go sniffing inthe hedges etc jsut enjoying the fresh air and "being" dogs.

Tey then get another couple of training sessions before their second and last on lead street walk in the early evening. Then around 630-7pm they get their dinner.

After dinner, they tend to calm down a lot and sleep for at leas ta couple of hours. Then they'll wake and havw a silly half hour which involves being competel loons, performing zoomies etc.

They get let out for a last pee at around 11-1130pm before bedtime. Their beds are in their own room which used to be the old concrete shed.

In between all these times the dogs are usually int he house with me. Sometimes, particularly in the summer they may be out on the patio but either way when there's nothing specific to do they play with each other, they have mentally challenging toys to use etc.

When it comes to the dog safety talks we carry out at primary schools the dogs take it in turn to go with us. It's not a daily thing but they all get to go about onec a fortnight when we're busy.

So all in all, the dogs have a reasonably full day of things to do and concentrate on. For this reason, I'm pleased I don't work. It's just unfortunate that I don't know enough to be able to make a career out of working/training my own dogs.

My dogs get up, they go to the toilet, and then they flush it. After that they prepare scrambled eggs with a little paprika, pepper, and parsley on it.  After breakfast they call their poker dog buddies over for a game or two, and they bet with dog treats.  Then they go for a walk through the neighborhood with their walking buddies. Typically they enjoy watering trees along the way.  They skip lunch, but for dinner they usually grill out.   Sometimes they have grilled salmon, sometimes steak.  After that they sit down, watch reruns of Lassie, and then they go to bed.

GSDguy08 - very funny!!! I always suspected they did that...oh,and make long distance phone calls to the family overseas...

I have 4 - 3 GSDs and my husband's now retired truck dog (Rottie/Aussie/Border Collie mix). The routine is the same, just the times vary depending on whether I'm going to work or not. We get up ( on a work day at 3am), they go out, I get their breakfasts ready. My older girl gets a joint supplement and her enzmes (she has EPI) ; everyone else just gets plain food. They come in and inhale their food, then head to the kitchen in hopes that there is something else(NOT). They then go out roughly 1/2 hour later. If it's a work day, they're out 20-25 minutes; if not, however long they want. We (I) get dressed and head out to feed the horses. Work day-they stay in the yard because it's too dark for me to keep an eye on them.No work, they come out and run around like crazy dogs. After feeding, I put them up for the day , or if home, we go for a walk (we live on 20 acres). Then, in and out thru the day if I'm home. We all go out to feed the horses at 4pm. They get their dinner aorund 5pm. Then it's out 3 times before doggy bedtime out (around 9). Then it's lights out. They sleep pretty much whereever they want. My boy likes his crate, my old lady sleeps either on the sofa or in the recliner, my young one moves around during the night, and the truck dog sleeps on the floor by my side of the bed. The routine really stays the same all the time. If there's a pup in the house, then there's a schedule for the puppy until they're old enough to join the big guys.

GSDguy, That is too funny. You gave me a good laugh!