10-week-old puppy schedule: a sample day

At 10 weeks your puppy's day still runs on short loops: wake, toilet, eat or play, toilet, nap. The Royal Kennel Club gives 15–20 hours of sleep a day for puppies up to 12 weeks, the AKC suggests four meals a day until about 12 weeks, and puppies still need the toilet straight after waking and within about fifteen minutes of eating (Royal Kennel Club). What changes from 8 weeks: awake spells stretch a little, your puppy explores more, and many owners can push the night trip later.

A sample day for a 10-week-old puppy

This example assumes you get up at 6:30 and go to bed around 22:30. Shift it to your hours; keep the order.

Between those points, a toilet trip about every hour while your puppy is awake. The RSPCA suggests every 45 minutes to an hour for young puppies, and the AKC suggests a trip after every change of activity.

What changes from 8 weeks

• Slightly longer awake spells. Your puppy may manage a bit more play before it needs to sleep. Still keep sessions short: the AKC says several short play sessions are better than one long one.
• More curiosity. This is a good age for short, positive meetings with new sounds, surfaces and calm people at home.
• The night trip can move later. If your puppy stays dry, push the alarm 15–30 minutes later every few nights.
• Still four meals. The AKC suggests four meals up to about 12 weeks, then three.

The rules behind the schedule

Sleep. 15–20 hours a day for puppies aged 4–12 weeks (Royal Kennel Club). An overtired puppy gets bitey and wild; add a nap before that time of day. See overtired puppy.

Toilet. Straight after waking, within about fifteen minutes of a meal (stool within about half an hour), after play and excitement (Royal Kennel Club). The AKC's rule of thumb is that a puppy can hold it about one hour per month of age (PetMD adds one more), so roughly 2.5–3.5 hours at most at 10 weeks while resting. Treat that as a maximum, not a target. The potty schedule tool builds the day around your own times.

Food. Four evenly spaced meals (AKC), the last one well before bed. The feeding schedule tool works out the times.

Make it fit your puppy

Every puppy is a bit different. Log naps, meals and toilet trips for a few days and adjust the plan to what you see: the nap that always runs long, the accident that always happens after evening play. DogsLife does that with one tap per event. When your puppy reaches 12 weeks, move on to the 12-week-old puppy schedule.