How long should a 1 yr old / 55 # dog be able to hold it's bladder?

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Our Murphy has always had the luxury or being let out at least every 4 hours during the day, but has held his bladder for 5-6 hours at times. We have really never had to leave him for more that that or made arrangements to have someone let him out. Now we'd like to be gone longer at times and I was wondering what is reasonable to expect and how do I get him to that point. Murphy has taken to finding a spot on the carpet and relieving himself if we miss his signals, even if it;s only been 3 hours or less. Not sure how to stop that either.

Our daughters doodle probably only goes potty 3 times a day and has a bladder like a camel. But he's always been home for longer periods.

All I can think to do is keep an eye on him constantly and take him out with a firm NO when he goes to squat inside. Like we did when he was a pup. But he knows to go outside....I don't get it.HELP PLEASE????

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The most important thing (which I'm sure you already know) is that when he does go in the house you have to be sure to clean the area with something like Natures Miracle to get rid of the smell or he will always continue to go there.

Our girls are a little over 1.5 y/o and both have gone up to 9 hours during the daytime without getting out. I don't like to do that, and didn't really plan on it, but it just happened that is how long I was gone. They are used to getting out whenever they want, because I'm normally home with them all day, but are able to hold it however long I ask them to when I'm gone.

I personally think that you need to figure out exactly what Murphy's signal is for going out and make sure you notice it when he gives his signal ..... otherwise he is getting mixed signals ..... well I went to the door and whined ..... it worked last time, but this time nobody let me out! With our girls if they go to the door and bark or whine and I don't come immediately, they come looking for me! I would start with the consistancy of letting him out, and then start leaving him for longer periods of time, a little at a time and see how he does. I would think he should be able to hold it 8-9 hours (although I wouldn't want to do that on a regular basis) although many people who work do!

I'm sure you will get lots of input on this as I'm sure opinion varies on how to work up to it! Good Luck.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I can't answer your question as to why Murphy is doing this, but I can answer some of your other questions.
A healthy adult dog should be able to go at least 8 hours without urinating. Most people don't get up in the middle of the night to let a dog out. Jack can easily go 10 hours, and even my 20 lb poodle could hold it for 8 hours without a problem. Is Murphy able to hold it overnight? Is he crated? if so, you may have to crate him during the day when nobody's home until he learns to stop urinating indoors.
If you haven't already done so, you need to use an odor neutralizer on the areas where he has already gone. Not a cleaning product or stain remover...a product specifically made with enzymes that remove the odor of urine so that even the dog can't smell it. It may look & smell clean to you, but dogs noses are 10,000 times more powerful than ours. I always used Nature's Miracle. And you have to pour it on so that it penetrates through any carpet, padding, etc, all the way down into the floor. Spraying won't do the job. If you don't do this, he will keep going back to those spots.
And then you do have to go back to watching him like a hawk & giving a firm correction when you catch him in the act. That part is your best tool in stopping this...catching him in the act and giving an immediate correction that he can directly connect to the behavior. It seems that right now, he knows to go outside but also thinks it's okay to sometimes go inside...and if he can still smell urine there, it's reinforcing that.
Of course, all of this is assuming that he doesn't have any underlying bladder or kidney issues.
Good luck, I know this is maddening!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes Karen, he has been able to hold it overnight since almost 9 weeks old! He goes at least about 8-10 hrs at night and no morning accidents. But then he drinks like a horse during the day, and not at night ofcourse.
I have been using Nature's Miracle and he does go to a little different spot each time, and I have just steam cleaned the rugs and he started doing it MORE!!!!
He is not crated at all.
I thought about bladder infection, he is at the vet almost every other week for his ears, so I will take a sample next week. Or try anyway. He's always gone frequently though. Just because we are always on the go with him outdoors anyway, so he's gotten used to relieving himself often. I'm thinking we've trained him to need to go so frequently. It's the going inside that's new. I will start watching again very closely and even tether him to me if I have to. He'd be okay with that tho, cuz he's like my shadow. :)
He really only has ever given us "the look" when he's gone by the door. Which worked great when we lived in our RV with him. Now that we are in a 2 level home, I don;t always see "the Look". maybe the bells? DH laughed when I tried it in the RV cuz, heck we were right on top of eachother. OYE!!!! Who woulda thunk we'd be doing this at 1 yr old???

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

So you do use bells or not?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Spud is Murphy's age and Murphys' weight. He can hold his urine so long I put him out just because I think he should go. At night he can go 10-12 hours and then in the morning I have to force his lazy butt awake and send him outside. He is not crated at night. He is crated 5 hours in the morning only.

There are times when Spud gets out of hand, won't listen to sit, stay, not bite ( he still puppy mouths). This is a sign he is to excited to go to his bells and ask to go out. Sure enough, he has to go but forgot how to ask. No excuse for our dogs but we both still have a lot of puppy qualities going on at this age.

You did say you may miss his signals. What signals does he give you? Does he bark at the door? This is great but Spud barks at night anyway. It would confuse me.
Do you use a bell? It is never to late to bell train. It certainly helps.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

No sorry, we started with the bells, but didn't continue. Mostly because DH really didn;t believe in it so didn't reinforce it when I wasn't there during training. I think he would be more co-operative now tho. It is hard to remember that a 55# dog is still a puppy and I guess I really don't know of that many others having this problem so I am thinking something is wrong with my training his bladder control.

I miss his signal because we are in the wrong end of the house or wrong floor. He will go look at the door leading outside, maybe sit, maybe not, turn and look at me or DH and stay there for a few more seconds. We always "get it" if we see him. It's just "The Look". He never barked or whined to go out. The 2 yr old doesn't either. But at least he will come get you and start pacing around you so it's a little more warning.

I still have those bells. He's so darn smart he'll figure it out quickly. Will have to train them both. This can get complicated, because they love going out back all the time. I can just see them both ringing the bell every 5 min!!!!! Let's keep mom guessing brother!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Don't feel bad. I swear I have ADD in my old age. I take on a lot and can't remember what I am doing. Maybe I have entered the Mulit-Tasking Era? Our dogs multi-task also. Should I chase the cat? Which cat should I chase? Oh no, maybe I will go get my toy or maybe I should go look out the window. Oh yeah, I have to go to the bathroom................ oppps there goes that cat again.

What I am getting at is it just might be that you are in a different home and are busy. Try the bells. I still ring them each time I let him out. Just because. It is a great way to communicate the bathroom issues that are so important for all of you. Good Luck in your new home also :)

P.S. My hubby ( who is laid back and patient) didn't think much of the bells at first. Now he does.

[F, Calla & Luca]

What a lovely take on BSF (Benign Senescent Forgetfulness-I kid you not, there is such a thing) to consider it multitasking. From now on I"m going to tell myself that I need to cut down on the mutitasking even if the task is going to the next room to get --ooops forgot why I came in here.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Great but what if I can only remember BSF and not what it stands for. Ummm, well, I am just going to multi-task for a moment and then concentrate on what BSF means.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

The beauty of the BSF Syndrome is that you don't have to REMEMBER what it stands for to have it. Very Convienent don't you think? Now let me see if I remember what I was doing before this reply. DAAAAAAA!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I love it! I am also a sufferer of BSF. Maybe we need a BSF Group!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Does this stand for Bull Sh*&t First? I have stuff to do but maybe I will go Bull Sh%^T on my computer first then do what i am supposed to be doing. Oh, what was I suppose to be doing?