My Evening Routine With 3 Dogs: Night Walk, a 20-Minute Bath and Lights Out
My evening routine doesn’t start with me. It starts with three small dogs lined up on the floor, waiting for their Clean Breath chews. Dinner, a night walk, paws and teeth come first, and only after all three are taken care of do I get my 20-minute half-body bath, my skincare layers and lights out.
I live with my husband and our three dogs: our 14-year-old Pomeranian girl and two 3-year-old boys, a mini goldendoodle and a maltipoo. When people picture an evening routine, they usually picture candles and a face mask. Mine has a leash and a dog toothbrush in it too.
Below is the whole thing in order, with photos from one real night: what the dogs get and when, how warm my bath is and how long I stay in, the bath soaks I use, what sits on my bath tray, and the exact skincare I layered that night, from thinnest to thickest. I also timed each part, and I’ll show you how it all changes when we go camping. I’m not a doctor or a vet. This is just what my nights look like right now.
| Step | What I do | Good to know |
| Clean Breath | One chew for each dog, right before dinner | Under a minute for all three |
| Dinner | Homemade chicken food mixed with prescription kibble, about 70:30 | Every bowl is a slow feeder |
| Night walk | All three dogs on one leash | At least 30 minutes, sometimes an hour |
| Paws, faces, teeth | Paws washed one leg at a time at the sink, faces with water, then teeth | A little over 2 minutes of brushing per dog |
| Half-body bath | Water around my waist, about 102°F (39°C), with a lavender Epsom salt soak | 20-minute timer, sometimes closer to 30 |
| Hair mask | On my hair during the soak, twice a week | About 10 minutes |
| Skincare | Ampoule, essence, gel, barrier balm, cream | Thinnest to thickest, about 5 minutes |
| Body | Body mousse first, body oil last | My RF device goes first on device nights |
| Hair | Night creme on my ends | Right before bed |
| Best for / Good to know | Best for dog parents who want a slower night without dropping any dog care | Good to know: if hot water makes you lightheaded, keep the bath shorter and cooler |
The Dogs Come First in My Evening Routine
The first half of my evening routine belongs to the dogs. Right before dinner, each one gets a Zesty Paws Clean Breath chew. All of their other supplements go into breakfast, chopped up and mixed into their food so they can’t pick them out. Clean Breath is the one exception. It’s the only chew they get straight from my hand, one dog at a time, and it’s the only supplement that happens at night. I wrote out every supplement and when each one goes in, in my daily dog supplement routine.
Then dinner. All three eat homemade chicken food mixed with their prescription kibble, about 70% homemade and 30% kibble. They’re all fast eaters, so every bowl is a slow feeder, and our oldest girl’s bowl is the raised kind so she doesn’t have to bend her neck as far. If you’re curious about the ratio, here’s how I mix homemade dog food with kibble.
Our Night Walk: Three Dogs on One Leash
After dinner, we head out for the night walk. All three dogs go on one leash that splits into three, and we walk for at least 30 minutes, sometimes a full hour. The goal is simple: tired dogs by bedtime.
They get a morning walk too, so this is their second walk of the day, and it happens every night. On a night without it, they get a little cranky and restless. Once they’ve burned off all that energy, I can finally relax, because I know they’ll settle down and sleep.
Our 14-year-old walks the whole way with the boys. She and our mini goldendoodle both think they’re the leader, so there’s a little tug-of-war over who gets to be in front. She tires out faster than the boys if they start running, but she still wants to sniff every bush on the route, and she gets to.
The night walk is also their last potty break of the day. Whatever they don’t finish outside, they take care of on the pee pads in the early morning hours.
Paws, Faces and Teeth Before Bed
As soon as we’re back inside, everyone gets their paws washed. I do it at the bathroom sink, one dog at a time and one leg at a time, with earthbath oatmeal and aloe dog shampoo. It’s the same shampoo we use on bath day. I only reach for dog wipes when we’re camping or out in the car. We keep doing this on Frontline nights too, since only the legs get wet and the dose sits up between the shoulder blades. I explained why in how long after flea treatment you can bathe your dog.
We live in a hot, dry climate, so their paws air dry fast, and I save brushing their coats for the next morning. Then I wash their faces with water, and the dogs’ half of the night ends with teeth. Doing this every single night is a big part of how I keep my dogs clean between grooming appointments.
I brush with a finger brush and dog toothpaste, and it takes me a little over two minutes per dog. Our youngest boy is the most dramatic about it, so he gets a lot of kisses and “good boy” while I work. Our oldest girl isn’t a fan either, so I go slowly with her. Our mini goldendoodle just sits there and lets me do it. If you’re wondering about frequency, I shared how often I brush my dogs’ teeth.
My 20-Minute Half-Body Bath (Water Level, Temperature, Timer)
Once the dogs are settled, it’s my turn. In Korea we call this banshinyok, a half-body bath. The water comes up to around my waist, so my upper body stays out of the water, and I keep it at about 102°F (39°C).
I can’t tell you when I took my first one, but doing it almost every night only started in the last year or two. Now it’s a fixed part of my night.
I set a 20-minute timer on my phone and lean the phone against the wall at the edge of the tub, so I can see how much time is left without getting up. Most nights I get out around when it goes off, and some nights I stay in closer to 30 minutes.
While I soak, I watch YouTube or listen to an audiobook on my iPad and sip ice water from my YETI tumbler. The night I took these photos, I had bubble bath in the water too. I looked into how hot and how long people recommend soaking, with the sources, in how I use body oil after a bath.
Good to know: if you feel dizzy or lightheaded in hot water, keep your soak shorter and cooler, keep water nearby and stand up slowly when you get out.
The Bath Soaks I Use: One for Night, One for Stiff Mornings
All three of my bath soaks are from Dr Teal’s, and for the price, I think they’re a really good deal. Here’s when each one goes in:
| Soak | When I use it |
| Dr Teal’s Epsom Salt Magnesium Soak, Soothe & Sleep with Lavender | Most nights, before bed |
| Dr Teal’s Epsom Salt Magnesium Soak, Wellness Therapy with Rosemary & Mint | Mornings I wake up stiff and heavy, right after I get up |
| Dr Teal’s Foaming Bath, Relax & Relief with Eucalyptus & Spearmint | Nights I want bubbles |
The lavender one is my night soak. After a soak with it, the puffiness goes down, I fall asleep easily and I sleep really deeply. On mornings I wake up feeling stiff and heavy, I take a half-body bath with the rosemary and mint one right after I get up, and it feels like it gives me a real boost of energy. When I want bubbles, the eucalyptus and spearmint foaming bath goes in.
Good to know: that’s just how my own body feels after a soak, not a promise of what it’ll do for you. If you have a health condition, check with your doctor before adding Epsom salt to your baths, and follow the directions on the bag.
What Stays in My Evening Routine on Tired Nights
Everything stays. I don’t cut steps on tired nights. If anything, the bath is the one part I make sure happens, and that’s when the lavender soak definitely goes in. A warm soak with something calming in the water is how the tiredness melts off for me, and I sleep better after it.
The dogs’ half doesn’t change either. Their night walk is what lets them settle down, so it happens no matter how tired I am.
What Sits on My Bath Tray
A wooden bath tray goes across the tub. That night it held three things: my iPad in the slot, my YETI tumbler of ice water in the cup holder and a folded checkered hand towel.
Twice a week, the tray also holds my hair mask, because those bath nights are mask nights. The mask goes on before I get in and stays on for about 10 minutes of the soak. My full hair routine, including the night creme I put on my ends, is in how to make hair less frizzy.
Skincare After the Bath, Thinnest to Thickest
My skincare changes with my skin, so some nights it’s a lot of layers and some nights it’s only a couple. Here’s exactly what I put on the night I took these photos, in order:
- NEEDSDERM Hyperceutical Repair Ampoule. A Korean ampoule in a 30 ml dropper bottle.
- Jerica AC-11 Essence. A Japanese essence, also 30 ml with a dropper.
- RIBESKIN EP+ After Care Booster Gel. A Korean gel in a 70 ml tube. The tube calls it a post-procedure gel, and the label lists EGF, centella asiatica extract, snail secretion filtrate and allantoin.
- NEEDSDERM Ultra Relief Barrier Balm. A Korean balm-type cream in an 80 ml tube, made for sensitive skin.
- PLAN de G Synbiotic All-in-One Cream. A Korean cream in a 50 ml jar, and the last layer.
The rule I follow is thinnest to thickest: the dropper bottles first, then the gel, then the balm and the cream to finish. Four of the five are Korean, plus one Japanese essence. The whole face routine takes me about five minutes.
My Face Device Nights
About once every two weeks, I use my Homecera, an at-home HIFU device, at night. My Hysonic, an ultrasonic device, comes out on nights my skin feels off or something has popped up, and every time I use it, my skin looks a lot better to me. That’s my own experience with my own skin, so take it as just that.
Good to know: if you’re adding something new, add one product at a time and patch test first, especially if your skin is sensitive like mine.
Body Cream First, Oil Last (and My Device Nights)
Then my body. Cream goes on first, as soon as I’m out of the tub and toweled off. Mine is mythos Nourishing Body Mousse, a whipped mousse that sinks in without feeling sticky.
Then body oil on top: Alqvimia Body Sculptor Body Oil. I put cream first because I want my skin to stay soft longer, and the oil is my finishing layer.
On device nights, my Cellmula I-ALL comes before both. It’s an at-home RF device with suction, and it has to be used with its own contact lotion, so it goes on clean skin first. I wipe the lotion off, then the cream and oil go on. I use it at least twice a week, and I broke down every step in that same body oil post.
Twice a Week, My Husband Gets a Massage Too
My Cellmula I-ALL doesn’t only get used on me. About twice a week, I give my husband a massage, one session for his upper body and one for his lower body, using the I-ALL’s RF and a deep tissue massager. I really try to do it properly.
Lying face down on the sofa or the bed bothered his neck, so I bought an Aucoza massage headrest, an adjustable 18-inch one that attaches to the edge of the sofa, with a cushion he rests his face in. Now he can lie face down comfortably while I work on his back, shoulders, neck, lower back and legs.
Hair Before Bed
Right before bed, I smooth Oribe Gold Lust Restorative Night Creme onto my ends. Then I put Biblian Be Strong Advanced Ampoule on my scalp and massage it in with a gua sha. Both happen right before I go to sleep.
Lights Out: Where Everyone Sleeps
By the time I’m done, the dogs are out cold. The two younger boys sleep pressed up against each other. Our oldest girl likes her own space, so she sleeps alone. She’ll climb onto the mattress, but when it’s time to actually sleep she always heads back down to the floor, so every night I lay a thick towel right next to the bed for her.
Then it’s lights out for me too.
How Long My Evening Routine Takes
I timed the parts I could. Here’s roughly how long each one takes on a normal night:
| Part | About how long |
| Clean Breath chews | Under a minute for all three. I just open the jar and hand them out |
| Night walk | 30 minutes to an hour |
| Brushing teeth | A little over 2 minutes per dog, so about 6 minutes for three |
| Half-body bath | 20 to 30 minutes |
| Face skincare | About 5 minutes |
That’s about an hour to an hour and 40 minutes for those parts alone. I’ve never timed dinner, paw washing or body care, so they aren’t in the table.
My Evening Routine When We’re Camping
When we go camping, my evening routine changes completely. The dogs eat first, and then my husband and I cook our own dinner over the campfire. That’s how we eat on every trip, and I shared how we end up cooking every meal on a campfire grate.
Once we’ve eaten, the dogs get their walk, and then we wash up ourselves. A half-body bath obviously isn’t happening at a campsite. Right before we all climb into the tent together, I wipe everyone’s paws with dog wipes made for paws. If you’re thinking about trying it, here’s what tent camping with dogs is really like.
Night Routine vs Evening Routine: What’s the Difference?
Most people use the two words for the same thing. In my house, I think of it in two halves. The evening routine starts with the dogs’ Clean Breath chews and ends when the last paw is dry. The night routine is my half: the bath and everything after it, all the way to lights out.
If you’re building your own, it helps to start with something that already happens every night, like walking a dog or washing up after dinner, and add the new steps after it.
How My Evening Routine Pairs With My Morning Routine
My mornings look completely different: a few quiet minutes before I touch my phone, a dog walk, 30 minutes on a stationary bike, an Epsom salt foot bath and a 40-minute red light sauna session. Mornings are where I move. Evenings are where I soak and layer. The dogs get a walk at both ends of the day, and on mornings I wake up stiff, I get a half-body bath at both ends too. Here’s my healthy morning routine step by step. My own supplements are split by time of day too: one group on an empty stomach, one after breakfast or lunch and one after dinner. The whole lineup, brand by brand, is in my Thorne vs Pure Encapsulations post.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you take one thing from my evening routine, make it the order: take care of whoever depends on you first, then give yourself one warm, slow thing, and keep your skincare going from thinnest to thickest. On tired nights, that warm part is the last thing I’d cut. My bath is 20 to 30 minutes at about 102°F, but start with whatever feels comfortable for you.
I also wrote down exactly where my hair mask goes in my wash order, before or after shampoo. Tell me in the comments what your evening routine starts with. And if you have more than one dog and their chews feel like a nightly puzzle, here’s how I give supplements to multiple dogs.
