# What is/was your morning beauty/puppy routine?



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Well, as my morning "beauty" routine ranges from 2.5 minutes when I am in a hurry (splash wash, lenses in, teeth cleaned, out the door) to 20 minutes when I have more time (add bath and even hair wash and blow dry to the above) I may not be the best person to ask, but I suspect you may need to find ways of speeding up your routine, or allow for it to take twice as long with puppy assistance! As I recall my routine with puppies was along the lines of:
Wake up, take puppy out.
Feed puppy, make coffee.
Forget to drink coffee while playing with puppy.
Take puppy out.
Carry puppy upstairs, play silly game on the bathmat while the bath runs. 
Wash rapidly while watching puppy.
Get out of bath to prevent puppy emptying bathroom waste bin; decide it is now not worth getting back in.
Get dry while puppy plays tug with towel.
Try to clean teeth and insert lenses while protecting bare toes from puppy teeth.
Take puppy out. Drink cold coffee. Play with puppy.
Realise it is now late and I am still not dressed. Throw on the nearest cleanish items. Look in mirror. Dig out something with longer sleeves to cover up marks from puppy teeth and claws.
Get distracted playing with puppy, and lose another 15 minutes. Drag a dog comb (nearest available implement) through my hair, take puppy out once more, settle puppy for a snooze, try and remember what I was meant to be doing today.
Hover over sleeping puppy, melting at the tiny pink baked bean paw pads and perfect nose and darling puppiness and warm snuggliness. 
Just possibly manage to get something useful done before pup wakes up again...


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

LOL fjm! DSharon, I think you'll just have to kind of wait and see how it goes. You and the puppy will get into a rhythm, but it will be challenging the first few weeks.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

> **5 AM**
> Wake up, take puppy out
> **5:15**
> Shower, puppy in Xpen eating first meal
> ...


I don't know how you can expect to wear make-up and do much with your hair with a new puppy. (well, _maybe_...if you only have one puppy):2in1: If I were working, this is what my schedule would look like...not too far off from yours.

1) Take puppy out 5:00 am

2) get coffee 5:05

3) wake up 5:15

4) feed puppy 5:17

5) get coffee 5:25

6) take puppy out 5:40

7) Shower 5:45 (do not waste time looking in mirror) 

8) get dressed 5:55

9) Take puppy out for potty, then little romp and play 6:00

10) eat breakfast 6:20

11) clean up after breakfast 6:40 

12) brush teeth

13) Take puppy out for potty, then play a quiet game, snuggle puppy. 6:55

14) Put puppy away and get in car. 7:00 
Brush hair and put make-up on (if you must) on your way to work. (at stop lights) :act-up:


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Hahahahahaha!!!!!! You must be young and single w/no kids! A puppy is much like having a new baby.......the schedule will determine itself, but having that outline will help! Just expect the unexpected! Do give yourself plenty of time though so you don't become overwhelmed by the 'puppy blues' it's kinda like post partum depression LOL!!!!


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

This won't be helpful as I've long since abandoned a beauty routine (and the jobs that required that!). I based my daily puppy routine on recommendations from Ian Dunbar. Dogs are most active early and late in the day, and mostly sleep in the middle. I spent that early morning time with my puppy in a 'safe' area (the kitchen) so that he could have time out of his crate before my work day, and time with me. I fed exclusively from my hand (reinforcement for everything, from potty to basic manners and obedience training) and food balls in the am and pm. The food balls kept him occupied while I tended to morning preps. (My favorites were inexpensive soft green plastic from a big box pet store). I left him in his crate with a frozen kong when I went to work (Dr. Dunbar's suggestion). Kongs are still part of the daily routine, and I've added stuffed and frozen femur bones. I used the kongs during early trips to my training club to keep puppy occupied while I worked with my older dog. Niw they are 'dessert' after meals, or at random times to keep the dogs busy.

Early puppy days were time-intensive, an investment in building a strong bond and solid house training. Life is much more relaxed now. I remember wondering if this would be my last puppy, if I could handle the early morning dashes downstairs and outside, the constant focus on the pup to prevent unwanted behavior and reward the desirable. But t sure was worth it! I have an energetic spoo that has good focus in the agility ring.

Here's an early photo from our morning confinement in the kitchen!


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

I hate mornings, getting up early and taking any more time than necessary to get out the door. Before puppy I got up between 7:35 and 7:45 and was out the door by 8. Evening-before prep was my best friend and still is. 

With pup's arrival I pushed my wake up time to 7am figuring I would basically have to double the amount of time I would need. Your pup will help determine your routine depending on its needs. 

Our older mix dog hated getting up as a puppy - he'd get up eat, do his business and want to go back to sleep. But in the nighttime he would be very active. I also got him in University, so my schedule was very wonky and he learned quickly to move when people move and not before. Shae, our spoo puppy, on the other hand is a morning dog. Born ready to roll as soon as the sun comes up.

This is typically how my work mornings go with Shae:

7am alarm work on waking up for a few min; get up - pee, brush teeth, deoderant, put pjs on.
7:10ish - take Shae out of crate and take outside. Walk around yard for 5-10 min. 
7:15ish spend a half hour training using breakfast kibble and playing fetch.
7:45 - put together my prepped lunch and package my oatmeal to eat at work.
7:50 - take Shae out again.
7:55 - Shae in crate while I get dressed.
8:00 - jet

Note - the half hour isn't enough exercise for Shae (high energy), but we are fortunate that DH gets home from work around 8/9 so she gets more play time then. Depends on the pup.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

It's so nice when they mature. I almost always get up between 5 and 6:30 in the morning. The poodle boys are use to it...their crate doors open at that time. They may or may not want to go outside and if they do, they often go back to sleep. Well, my daughter came over last night, spent the night, went to work this morning. I slept until 7:50!!!! I never sleep that late. That was highly unusual. But the poodle boys didn't make a peep. They just kept right on snoozing until I got up and made my coffee and opened their crate doors. They're so easy and go with the flow these days.:angel: One small thing to look forward to once puppies grow up. :amen:


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