INfrequent peeing? Iron bladder or cause for concern?

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I'm not sure if it's because she's been exercising less (due to being cooped up inside during allergy season, so less water drinking) or something else (maybe the Benadryl?)... but Luna has been only peeing about 2-3 times a day for the last few weeks.  

Do any of your adult doodles have "iron bladders" and don't seem to need to pee very often?  It may just be that the dog I grew up with was a small dog (14 lbs), so I expect a dog to have to pee every few hours.  

She doesn't seem to mind peeing (no discomfort), the smell is normal and she drinks after playing and eating, just not as much as in the summer.  

Sometimes if it's a long work day she will pee in the morning before we go to work (6:30 am), again after we come home (4:30 pm) and then refuses to pee in the evening when she's sleepy.  She takes herself to bed at around 8:30 pm, then we try to let her out a bit later, but often she won't pee, she just has a poop and wants to go back to bed.

Any thoughts? 

[Diana Erhart]

Charlie has an "iron bladder".  He may go more often if he is outside alot but on a normal day he will go in the morning on his walk (anywhere between 8:30 and 11:00 am) then not go again until his afternoon/evening walk (anywhere between 4:30 and 6:30 pm) and then again at bedtime (around 11:00 pm).  He rarely needs to go any other time.  Now granted, he is a boy, so when we are on our walks he takes every opportunity to leave his mark on everything in our path until he is totally empty!  One day (when we still lived in Texas) we had an all day downpour.  He didn't pee from 11:00 the night before until 4:30 the next afternoon when the rain finally stopped.  His vet says he is in perfect health so I think he just has a bladder the size of a very large lake.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Actually I think it is wonderful if you can teach them to "pee on command".  Once they know what is expected, they can always squeeze out a little.  My best doodle would pee on command and that was fantastic when we were going in the car or on a trip anywhere.  When he was a pup, I would take him out and put him down in his pee spot and tell him to go peepee.  Later, I would take him out and give a pee command before we went anywhere in the car.  He knew what was expected and would always oblige me.  Kind of like, "The car won't start until you have on your seatbelt."

On the other hand, my son had one of those "iron bladders" as you call it, and I would have to remind him in the morning to use the bathroom.  When he started school, he didn't know where the bathroom was because he had never used it.  I guess different stokes for different folks, but I need to have a bathroom handy for myself.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yeah Luna knows when we say "go pee", it reminds her to try to do her business... but if she doesn't have to, she just stares at us, sits down in front of us and waits patiently to be let in.  She's a stubborn little thing and not 100% obedient ("Why do I have to pee?  I don't need to pee...Can I come in now?")

[Diana Erhart]

That is soooo much like my Charlie.  When he was a puppy he would pee on command.  Then he grew up and his independence came out.  I know that "look" all too well!  

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I wish my two had iron bladders... they always have to pee.  When Oliver was a baby he would be outside and pee then wold come in the house and pee again, I started calling him the peepee dog.  Now he is just Peeps since he is now house trained and is a good boy - LOL.  If I let my dooles out 100 times a day they would squeeze out a few drops just to make Mommy happy.  The good thing is that they can hold it while I am at work :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I have one of each. Calla goes multiple times a day if given the opportunity. Luca can go 15-16 hours at a stretch. If I have to leave in the morning and won't be home by noonish I have to beg him to go since he may  hasn't since the evening before.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My two guys will pee (mark) every time I take them out....multiple times.  It's like they're trying to outdo each other.  They never have accidents anymore in the house (although we've never left them more than 5-6 hrs), but they're looking to go out to pee about 5 or 6 times a day.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackdoodle is also a member of the Iron Bladder Club. Three times a day is not unusual for him at all. Not only does he regularly go 14-16 hours in between pees, but he's doing that on prednisone!

[Adina P]

Oh if only I could train Rosco toward the iron bladder.  His bladder is more like saran wrap than iron and about the size of a grape.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

That's the only experience I had before Luna, so I was confused!  My DH seemed to think it was "perfectly normal", and I guess he was right.  Sometimes previous dog experiences (Luna is his first dog) can make you "see" problems that aren't really there.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Big dogs can usually hold it way longer than little ones, in my experience.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I actually asked this a while back because I was concerned about my Lucy.  Both girls used to want out the second they got up in the am and the second we came home from anywhere.  Now it will sometimes be 11:00 or later before Lucy asks to go out.  I would say 3 times a day would be the normal for her.  Sophie on the other hand will pee whenever and where ever you ask her to.