Honestly, I wish I was talking about myself.

Remember being a kid and not wanting to take naps? And now as an adult, I would love to a nap because I rarely feel rested.

But alas, I’m referring to puppy naps, “teenage” puppies to be exact! (Anything past about ten weeks old gets called a teenager around here.) So along with the “littles” (all the current puppies in our litters) we have Lyric, Asher and Bonus to contend with. They’re still in the puppy training stage and during the day are mostly contained in the dining area. I block off the kitchen because it’s to tempting to sneak around the bar area and potty on the floor when mom’s not paying attention. And I block off the entrance to the living room because the moms do not appreciate bouncy teenagers coming near their homes and babies and tend to get defensive (which makes them sometimes step on puppies in their protecting mode).

The dining area is perfect for puppy training as the back door to the yard is in this room. So usually about every thirty minutes we are heading outside for a potty break. Sometimes it’s a quick trip in and out, and other times they want to run and play so they stay out longer.

We have three wire crates in the dining room for meals and nap times for the “kids”.

The three amigos sleep upstairs in the puppy room, but once morning comes they head out to potty and play first thing and then spend the rest of the day in the dining area. Once I get done with the morning chores, they are ready for breakfast in their crates (and a short nap). They’re in the crates for about an hour. Then it’s back outside to potty and back inside to play.

About noon to one o’clock they go back in their crates. Asher and Lyric are now on a twice a day feeding schedule, but Bonus still gets fed three times a day. But they all go in their crates (the big ones will get a small treat or something to chew on) and have another nap.

Then we repeat, back outside to potty and play, back inside to play (and distract me while I try to work) Man, can three teenagers get noisy when they play!

Dinner and back into their crates in the evening for some more quiet time. Then they are outside again to potty and get the wiggles out before they head to bed for the night.

(yes, covering the crate helps to settle them down, especially a new, fussy puppy. Right, Bonus?”)

I can’t tell you how much I look forward to nap time, though! 😉