My daily routine to care for my Labrador Retrievers.
Labrador Retriever Dog Training
There are a few things I do on a daily basis to make sure my dogs are well taken care of. I wanted to share that with you all. I hopeful that you will find one thing that you can add into your daily routine to care for your own dogs that will improve both you and your dogs lives.
"If the dog does not perform well, living a good life, being well-fed, and with social interactions the training system is flawed." - Ivan Balabanov
I have found that the easier you make it to care for your dogs the better you will take care of them. I have come up with what works best for me. There are certainly days where time is not on my side but I try to stick to my routine.
Daily Care Routine
Love them up
Potty break and kennel cleaning
First feeding
Downtime
Playtime
Downtime
Training time
Second feeding
Lounge time
Potty break
Bed time
Love them up
This is usually the first thing in the morning when I start to get them out. I try to spend 10-15 minutes with each dog as I let them out of their kennel to love up on them. I give each of them full attention first thing when they come out of their kennel. They work extremely hard when needed and I like to remind them that I appreciate that.
Potty break and Kennel cleaning
Next, it's time for a potty break. While they are doing that I will clean their kennels. I keep it simple during the week and do a deep cleaning on Saturday or Sunday. If I am being honest, there are certain times of the year where the kennel is just a dirty as it was before I cleaned it directly after they return from the potty break.
First Feeding
The first feeding of the day usually happens pretty early in the morning. I like to feed about 1/3rd of their food in the morning and 2/3rds at night. I believe it helps to keep them motivated during the day and light on their feet. They probably think I am starving them to death.
Downtime
After their first feeding I like to give them plenty of time to digest their food. I do not want them to be running around and jumping after feeding. Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), commonly know as bloat, is a serious condition with dogs that should be avoided at all costs.
Playtime
I like to give the dogs some free play time after they have fully digested their first feeding. They get to run around without anything being asked of them. This is their opportunity to just be a dog and have some fun. This is usually where the wife steps in as of right now. She will make sure they get their playtime in while I am working most days.
Downtime
When the dogs have had a chance to run around they will get back into their kennels for some more downtime.
Training Time
My dogs get training time almost every day. I strive to get them into formal training situations everyday. Of course, every moment we get to spend with our dogs is an opportunity for training but there is also scheduled time to work on specific things.
Second Feeding
Dinner time! After training they will get their dinner. This is the 2/3rds of their daily food amount floated in water. I always have the dogs sit and wait until they are released to eat. I will again leave them in their kennel for a period of time after they eat to make sure they have time to digest.
Lounge Time
This is not a daily occurrence. Typically every other night or so we will let one of the dogs out in the living room to lounge and get some extra loving and attention. This is an effort to make them comfortable being in the house. I believe this is really spoiling them but they deserve it.
Potty Break
I will let the dogs out one more time before putting them up for the night. I do not always make sure they fully relieve themselves but give them the opportunity to.
Bedtime
That's it for our daily routine. I like to put them up just before the rest of us are getting ready for bed and make sure they are settled in for the night.
Summing up.
I hope you were able to take something away from the way that I care for my dogs. I couldn't do this without the help from my better half but together we do our best to make sure that our dogs have the best life possible. If you found this helpful, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
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