How long can a puppy hold it

[dgp]

Hi,

I have a 14-week old girl puppy who doesn't seem to be able to hold her pee for very long. My wife is a stay at home mom, so she is not left alone for more than 3-4 hours ever. However, it seems like anything over about 2 hours and she pees in her crate. We always make sure she goes before we leave, and we don't have water/food in her crate with her while we're gone, so I guess my question is, is this normal or should we have her checked for a Urinary Tract Infection? I've heard the conventional wisdom is you can leave them for the number of months old they are + 1, so a 3 month old puppy could be left for 4 hours. Also, she makes it about 7 hours at night now. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

P.S. She gets all her meals in her crate, so I don't think it's a behavioral thing.

[samanthac]

Depends. My bitch Athena can hold it as long as the day is. Disel defied every rule known to man and we were seriously taking him out every two hours up until about 7 months when he suddenly developed the bladder of steel. Una has been a joy, she is only 11 weeks and can hold it overnight....about 6 hours. Each dog is different.

I don't think every two hours is at all unreasonable and that formula is a baseline not cut in stone. If you are overly concerned then yes take her to the vet with a urine sample and have her checked. Otherwise regulate her water intake and take her out frequently, gradully increasing the time.

[moondog]

If 2 hours is her limit right now, that's what you should stick to. The fewer accidents she has, the better. One other thing to keep in mind is that puppies are easily distracted with such a big world to explore and all, so she may not be emptying completely with one pee. Sometimes they need a bit more time and a couple more pee's to really empty their bladder.

[babybluetx23]

from what everyone here has told me it is based on their Age. For each month, add 1 hr, and then +1 on top of the age. For Example: If your pup is 10 months, it is 10 hours +1 hour. So 11 hours for a 10 month old, 9 hours + 1 = 10 hours for a 9 month, ect. Harley is 4 months old and he can only hold it for about 5 to 6 hours tops.

[dgp]

Thanks for the advice. I figured, like with most things, every dog is different. I'll just resign myself to frequent trips to the back yard for the next few months.