Aww there isn’t anything much cuter than a 10 week old puppy;, here at Zigzag we are huge fans! But at 10 weeks old a good routine and schedule is really going to help you crack the sleep and nap time routine. We bang on about sleep ALOT at Zigzag but that’s because it is so very important for your pup’s developing body and mind. Your pup will and should sleep a lot in those early weeks, they’re still so little.
A feeding, playing, and, toilet training schedule will also help you get into the groove of what your puppy needs, at what time and will generally save you a lot of stress. Knowledge is power, right?
In this 10-week puppy schedule article, we’re going to help you figure out when they’re due their next vaccinations and just how much they’ll be teething. We’ll also let you know what training schedule you can start with your 10-week-old puppy, what exercise amount is appropriate, what kind of puppy food you should be feeding, and what training comes next for your 10-week-old pup.
If you’ve come here looking for the ultimate schedule for your 10-week-old puppy, we have a detailed journey for you in our Zigzag puppy training app. Not only do we have lessons based around your 10-week-old pup’s emotional and developmental milestones, but we also have a team of puppy coaches available for support, 7 days a week. You don’t need to be alone in puppy raising with Zigzag.
10-week schedule: second vaccinations and teething!
Some puppies will have been in their new homes a couple of weeks by this point, some of you may have only just picked your puppy up from their breeder. Either way it’s an important time for a pup; their second vaccinations and teething are on the way, and they’re also in quite a sensitive period AKA fear period, so be prepared for an anxious and uncomfortable pup.
Many breeders now give puppies their first vaccinations before they go to their new homes. It’s important if your breeder has done the first vaccination to find a Vet who uses the same brand so as not to slow down how long it will be before you take them out. Read our full guide to puppy vaccinations for more on that.
Now onto teething. Your 10-week-old puppy’s teething schedule is coming into its own, they don’t have those sharp little milk teeth for long, and their adult teeth will be pushing through. Expect them to be in quite a bit of pain and they’ll likely be drooling and biting everything in sight! Yes it’s normal to feel like you have a baby shark at 10 weeks old, they might be putting everything in their mouth, jumping up at you for reassurance, grabbing onto clothes, it’s quite normal and all a part of puppy behaviour.
Sleep will feature heavily in your puppy’s day, they need around 18 hours a day. Lack of sleep means overtiredness and angsty pups, who are more likely to be bitey and generally just a bit manic. They probably won’t be sleeping through the night just yet and will still need toilet breaks, but try and get them to sleep a fair bit in the daytime. Crates and playpens can help with this as they give your puppy a chill out zone that they can fully relax in.
What you should start doing at 10-weeks
Puppies are always learning, so at 10 weeks old you can train your puppy all kinds of basic cues and commands. You’ll probably want to focus on things which are useful to you and important for them like nighttime sleep training, socialisation, toilet training and giving them plenty of outlets for chewing and biting. The fancy trick training can come later!
Get yourself and your 10-week-old puppy into a routine
Puppies thrive on routines. Knowing what comes next and life being dependable helps build confidence in your puppy. New puppy parenthood is also hard, so work out a routine that’s going to work for you and make your life easier by knowing what you should be doing.
For a 10-week-old puppy schedule, there will generally be a cycle of sleep, wake up and toilet, eat, toilet, play, toilet, sleep, toilet, bit more toilet.. and so on.
Create a toilet training schedule
Yep, there’s no getting away from it, it really is all about the toilet!! Your 10-week-old puppy will need to go to the toilet frequently so implementing a toilet training schedule of when to take them out and setting reminders in your phone will help you not forget. Toilet training takes time, and puppies learn through repetition that going to the toilet in the right place will mean rewards, but there can be a few accidents before you get to that point. By creating a schedule you won’t forget to take your puppy out, and there’ll be less chance of accidents!
Create a socialisation schedule
At 10 weeks old, your pup will be in their socialisation window. This is a period of time where pups are more receptive to new things, and they learn a lot about the world. Read our full article on socialisation for more information.
Use puzzle toys to start teaching a 10-week-old puppy about problem-solving
Puppy exercise isn’t always about walking. A 10-week-old puppy’s brain is desperate to be stretched, so use interactive puzzle toys, stuffed kongs, and training games to keep up with these little Einsteins. Of course, they might fall asleep halfway through, but that’s ok!
Have lots of chew toys available for your puppy
Teething means sore gums and also a desire to chew chew chew. If you have plenty of toys around for your puppy to chew on, it will save your skirting boards. Consider letting them have edible chews too as they’re really tasty, and often more attractive to your puppy!
Decide on the rules of your house
Puppies thrive on knowing what’s expected of them. You can do this by deciding the rules in your house, writing it out and popping it on the fridge. Then you’ll know everyone is on the same page., and expecting the same things from your puppy.
Research puppy socialisation classes
Finding a good socialisation class for your puppy is important, we all need puppy school don’t we? Finding the right one can be tricky, ideally, you want one that will take you at 10-12 weeks. Choose a member from one of the organisations in the UK Dog Charter so you can be sure they use positive reinforcement based methods.
Enjoy that sweet 10-week-old puppy breath and smell
They’re really not little for very long, so enjoy that goofy puppyness and don’t be in a rush to make them grow up too quickly.
10-Week-Old Puppy Behaviour
There are particular things you might experience with your 10-week-old puppy’s behaviour at the 10-week stage. They are basically like a toddler, and have little control of their emotions at this age, they get tired very quickly and will be dribbling a lot.
Here’s some behaviour you can expect from your 10-week-old pup:
10 week old puppy drooling
Teething and sore gums will feature highly in your puppy’s behaviour. Puppies lose their baby teeth because the adult ones are pushing through, this can cause a lot of pain, and an increase in saliva.
Read our full guide to when does my puppy lose their teeth to learn more.
Playfulness
Puppies practise hunting behaviour through playing, and will enjoy you being their play partner as they chase and pounce on toys. Different breeds of dogs have different play styles, your Border Collie will probably play in quite a different way to next door’s pug!
Play is great for building a relationship and life long bond with your pup, try some of our training games to sneak in some training at the same time. Also, make sure you don’t just play a bunch and then walk off leaving them high and dry with all that energy and excitement! They need time and a bit of help to calm down
at this age.
A 10-week-old puppy needs a sleep schedule…and plenty of it!
Your 10-week-old puppy’s sleeping schedule will be important. We’ve said it before and will say again… we can’t stress how much they need to sleep at this age. They are growing at a rate of knots, emotionally, mentally and physically and they need those down time hours in the daytime to recharge, reset and rest.
What exercise will my 10-week-old puppy need?
A 10-week-old puppy will not be fully vaccinated so won’t be going outside the house for walks, however, that doesn’t mean you can’t physically exercise them, but you’ll do this mostly through play.
Play is an important part of time well spent with your puppy at 10 weeks of age, it will make you the best thing ever, helps them stay fit and healthy, and it’s also a great stress reliever.
Mental exercise via training and enrichment is also a great bet at this age to keep them stimulated and relieve boredom. Training lessons from the Zigzag app will work on your pup’s stage of mental development, and enrichment doesn’t have to be lots of interactive games, it can also be through socialisation outings, using a puppy bag, puppy stroller or a car carrier to let them experience the world safely.
What should I be feeding my 10-week-old puppy?
Your 10-week-old puppy may still be on 4 meals a day – this is fine! Some people may have already dropped to 3 meals, but for many 10-week-old pups 4 meals help to keep them full and deliver enough food throughout the day.
Whether you feed your 10-week-old puppy 3 or 4 meals, and whether that’s wet or dry commercial dog food, homemade dog food, or raw food, what you need to make sure is that you’re feeding a portion of complete age-appropriate puppy food.
Some foods and food recipes and formulations are labelled as complementary and don’t give your puppy a complete nutrient profile which can be harmful. Puppies have a fast growth rate so getting the right ratios of fats, proteins, carbs and essential minerals will be important for their development.
For more information, read our articles on puppy nutrition and how much you should feed your puppy.
How to continue training past the 10-week puppy schedule?
Training never stops with dogs, and especially not with puppies, they are very willing pupils. Your puppy is at the very beginning of their training journey and will be learning about the world through socialisation experiences. It’s important that these are positive for your puppy so that they’re comfortable with them later on.
A 10- week old puppy will continue to be learning about toilet training, how to sleep through the night, you’ll start basic command training and start teaching them how to cope being home alone.
Finding a puppy socialisation class will be the next logical step here. Do your research, watch a few, and join one that uses positive reinforcement training. It’s the best way to train dogs. Members belonging to organisations signed up to the UK Dog Charter all use these methods, so you can be sure the training will be kind and effective.
Your puppy schedule at 10 weeks of age will mainly focus on socialisation, toilet training, sleep training, plenty of play and controlling their chewing. Getting them into a routine and a day-to-day schedule will make everyone’s life just that little bit easier, and you’ll feel more in control too.
Check out our article on your week by week schedule for your puppy up to 4 months of age, or maybe you’re thinking about picking out a puppy harness soon.
You can also carry on your puppy training journey with the Zigzag app. We’ll take you through a science-backed programme that’s based on the most up to date research and methods and focus on you building a great relationship with your pup. Week by week we’ll give you content that’s relevant to your puppy’s life stage and developmental milestones. We know that sometimes having someone to talk to is a bit of a life saver as a new puppy parent. That’s why we’ve got a team of puppy trainers on board to talk to you 7 days a week, just give them a call and they’ll be happy to help.
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