New here? The complete guide collects all of it into one sheet, and the free schedule builder turns it into today's times. General puppy-raising guidance, never veterinary advice — the vaccine, portion and surgery decisions belong to your vet.
§ VIII — Notes
Notes from the first
months, in plain English.
Straight writing on the four things that decide whether the first months feel calm or chaotic: the potty schedule, how many meals by age, how much sleep a puppy actually needs, and the socialisation window that closes before the vaccines finish.
- A potty schedule that actually worksOne hour per month of age is the ceiling, not the plan. The four predictable triggers — waking, after meals, after naps, after play — are where the accidents actually come from.2026
- How many meals, by ageFour a day under three months, three until six, two after that. Why scheduled meals beat a bowl left out, and why the portion is your vet's question rather than ours.2026
- How much sleep a puppy needsEighteen to twenty hours a day for a young puppy — and the wild, bitey one at six in the evening is almost always the overtired one, not the under-exercised one.2026
- The socialisation windowBetween three and fourteen weeks a puppy decides what is normal for life, and the window shuts before the vaccine series finishes. How to do it anyway, safely.2026