---
title: "A daily routine for the first months"
description: "Meals, naps, potty breaks, and play, laid out hour by hour."
url: https://evapup.com/journal/everyday/puppy-daily-routine
category: "Everyday Care"
author: "Sam Okafor"
published: 2026-08-09
updated: 2026-09-13
---

# A daily routine for the first months

Meals, naps, potty breaks, and play, laid out hour by hour.

Puppies sleep eighteen hours a day. Most behavior problems in the first months are a tired puppy who was not put to bed.

## Morning

Out the moment the puppy wakes. Breakfast in the crate or a slow feeder. Out again fifteen minutes later. A short play session, then a nap by mid-morning.

> **Enforced naps.** A puppy that is biting harder, zooming, or ignoring cues it knows is overtired. Crate, chew, quiet room. It will be asleep in five minutes.

## Midday and afternoon

Lunch until about four months, then two meals. Every waking hour gets a potty break. Every hour of activity gets an hour or two of crate rest.

### Evening

Dinner by six so the last potty break is empty. Calm play, a chew, and lights out at the same time each night.

---

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