Getting your Labradoodle puppy onto a schedule can really help them to settle into your home. It can also help to preserve your sanity! Today we are going to share our Labradoodle puppy schedule for feeding and potty training, to help you to create a routine that works perfectly for you and your new dog.
Labradoodle Puppy Schedules
Welcoming a new puppy into your life is great fun, but it’s a huge upheaval and a massive lifestyle change too. At least for the first few weeks, your routine each day will be all about managing your Labradoodle puppy’s mealtimes, potty breaks and socialization.
Labradoodle Puppy Feeding Schedules
Tiny puppies have very small stomachs that are easily upset. It’s therefore important to keep your new puppy on the same food that the breeder used, and to give it to them a little at a time.
As the puppy grows and settles into your home you can gradually reduce the number of meals they have a day, and switch over to a different brand or type of food if you choose to do so.
8 – 12 Week Old Labradoodle Feeding Schedule
From eight to twelve weeks your puppy will need 4 meals a day. We time them approximately as shown below. The most important thing is to spread them out evenly, and not feed the puppy too close to bedtime.
- 6am meal
- 10am meal
- 2pm meal
- 6pm meal
3 – 6 Month Old Labradoodle Feeding Schedule
At three months old most puppies can cope with going down to 3 meals a day. But you don’t have to make this change if your current routine is working fine for you!
We use a lot of our puppies’ daily rations as training treats, so at this point their meals are still even more spread out than this. We dip into each pre-divided meal pot to use the kibble to reward the puppy for good behavior, or to do little training exercises throughout the day.
- 7am meal
- 12noon meal
- 6pm meal
6 – 18 Month Old Labradoodle Feeding Schedule
Many dog owners are happy to keep their pup on three meals a day for the rest of their lives, and there is no reason not to do so other than inconvenience!
When you reduce your dog’s mealtimes to twice a day, make sure that you watch for any signs of an upset stomach. Good times of day to feed your older dog if you switch down to twice a day are:
- 9am meal
- 4pm meal
Labradoodle Puppy Potty Schedules
Puppy potty training is most effective when you have a plan, and give your new dog lots of opportunities to pee and poop outdoors. Having an idea of when their next pee will be gives you the best chance of making sure they are in the right location when nature calls!
The more practice your puppy has peeing in the right location, the less likely they are to have accidents indoors.
8 – 9 Week Old Labradoodle Potty Schedule
At this age puppies might need to pee as often as every half an hour to begin with. Go at your pup’s pace, and if they have accidents on this schedule then try reducing the time period.
- 6am potty break
- 7am potty break
- 9am potty break
- 11am potty break
- 1pm potty break
- 3pm potty break
- 5pm potty break
- 7pm potty break
- 9pm potty break
- 11pm potty break
- 3am potty break
10 – 11 Week Old Labradoodle Potty Schedule
These little increases in time between pee breaks work well for most puppies, but don’t worry if yours isn’t quite there yet. If your puppy is having accidents at the 8 – 9 week schedule, don’t move on to this one until you have had a few days pee free!
- 6am potty break
- 8.30am potty break
- 10.30am potty break
- 12.30pm potty break
- 3pm potty break
- 5pm potty break
- 7pm potty break
- 9pm potty break
- 11pm potty break
12 Week Old Labradoodle Potty Schedule
If everything is going well with potty training, at three months old your puppy should have the bladder capacity to wait up to two and a half hours between potty breaks. Just remember to give them extra opportuntities to pee or poop after a meal or big drink.
- 6am potty break
- 8.30am potty break
- 11am potty break
- 1pm potty break
- 3pm potty break
- 5pm potty break
- 7.30pm potty break
- 9pm potty break
- 11pm potty break
4 Month Old Labradoodle Potty Schedule
By four months old your Labradoodle puppy will hopefully have fairly good bladder strength and understand where to pee and where not to! Remember not to push their limits, and to make sure that if they have an accident indoors you go back to an earlier schedule.
- 6am potty break
- 9am potty break
- 12 noon potty break
- 3pm potty break
- 6pm potty break
- 9pm potty break
- 11pm potty break
Labradoodle Socialization Schedule
Socialization is the process whereby you get your new puppy used to lots of different new experiences. We do this to help familiarize them with other people, places, vehicles, sounds and smells. It makes them more likely to be a confident and friendly adult dog.
There is a window for socializing your puppy that lasts just a few weeks from the time you bring them home. You need to carry out socialization before your pup reaches 14 weeks old, whilst they are still relaxed and open to new experiences.
Because socializing a puppy is quite a big task that has to be carried out in a small period of time, having a plan for doing it can be really helpful. We like to make a checksheet and pin it to the fridge with our aims, and scan down it each day and see if there is something we can check off.
Over the next few weeks try to get your dog to see and where possible meet:
- Toddlers
- Children
- Women
- Men
And take them to:
- A busy town centre
- Bus station
- Train station
- School gates
Remember to carry your puppy in your arms or a sling until they are fully vaccinated. It’s also helpful to have an idea of how many things you want to do each week. Here’s our aim for new puppies at each stage.
8 – 9 weeks old
- Have 8 sets of visitors to your home
- Visit 8 new places
10 – 11 weeks old
- Have 6 sets of visitors to your home
- Visit 6 new places
12 – 14 weeks old
- Have 4 sets of visitors to your home
- Visit 4 new places
My Labradoodle Puppy Schedule
Our Labradoodle puppy schedule will help you to keep on top of your new dog’s potty training, feeding and socialization. Progressing week to week, month to month, as they grow and develop.
The Labradoodle puppy routines we’ve shared today are not set in stone, but instead are intended as a guide for you. Work these schedules around your own routines and your own dog’s needs. Not every pup moves at the same pace, and that’s fine.
You might find it helpful to take notes of when things go well for the first few weeks whilst you are building up confidence and getting to know your puppy. And remember, puppyhood can be tricky but it’s also very short lived. If you stay calm and keep to a routine, you are giving yourself the best possible chance of raising a happy puppy partner for the future.
Related Articles
- First days at home with your new puppy