How often does your puppy urinate?

[Jen and Zoe]

I'm curious how often other young puppies urinate? Zoe will be 11 weeks old tomorrow.  I take her out every hour during the day and even with that she sometimes urinates outside and then comes in and goes on the floor 20 minutes later. Other times, though, she can go for 2 hours.  I just take her out every hour for good measure and most of the times she goes.  She has had two times she was in her crate during the day for about an hour and when I returned home she had urinated in her crate.  Today was one of those days.  I took her out at 5, 6, 7, 8.  Put her in her crate to take the kids to school and when I returned about 55 minutes later her crate was wet. I'm getting pretty frustrated as feel like I cannot even leave the house for very short period of time.  

She can hold it longer at night. She was waking up 2 - 3 times a night but the last few nights she has gone from 10 pm to 5 AM in her crate without a whimper. 

When she had her 9 week vet check-up I shared this with the vet and she thought Zoe might have a UTI so put her on antibiotics.  I don't like the idea of Zoe being on antibiotics but was hopeful it would clear up the problem. We are done with the meds and the problem is still continuing.  My husband thinks it means she needs other meds but I think it may just be that Zoe can't hold it very long.  Is it abnormal for a dog to go 20 minutes after urinating outside? Could she not be emptying her bladder fully when she's outside?

Zoe is with me almost 100% of the day.  We are either playing, training, walking, or she is nearby on her leash or in her crate if I need to leave or at night.  I praise and treat her when she goes outside, say nothing when she goes inside although if I catch her at it I try to surprise her and then take her outside quickly.  We just started training with potty bells although Zoe does not have the freedom to roam the house right now so I bring her over to them and she rings the bell with her nose.  I'm not sure if she thinks she rings it to get the door to open or what.  I do say "ring the bells to go potty!".

Help!  I had to make an emergency Petco run today as we're almost out of Nature's Miracle and I couldn't wait for Amazon's two day shipping!

Jen

[Bonnie and Kona]

It would be a good idea to take her to the vet to check if she has a UTI. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

I think it is very normal for a puppy to have to go outside as frequently as every twenty minutes. What is not normal is peeing in her crate. I am wondering if you have a pad or towel or blanket in the crate that has not been completely cleaned of all urine smell that would lead her to believe that she should go potty there. 

[Amy & Cosmo]

This sounds completely normal based on our experience. Until we finally got Cosmo fully potty trained, he was inconsistent and would go often during the day. Watch and see how long she goes each time bc Cosmo would get excited and not finish a lot of times.

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

I think this is normal for that age.  I remember the vet telling me most dogs do not understand the whole going potty outside thing until 10-12 weeks.   When cocoa hit 12 weeks it was like a light bulb went off and we went from 2-3 accidents in the house a day to maybe 3-4 a week and it slowly got better.  She never pooped in the house only pee.

Around 11 weeks I think I was taking her out ever 20 minutes and if I was unable to watch her like a hawk in her cage she went.

Cocoa will be 1 in a couple weeks and for the most part is potty trained but she has a excitable bladder and will pee when she gets to excited.  I also swear she is marking her territory because she keeps peeing on my couch and its always on the same cushion. I have drowned it in natures miracal and other things suggested but she still does this about once a month. I caught her do it a couple weeks ago she jumped up and was walking in circles on the couch. I said to my husband "what is that crazy dog doing" and BAM she squatted on the couch.

[Vivian & Mojo]

I brought Mojo home when he was 8 weeks old, I took him out every 20 minutes until he was 12 weeks old than I took him to potty every 40 minutes, if I stretched it out he would sometimes go in the house. He never went potty in his create and was fine all night long. Now at 7 months I still take him out often, about every 90 minutes. When you took Zoe to the vet did they do tests to see if she had a UTI or just give her antibiotics? When Mojo was 9 weeks old he was peeing alot so I took him to the vet and they said it was normal and the check for a UTI they would have to do tests and they didn't think it was one so I passed on tests and he was fine.

[Jen and Zoe]

Thanks so much for all of the replies -- good to hear that her amount is in line with some other dogs. I've read the guideline about taking them out every hour when awake so was surprised at the accidents 20- 30 minutes later.  I will take her out more over this next week or two and see if it helps and if we can move to an hour between trips after that.  

In answer to a few questions - no, the vet didn't run any tests before prescribing the antibiotics.  The vet thought the amount of discharge/discoloration around Zoe's vulva was a bit much so that coupled with the high frequent urination made her decide to try antibiotics.  The times Zoe has peed in her crate I have washed the small bed in the washer on hot and wiped down the plastic insert with Nature's Miracle. This last time, yesterday, I also sprayed the bed down with Nature's Miracle before throwing it in the washing machine.  Not sure what else to do to clean it but if others have ideas I'd love to try them.

I always take Zoe out to go potty before putting her in the crate and immediately when she is released from the crate.  We learned the hard way that letting her walk around for a minute to greet us ends up with an accident so now I lift her out and take her straight outside before she can greet the kids.  

I like the idea of taking her water up a bit before putting her in the crate so will start pulling her water up 30 minutes before so she isn't drinking a lot right before she goes in, I bet this will help with the crate accidents.  The few times she gone in the crate have been during the day, not at night. She's never had an accident at night.

Thanks for the responses, it really does help ease my mind that is is probably just her bladder and age and I shouldn't take her back to the vet!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Oscar (8wks) peed in his crate yesterday, and I washed his mat on Warm and added in a half scoop of OxiClean powdered general cleaner as well as reg. laundry detergent. OxyClean's enzymes completely eliminate any residual urine smell. You may want to try that.