# how long can he hold his bladder?



## mintesa (Mar 30, 2008)

Hi
my puppy is 7 months now.
I always come home for lunch to make him pee. once hubby forgot so he was fine 8 hours with no pee.

But how is it at 7 months? Is it okey to leave him alone while we work, 8 hrs, or is it better to come home at lunch time? Hubby wants someone to go home for lunchtime, he thinks it is torture otherwise.


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## rileysmommy (Jan 4, 2010)

I have read from various sources that you can calculate how long they can hold it as 1 hour per 1 month of age so in theory your seven month old should be able to hold it for seven hours. My five month old maltese bichon for example, can hold his bladder for about five to six hours during the day and about seven to eight hours at night. I think it may also depend on the dog though.

I work eight hour shifts as well but have never left him alone in there for that long other than at bedtime. I pay my neighbor's fourteen year old to come and take him for a potty break in the middle of the day since I can't come home for lunch. Personally, I think a seven month old may be too young to be left in the crate for that long.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

How long is all dependant on breed, size of dog, age and most importantly fluid intake. If you know you must be out for long periods of time dont put downa gallon of water for your pooch. By age 7 months their bladder control is about at its peak.

Contrary to popular belief an indoor dog does not need an endless supply of water. If they stay outside thats an entirely different story as they wil tend to be more active and if its hot they need to stay hydrated. What goes in must come out. Make sure you get up early enough so your pooch can get a good fill of water and eliminate before you have to leave. When I go out I leave no more than a pint in the water dish for a labrador, amount varies on size of dog. A good training regimen will suggest water being offered with their meals, after excercise and after play time. Drinking their fill 5-6 times/day is plenty (I leave plenty down when I am home to let pooch out). To stop the 3 am potty time simply pick up food and water an hour before bed time and take your pooch out before bed.


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## momtoharley (Jan 2, 2010)

We got our pup a few weeks ago and I kept reading the "one hour for each month of age, plus 1" for calculating how long they could hold their urine--but I could find no actual medical research that was based on. I think it varies by dog--size probably has less to do with it than we think, as my Shih Tzu started going all night (9 hours) at 7 1/2 weeks; he could go at least 6 hours during the day without peeing (he had access to pee pads, but chose not use them). I would say he's fine at 7 months, but if your husband likes to come home to walk him, and that's feasible, I would keep doing it. I hired a dog walker for the days I work, because I want him to have some social interaction and mental/physical stimulation in the middle of the day.


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## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

My Puppy is 12 weeks (I think) and she can hold her bladder for 8-9 hours at night. during the day I put her out often as she is potty training, so I dont know about holding it during the day. We were told by a previous trainer that pups (our other dog was 6 months at the time) sleep for 18-20 hours and it was ok to leave them kenneled this long...however I disagree. I dont know a whole lot about dogs as I havent had dogs since I was a kid up till recently...but my puppy plays most of the day and is very active, I cant see her being in her crate during the day for 8 hrs after she just spent the night there. I would definatly keep coming home to let your puppy out if that is an option. 

As for the water thing, its my understanding that more is better. I have read never limit their water intake. Having a cat with crystals and a complete blockage...I would never limit water on any of my pets as the urine gets concentrated and can become a breeding ground for bacteria.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I also wonder where the 1 hr. for each month plus one, comes from. I think each dog is different. They can obviously go longer at night because things are quiet and they are sleeping. That would also affect how long they can go in a crate during the day if they have been sleeping all night.

My now four month old Shih Tzu x has been going all night in her crate since she was three months old (8 or 9 hrs.). I free feed and they have access to water at all times. She is not crated during the day. All but one of my dogs, I have raised from puppies and have done it the same way with all of them.


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## mintesa (Mar 30, 2008)

hi guys. thank you for your answers. I forgot to mention that my puppy is not crated anymore. he has free run in the house except for the bedrooms and computer room.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

If not crated to reduce activity and slow the body, I think the mid day break is essential.


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## buster12 (Jan 25, 2010)

Hello, my dog was terrible to train, but heres a good article about bladder holding times and potty training help. Also there is a bit about crate training.

here is the article


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

misty073 said:


> As for the water thing, its my understanding that more is better. I have read never limit their water intake. Having a cat with crystals and a complete blockage...I would never limit water on any of my pets as the urine gets concentrated and can become a breeding ground for bacteria.


This is true and also untrue. I limited my labs water intake in the beginning because he was non stop pee factory. Drink till bowl is empty......Wait 15-20 minutes.....urintate......repeat. Advice was solicited from both my Vet and Trainer who both gave me the same advice. Simply he did not need that much water. When it was limited it was to getting filled 6 times daily or about 4 Gals/day. Which is far more than any housed animal requires. Unlimited it was more than double that amount. Can you imagine a 25 lb dog consuming 4 gals in a day, well that was the restricted intake. The advice is not to deprive the animal of hydration, its to alleviate unnecessary fluid intake resulting in no fewer than 30 trips out the door daily.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

We never leave food or water in the crate. Most of our puppies have been fine with the water dish available when ever they are out of the crate. We did have to take it up early evening with some. I think some of them will drink and drink just because the water is there. I think I have seen them try to drink it all up before the other dogs get it.


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