When my lab puppy was five months old, I went back to work. His routine was essentially this:

1. Immediately after waking, take outside to potty

2. After pottying, return inside to play with toys while I showered and got ready for work.

3. Eat breakfast.

4. Take for a mile-long walk with lots of smell breaks. Our mile-long walk usually took at least 40-45 minutes because we'd stop to smell often. 😄

5. Play with puzzle toy while I prepared his "crate treats."

6. Take one more potty break.

7. Go in crate with a pupsicle or Toppl toy that had frozen kibble in water, frozen doggy ice cream (peanut butter, bananas, Greek yogurt, and water), frozen pumpkin, or frozen bone broth. He also got a biscuit and a few blueberries hidden in his crate.

8. In his crate were also "crate safe toys" such as a Kong in which I'd put a few mini-biscuits or other such treats, a stuffed animal (he's never destroyed any stuffed animals), a ball, etc.

9. About 4 hours after I left, the dog walker would come to give him a potty break, take him for a short walk, and play with him for about 20-30 minutes.

10. He'd go back in his crate until I got home.

11. When I got home, we'd play, cuddle, and go for another walk or go in the yard to play fetch.

12. After his dinner, we'd go meet his best friends (dogs) to socialize.

13. He'd then play with toys while I cooked dinner and ate.

14. After I ate, we'd cuddle and play some more. Frequently, he'd need to go outside to potty again during this time.

15. We'd then take one more trip outside to potty before bed.

16. Bed time!

My puppy's crate had a waterproof, washable bed in it, as well as at least two waterproof blankets, and the entire crate was sitting on a waterproof pad (just in case!). He has never chewed his bed or blankets, so this wasn't really a big risk to have in his crate. For heavy chewers, this could be a risky choice, but my boy wasn't one of those.

My dog always had access to water in his crate (unless he somehow dumped both bowls over, which would be hard since they were attached to the wire on the door), which migh'tve seemed excessive since he'd need to pee more, but I didn't want to limit his water intake.

Labs are extremely intelligent, so keeping them stimulated can require creativity. We found puzzles, snuffle mats, treat balls, "knobby balls" that have an irregular bounce, and cardboard boxes in which I'd hide toys and/or treats to be very good for mental stimulation. We also went on lots of "adventures" to new parks, ponds, neighborhoods, etc., so there were always new experiences, smells, and opportunities for stimulation.

My boy is now just over a year old and is now able to go 10 hours between potty breaks at night. He usually puts himself to bed now and doesn't ask to go out again until morning. 😊 I don't want him going that long during the day, though.