Hi there, i am going to have a GSD in my life in about 2 weeks. i have never had a GSD before but other dogs yes. Can someone please help me with the daily routine, schedule of his food, his food contents and quantity, feeding schedule and whatever other info you can share
Daily Schedule of a GSD
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Hank is 6mo old and goes to work with his mom, so his days basically look like this:
At 6:30am I wake him up, take him outside, feed him and do training. At work he gets to roam around, so he will nap/play/observe/greet customers/follow Mom around/etc. He gets his lunch hand fed via 2 or 3 training sessions between noon and 3pm
After work, usually some outdoor activity. Walk around the neighborhood at a minimum, or a walk on conservation land, meet up with friends and their dogs, go swimming, etc.
Usually a small snack at around 8pm if he had a busy day (often this is used as a quick training session also). Then he just kind of hangs out the rest of the evening, snoozing in whatever room we're in, playing with toys or a bone, playing tug, etc. Then at around 10:30pm he heads into his crate for bedtime.
He eats raw; about 2lb of meat a day. Morning is usually about 4-6oz of ground used during training, then another few oz + a chicken back + organs that he eats out of the bowl. He goes through 1lb of ground mix at work each day, and that is usually all doled out as rewards during training. We get the mix from a local raw food supplier that pre-mixes it at an 80/10/10 ratio (protein/bone/organ) and we rotate his protein sources.
You'll get a sense for your dog's drive level when you meet him, and as he matures. Some times Hank is a total slug and sleeps for hours on end. Other times he has more energy than he knows what to do with and requires more play and physical activity. Some times he gets super lazy for training and the sessions are short, but most times he is excellent and very eager to please.
At 6:30am I wake him up, take him outside, feed him and do training. At work he gets to roam around, so he will nap/play/observe/greet customers/follow Mom around/etc. He gets his lunch hand fed via 2 or 3 training sessions between noon and 3pm
After work, usually some outdoor activity. Walk around the neighborhood at a minimum, or a walk on conservation land, meet up with friends and their dogs, go swimming, etc.
Usually a small snack at around 8pm if he had a busy day (often this is used as a quick training session also). Then he just kind of hangs out the rest of the evening, snoozing in whatever room we're in, playing with toys or a bone, playing tug, etc. Then at around 10:30pm he heads into his crate for bedtime.
He eats raw; about 2lb of meat a day. Morning is usually about 4-6oz of ground used during training, then another few oz + a chicken back + organs that he eats out of the bowl. He goes through 1lb of ground mix at work each day, and that is usually all doled out as rewards during training. We get the mix from a local raw food supplier that pre-mixes it at an 80/10/10 ratio (protein/bone/organ) and we rotate his protein sources.
You'll get a sense for your dog's drive level when you meet him, and as he matures. Some times Hank is a total slug and sleeps for hours on end. Other times he has more energy than he knows what to do with and requires more play and physical activity. Some times he gets super lazy for training and the sessions are short, but most times he is excellent and very eager to please.
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Wake up, let the dog out pee while I take care of morning things
Call him back inside, leash him up , take him for an hour walk (or run, play ball, hike, or swim, whatever we are doing that day)
Come home, wait one hour before feeding him (always wait before and after exercise to feed him or you risk bloat)
Feed him
Go to work
Come home for lunch break and let him out pee again and he usually gets a cookie
Go back to work
Come home take him for another hour walk
Wait another hour before feeding him dinner
Feed him dinner
8:00 he goes to his bedroom and falls asleep on his bed every night. No one ever tells him to do that, he just gets tired.
It doesn't matter if i'm sick or having a bad day and need to skip a walk or something , G is pretty understanding and a laid back dog. He is okay with entertaining himself but I try to do a little something with him every day. Thrown into our every day routine we do classes, obedience training, meet up with his doggy friends to play, etc.
Call him back inside, leash him up , take him for an hour walk (or run, play ball, hike, or swim, whatever we are doing that day)
Come home, wait one hour before feeding him (always wait before and after exercise to feed him or you risk bloat)
Feed him
Go to work
Come home for lunch break and let him out pee again and he usually gets a cookie
Go back to work
Come home take him for another hour walk
Wait another hour before feeding him dinner
Feed him dinner
8:00 he goes to his bedroom and falls asleep on his bed every night. No one ever tells him to do that, he just gets tired.
It doesn't matter if i'm sick or having a bad day and need to skip a walk or something , G is pretty understanding and a laid back dog. He is okay with entertaining himself but I try to do a little something with him every day. Thrown into our every day routine we do classes, obedience training, meet up with his doggy friends to play, etc.
One of the best things to prevent anxiety, especially separation anxiety, is to develop and keep a routine. They have internal clocks just like we do. On the weekends if I decide to sleep in, I get maybe a half hour AT MOST beyond our regular wake up time before my pup is crying in her crate to be let out. She's also smart enough to recognize my alarm. She's dead quiet but if she hears my alarm and doesn't hear me get up cause I snooze, she starts to cry.
The first two weeks are very demanding. I would have somebody at home as much as possible with the pup. Even if it means taking off work or taking half days. They will need to go out every hour or two. Including overnight where you could stretch it to 3-4 hours if you cut off her water.
Anyway, my new puppy schedule went like this. Times are approximate to the half hour. Was pretty strict with all of it, especially eating.
7 AM wakeup, immediate short walk to pee
730 EAT
815 longer walk (or at least longer time outside, puppies don't like walking far)
830 pup Goes into crate, even when I was home. Just to get her used to when I would go back to work and allow the girlfriend time in the morning to do errands and chores if she was home.
1200 PM Comes out of crate, immediate short walk to pee
1230-EAT
1230-530 Various play, training, and walks. Walks were every hour to two hours. And I would immediately take her out if she peed inside.
530-EAT
530-7 - Misc time again. Play and training
7-8 PM - Walk, park, or socialization time. I would take her to strip malls to meet people and the local park to meet other dogs.
730-1030 Misc time again. Play and training
Around 8 PM I would cut off her water to help her get through the night.
Around 11 would go back into the crate for the night immediately after her last short walk of the night.
330 AM - Overnight walk for the first 4 weeks. Yes, would set my alarm and get up and walk her. When it got closer to 4 weeks, I started pushing the time back until I was able to get up around 6 AM. And then eventually by sometime in week 3 or 4, she went like 1130-7 without having to pee. The key is cutting her water off at 8 PM.
She's now 15 weeks old and her schedule is just about still the same. Really the only thing that's changed is the overnight walks since she sleeps through the night now. I have a pup who barely ever barks or cries in her crate and is very patient and not very demanding.
Good luck!
The first two weeks are very demanding. I would have somebody at home as much as possible with the pup. Even if it means taking off work or taking half days. They will need to go out every hour or two. Including overnight where you could stretch it to 3-4 hours if you cut off her water.
Anyway, my new puppy schedule went like this. Times are approximate to the half hour. Was pretty strict with all of it, especially eating.
7 AM wakeup, immediate short walk to pee
730 EAT
815 longer walk (or at least longer time outside, puppies don't like walking far)
830 pup Goes into crate, even when I was home. Just to get her used to when I would go back to work and allow the girlfriend time in the morning to do errands and chores if she was home.
1200 PM Comes out of crate, immediate short walk to pee
1230-EAT
1230-530 Various play, training, and walks. Walks were every hour to two hours. And I would immediately take her out if she peed inside.
530-EAT
530-7 - Misc time again. Play and training
7-8 PM - Walk, park, or socialization time. I would take her to strip malls to meet people and the local park to meet other dogs.
730-1030 Misc time again. Play and training
Around 8 PM I would cut off her water to help her get through the night.
Around 11 would go back into the crate for the night immediately after her last short walk of the night.
330 AM - Overnight walk for the first 4 weeks. Yes, would set my alarm and get up and walk her. When it got closer to 4 weeks, I started pushing the time back until I was able to get up around 6 AM. And then eventually by sometime in week 3 or 4, she went like 1130-7 without having to pee. The key is cutting her water off at 8 PM.
She's now 15 weeks old and her schedule is just about still the same. Really the only thing that's changed is the overnight walks since she sleeps through the night now. I have a pup who barely ever barks or cries in her crate and is very patient and not very demanding.
Good luck!
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I forgot to touch on that, yup, Hank went out at 12:30am and 3am during the night in the beginning. Then after a few days of him being asleep every time I came to take him out, I switched to just one trip in the middle of the night at about 2:30am. By about 12-13 weeks old he could hold it through the night and he hasn't had an accident since. He actually hasn't even made a peep in his crate at night since then either.
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I don't know how much you know about the breed, but I wrote an article a while back that you might find helpful that talks about the importance of socialization and training and how incredibly important it is to build a strong bond. Hope it's helpful!
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Great article, good read. Thanks for sharing!
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Congratulations on your new GSD!
Life of a Middle-aged Shepherd/Husky:
7:40am - walk daughter to busstop and embark on our morning exercise (45-1 hr of walk/jog). when not too wet, we head for the trails in the woods (neither of us has great joints and we appreciate the dirt and pine needles!) come home & he eats a Milkbone dental biscuit
9:30am - I begin work / he settles in for his morning nap
1pm - We both eat lunch (He gets 1.5 cup of Merrick) Brief potty outing - short walk around block
Afternoon - I work / he settles in for afternoon nap.
5pm - off work! often we train & play, but sometimes we have to drive for track/soccer pickup. Then time to make dinner. Husband comes home & we all eat (dog gets 1 cup of Merrick + some plain cooked meat mixed in - for this feeding, he has to Sit and hold/look at me before I put his bowl down)
7:30pm - he goes on long outing with husband
8:30pm - dog runs in door anxiously, greets me as if he hasn't seen me for several days - then has a big drink and passes out in living room (luckily only dog behaves this way, not husband)
10pm - last potty call (I have to stand on deck in the dark for a few minutes while he does his thing)
2 Wednesdays per month, I give him a midweek break and he goes to Doggy DayCare. They put him in a group with other older dogs, and because we always go on Wednesdays, I suspect that he has familiar friends there. When he comes home, he likes to show off his Zoomies.
On weekends we are out and about more. He gets to go along if it's an outdoor cafe or if we are going hiking.
Life of a Middle-aged Shepherd/Husky:
7:40am - walk daughter to busstop and embark on our morning exercise (45-1 hr of walk/jog). when not too wet, we head for the trails in the woods (neither of us has great joints and we appreciate the dirt and pine needles!) come home & he eats a Milkbone dental biscuit
9:30am - I begin work / he settles in for his morning nap
1pm - We both eat lunch (He gets 1.5 cup of Merrick) Brief potty outing - short walk around block
Afternoon - I work / he settles in for afternoon nap.
5pm - off work! often we train & play, but sometimes we have to drive for track/soccer pickup. Then time to make dinner. Husband comes home & we all eat (dog gets 1 cup of Merrick + some plain cooked meat mixed in - for this feeding, he has to Sit and hold/look at me before I put his bowl down)
7:30pm - he goes on long outing with husband
8:30pm - dog runs in door anxiously, greets me as if he hasn't seen me for several days - then has a big drink and passes out in living room (luckily only dog behaves this way, not husband)
10pm - last potty call (I have to stand on deck in the dark for a few minutes while he does his thing)
2 Wednesdays per month, I give him a midweek break and he goes to Doggy DayCare. They put him in a group with other older dogs, and because we always go on Wednesdays, I suspect that he has familiar friends there. When he comes home, he likes to show off his Zoomies.
On weekends we are out and about more. He gets to go along if it's an outdoor cafe or if we are going hiking.
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316 Posts
My dogs have a less conventional, and planned schedule than most. I'm self employed and a lazy individual so some days I sleep in. Both of my dogs are grown enough that an extra hour or two without going to the bathroom doesn't bother them, but occasionally my GSD will jump on the bed and paw me to let me know he needs to go out. But here's a general schedule. This is an ADULT schedule, for 2 very large and active dogs. Make sure you're not overexercising your puppy, your dog shouldn't need anywhere near this level of exercise until near fully grown. It's not great for the joints when they're younger.
I have no food schedule, I fill up my dogs bowls with 8 cups of high protein kibble and they both graze. They eat when hungry. I fill the bowl up when it's empty.
7am - Wake up, go outside
7am-12pm - both dogs typically go back to sleep while I work
12pm-2pm - Almost every other day we will spend 2 hours at the dog park, working on obedience and agility.
2pm-3pm - Petsmart
3pm-5pm - Rest/recovery from exercise
5pm-6pm - Flirt pole training/obedience or my father will walk them
6pm-10pm - they literally wrestle and play with each other every night for several hours
10pm - bathroom
10pm-7am - they sleep, while I may stay up for several hours longer
In terms of going to the bathroom, they spend tons of time outside and out and about, but they typically alert me when they need to go. I try to make sure they go out once every 2-3 hours unless they tell me otherwise. If they're sleeping, I let them sleep.
I have no food schedule, I fill up my dogs bowls with 8 cups of high protein kibble and they both graze. They eat when hungry. I fill the bowl up when it's empty.
7am - Wake up, go outside
7am-12pm - both dogs typically go back to sleep while I work
12pm-2pm - Almost every other day we will spend 2 hours at the dog park, working on obedience and agility.
2pm-3pm - Petsmart
3pm-5pm - Rest/recovery from exercise
5pm-6pm - Flirt pole training/obedience or my father will walk them
6pm-10pm - they literally wrestle and play with each other every night for several hours
10pm - bathroom
10pm-7am - they sleep, while I may stay up for several hours longer
In terms of going to the bathroom, they spend tons of time outside and out and about, but they typically alert me when they need to go. I try to make sure they go out once every 2-3 hours unless they tell me otherwise. If they're sleeping, I let them sleep.
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Hi there!
My girl is almost a year and a half now, but our puppy schedule was very similar to what Dutchy said above - the first few weeks were exhausting, with pee breaks during the night, etc. But sticking to a routine helped BIG TIME. As for a feeding schedule, I fed her three times a day (as close to the same time every day as possible), and had a lot of puppy-safe chews on hand.
Now that she's older, we still stick to a rigorous schedule, except minus the midnight potty breaks and plus a lot more exercise.
5:30am - Get up, go for a 45 minute hike (on trails in a mountain park) - a mix of 'free style sniffing' and 'focus / heel'
6:30am - Breakfast - dry kibble in amount recommended on food bag
6:45am - I have coffee, while she gets a chew of some kind (which supplements the kibble - dried yam, Yak cheese, pizzle, "jerky", trachea, etc.)
7:am - I get ready for work, she watches cartoons on Netflix (seriously - I've found the tv on the background helps calm her down so she doesn't feel like she needs to be with me "helping" me put on my makeup)
7:45am - I leave for work, she goes in the crate
11am - Dog walker lets her out of the crate, takes her for a half hour walk (free style sniffing), and then just hangs out with her in my backyard for a half hour
12pm - I'm home for lunch, do approx. 30mins of "cardio" (fetch, fast paced walk, etc.), then 15 mins of training (using a toy or tug as incentive - so still very active)
1:30pm - I go back to work, she goes in the crate
5pm - Home from work, one hour walk
6pm - "Cardio" (fetch, tug, agility on homemade course in yard, etc.) or tracking
7pm - Dinner - dry kibble
7:45pm - She gets a chew (marrow bone, etc.), a stuffed Kong, or a treat puzzle, and we just hang out around the house / yard
9pm - Training session for 15 mins, and then cuddle time / grooming
9:30pm - She goes to bed
A few things to note:
I generally try to avoid dog parks (my girl plays rough and isn't really a fan of them...and I don't trust strange dog owners), as well as doggy daycare, etc. When she has gone to daycare in the past, her behavior has suffered and I end up getting a wild animal back. Although I don't really make time in the schedule for time around other (strange / unknown) dogs, I do have a few friends with well behaved dogs, and we occasionally will meet up for a walk together, or just for a backyard play date. Something to consider, if you are planning on enrolling your dog in daycare, etc., is that sometimes dogs are just not suited for it so you may need to adjust your plans. When I do need to leave my girl (for travel etc.) I am fortune enough to have a local GSD breeder (and president of the IPO club) who will board her; it's structured, supervised, and not a free-for-all with dogs running around acting like heathens.
Also, on days when I go out in the evening (drinks with friends, etc.), we still stick to this schedule right up until 7pm, at which point she is crated and I go enjoy the company of humans. My girl is pretty drivey, so it's just not realistic for me to go out any earlier without her getting destructive, frustrated, etc. One of the "sacrifices" (which I don't really mind at all) about making room in my life for a dog. I know she will likely settle eventually, but until then I accept that as her sole caregiver I simply don't have as much free time as I once did. There's no such thing (at this point) as grabbing a quick dinner with co-workers right after work, going to an early movie, etc.
That said, on weekends we spend a lot of time hiking, swimming, exploring the forest, etc. - typically leaving the house at 8am and not returning until dinner time. I wanted a dog who could keep up with my active lifestyle, so I don't mind that she requires a lot of exercise and stimulation. It's possible that I've kind of conditioned her to be a 'super dog'.
My girl is almost a year and a half now, but our puppy schedule was very similar to what Dutchy said above - the first few weeks were exhausting, with pee breaks during the night, etc. But sticking to a routine helped BIG TIME. As for a feeding schedule, I fed her three times a day (as close to the same time every day as possible), and had a lot of puppy-safe chews on hand.
Now that she's older, we still stick to a rigorous schedule, except minus the midnight potty breaks and plus a lot more exercise.
5:30am - Get up, go for a 45 minute hike (on trails in a mountain park) - a mix of 'free style sniffing' and 'focus / heel'
6:30am - Breakfast - dry kibble in amount recommended on food bag
6:45am - I have coffee, while she gets a chew of some kind (which supplements the kibble - dried yam, Yak cheese, pizzle, "jerky", trachea, etc.)
7:am - I get ready for work, she watches cartoons on Netflix (seriously - I've found the tv on the background helps calm her down so she doesn't feel like she needs to be with me "helping" me put on my makeup)
7:45am - I leave for work, she goes in the crate
11am - Dog walker lets her out of the crate, takes her for a half hour walk (free style sniffing), and then just hangs out with her in my backyard for a half hour
12pm - I'm home for lunch, do approx. 30mins of "cardio" (fetch, fast paced walk, etc.), then 15 mins of training (using a toy or tug as incentive - so still very active)
1:30pm - I go back to work, she goes in the crate
5pm - Home from work, one hour walk
6pm - "Cardio" (fetch, tug, agility on homemade course in yard, etc.) or tracking
7pm - Dinner - dry kibble
7:45pm - She gets a chew (marrow bone, etc.), a stuffed Kong, or a treat puzzle, and we just hang out around the house / yard
9pm - Training session for 15 mins, and then cuddle time / grooming
9:30pm - She goes to bed
A few things to note:
I generally try to avoid dog parks (my girl plays rough and isn't really a fan of them...and I don't trust strange dog owners), as well as doggy daycare, etc. When she has gone to daycare in the past, her behavior has suffered and I end up getting a wild animal back. Although I don't really make time in the schedule for time around other (strange / unknown) dogs, I do have a few friends with well behaved dogs, and we occasionally will meet up for a walk together, or just for a backyard play date. Something to consider, if you are planning on enrolling your dog in daycare, etc., is that sometimes dogs are just not suited for it so you may need to adjust your plans. When I do need to leave my girl (for travel etc.) I am fortune enough to have a local GSD breeder (and president of the IPO club) who will board her; it's structured, supervised, and not a free-for-all with dogs running around acting like heathens.
Also, on days when I go out in the evening (drinks with friends, etc.), we still stick to this schedule right up until 7pm, at which point she is crated and I go enjoy the company of humans. My girl is pretty drivey, so it's just not realistic for me to go out any earlier without her getting destructive, frustrated, etc. One of the "sacrifices" (which I don't really mind at all) about making room in my life for a dog. I know she will likely settle eventually, but until then I accept that as her sole caregiver I simply don't have as much free time as I once did. There's no such thing (at this point) as grabbing a quick dinner with co-workers right after work, going to an early movie, etc.
That said, on weekends we spend a lot of time hiking, swimming, exploring the forest, etc. - typically leaving the house at 8am and not returning until dinner time. I wanted a dog who could keep up with my active lifestyle, so I don't mind that she requires a lot of exercise and stimulation. It's possible that I've kind of conditioned her to be a 'super dog'.
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I have two 5 month old German Shepherd puppies. We never have really followed a strict schedule, but we do have a routine.
Me and my husband work different schedules. I usually work at either 9 or 10 am and usually get off at either 2 or 3pm. He gets home around 8am and leaves for work around 4pm (he has to drive almost 2 hours to work).
So based on that we have a couple different routines.
On days we both work:
Usually around 7am Odin or Layla will wake me up by whining in their crates. We keep them in the room with us.
I take them each out by themselves to go to the bathroom.
I let them out the crate while I get ready for work.
Hubby comes home around 8am.
(Some days I work lager me and the puppies are still in bed and he will wake us up and take care of the puppies while I get ready)
I leave. He feeds them around 10ish after playing with them more.
They all go to sleep by 11am. Puppies usually sleep until I get home.
I come home around 2-3pm. Take them out to use the bathroom. Feed them.
Then we just play all day. I take them out every 2 hours or whenever they tell me they need to go. They will whine by the door or go sit by their leashes if they need to go out.
They usually play with each other throughout the day. Odin plays fetch in the condo a lot.
They each get a walk outside when it cools off (the Weather has been crazy hot)
Either i do a training session with both or alone.
I feed them again usually around 9-10pm.
They’re in bed by 11.
If we both have the day off: (I always have weekends off)
Usually it’s really lax. They will wake up later on weekends.
Take them out. Then we all lay in bed until we get up and feed them by like 11am.
Play all day.
Then we will Usually take them to my mother in laws since she has a yard and they will run around and play for a few hours and have their second meal over there.
Come home and chill. Sometimes Odin has more energy so we will play in the condo. (Hide and seek, fetch, training).
Pups usually asleep by 12am.
We usually play it by ear. Some days they want to do more so we do. Some days they are super lazy and wanna nap and sleep all day, so we let them.
It works for us.
Usually we have to crate Odin when he’s tired cause he doesn’t know how to stop and be chill. He fights his sleep a lot. So if we notice his being cranky and sleepy, they get put down for a nap.
Some days they are crated while we go out and run errands, but usually we are Home with them if we aren’t at work.
And we are started to have more outside time since they are done with vaccinations and are getting older.
Me and my husband work different schedules. I usually work at either 9 or 10 am and usually get off at either 2 or 3pm. He gets home around 8am and leaves for work around 4pm (he has to drive almost 2 hours to work).
So based on that we have a couple different routines.
On days we both work:
Usually around 7am Odin or Layla will wake me up by whining in their crates. We keep them in the room with us.
I take them each out by themselves to go to the bathroom.
I let them out the crate while I get ready for work.
Hubby comes home around 8am.
(Some days I work lager me and the puppies are still in bed and he will wake us up and take care of the puppies while I get ready)
I leave. He feeds them around 10ish after playing with them more.
They all go to sleep by 11am. Puppies usually sleep until I get home.
I come home around 2-3pm. Take them out to use the bathroom. Feed them.
Then we just play all day. I take them out every 2 hours or whenever they tell me they need to go. They will whine by the door or go sit by their leashes if they need to go out.
They usually play with each other throughout the day. Odin plays fetch in the condo a lot.
They each get a walk outside when it cools off (the Weather has been crazy hot)
Either i do a training session with both or alone.
I feed them again usually around 9-10pm.
They’re in bed by 11.
If we both have the day off: (I always have weekends off)
Usually it’s really lax. They will wake up later on weekends.
Take them out. Then we all lay in bed until we get up and feed them by like 11am.
Play all day.
Then we will Usually take them to my mother in laws since she has a yard and they will run around and play for a few hours and have their second meal over there.
Come home and chill. Sometimes Odin has more energy so we will play in the condo. (Hide and seek, fetch, training).
Pups usually asleep by 12am.
We usually play it by ear. Some days they want to do more so we do. Some days they are super lazy and wanna nap and sleep all day, so we let them.
It works for us.
Usually we have to crate Odin when he’s tired cause he doesn’t know how to stop and be chill. He fights his sleep a lot. So if we notice his being cranky and sleepy, they get put down for a nap.
Some days they are crated while we go out and run errands, but usually we are Home with them if we aren’t at work.
And we are started to have more outside time since they are done with vaccinations and are getting older.
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