Gone to the Dogs…

It seems lately that our house has gone to the dogs. Yes, we’re in charge (mostly), but puppies have completely dominated the schedule. Our routine tends to revolve around them. In time, that will change, but for now, it’s a dog house. lol!

Our morning routine looks a little something like this…

• get up at around 5:00 am as that’s when Wyatt usually needs to go outside to relieve himself.
• come back inside and sleep until around 6:00 when the dogs get fed
• go back outside for a little bit
• come back inside and play for a little while until D comes downstairs to get breakfast before work
• I head back upstairs to go back to sleep (Wiley usually likes to come with me)
• before D heads back to work, he brings Wyatt back upstairs and puts him in his crate
• get up for good around 8:00
• do a little dog training after I eat breakfast
• head outside for a little play time
• back inside – they rest (if I’m lucky) for a little while while I check email and what not

Our school day starts when Munchkin gets up. We take turns letting the dogs out as needed. We break for lunch usually when Daddy comes home, but his schedule has been a little crazy lately so we just eat lunch between 11:00 and 12:00.  The dogs eat lunch when we eat.  I’ve found that they both do better getting 3 smaller meals rather than 2 larger meals.

After lunch, it’s back to school work. Usually the dogs need some play time. We’ll also give them chew treats (or treats in their Kong toys) to keep them occupied if we need to really focus on what we’re doing.  Once Munchkin is done with her school work, she does her chores, and then she’ll allowed to play.  I sneak in household chores here and there throughout the day.

Since we have two very active dogs, we make sure they get lots of play time and activity that keeps their minds busy. Active dogs, busy minds means less problems with mischief. (Wyatt is very curious about the camera here, so he started to stalk both me and the camera. I moved just in time to avoid getting pounced on. lol!)

The dogs eat the evening meal around 5:00, and then they enjoy more time outside (while being supervised as they often play rough with each other). After Daddy gets home, we eat our dinner and relax for a bit before heading out on our evening walk. Lately, we usually head over to the dog park as part of their evening exercise as it helps tire them out. The last couple of nights, they’ve enjoyed playing with some other dogs at the park.  When we get back, the go directly to the back yard for some water and a bathroom break. By the time we get done with their nightly routine, it’s time for everyone to start getting ready for bed. Wiley and Wyatt play briefly before Wyatt is put in his crate for the night.

Wyatt decided to bury his pigs ear in the toy basket to hide it from Wiley. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t a good hiding place because Wiley came up right behind him and snagged it. Having dogs is a lot of work – especially when they are younger, but it’s definitely worth it!