I’ve recently had a sit with 2 dogs & currently in a sit with one dog. The dogs for both sits didn’t/don’t have a particular time for their walks & neither did/do they have regular meals, just have their bowls kept full of dried food so they can graze.
I was always under the impression that dogs liked a routine. This is the first time I’ve come across a lack of routine for walks & food since I started housesitting early 2019 (now on #49).
What experience have you had?
We’ve had that occasionally, especially for walking times. It doesn’t bother me.
I find it more difficult when, for example, doggies have a routine of 1 walk a day, but could clearly benefit from more.
I’d love to treat them and take them out more, but I stick to the routine, cause when the owner comes back it’ll be back to one walk a day, so it’s not up to me to change it. 
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Growing up, we had a single dog. He was free-fed and there was no specific time that his kibble was filled up. Just dinner-ish. As an adult, I’ve always had dogs in pairs and my last set were competitive eaters. There were set mealtimes and they knew exactly when. Breakfast was at 430 am (that time was set by one of the dogs, and she never wavered) and dInner was at 430pm. She would stare me down shortly before each meal, to make sure I did’t miss it. 10+ years and we never did. 
Both came from slightly neglectful homes, so maybe they really needed that security of set mealtimes? I do think most pets thrive on routine.
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Not sure about the 0430 breakfast! What would have happened if you’d changed that to 0700? And surely the dog wasn’t staring you down at 0430? Shouldn’t you have been asleep? 
I must admit @Els that I do often walk the dogs more than they’re used to if, as you say, they could benefit from it. I know they owners are unlikely to follow suit on their return but I see it as a holiday for the dogs too.
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She was a Golden Retriever. Snout height to the edge of my bed and pillow. She could jump up and wake us, or pace around the bed until someone gave in. There was a time that I tried to ignore her. SHE LICKED MY EYELIDS! After that, we gave in. I had to leave for work at 530 or so anyway, so an extra half hour wouldn’t have made that much of a difference. And she was just so danged cute, we couldn’t resist her.
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We found that dogs are more apt to have a routine, because they need that morning/evening outside time for a potty break. Our grand pup has dry food in his bowl at all times, so he’s a bit of a grazer. That being said, our cats did wake us up each morning, and they ate dry food. The big guy ate a lot more than the little ones, so he was the demanding one.
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