[Mikey T]

At 18wks should we expect Snoop to be able to hold his bladder through the night, we have been given so much conflicting advice. Also we are taking him out to relieve himself evey couple of hours during the day is this too often?[/b]

It matters not what others may ar may not have been able to do at his age it only matter what he can or can't do. As to whether or not every two hours is required it comes down to activity level. a do that is up and a bout will need to pee more often than a dog that rest mores. I would not wake a dog to take the out but generally speak every time a puppy gets up from resting they need to go out, and the same for after activity and often time in the middle of activity if it is prolonged. You will of then hear while dod my puppy pee in the house when I let him out just 15 minutes earlier. Wekk activity makes urine.

from Housetraining Your Puppy one of my favorite house training articles.

Do not rely on a puppy to tell you when it's time to go out. That is expecting too much responsibility and communication at too early an age. It is up to you, the adult human, to know when he needs to go out. Watch his activity level and the clock.

A 12 wk puppy who is busy playing may need to urinate every 15-20 minutes, whereas a resting puppy might go for an hour, and a sleeping puppy can go 8 hours at night. Activity makes urine! Activity makes urine! Repeat this 10 times, slowly. This is a very important lesson for new puppy owners.


...SLOWLY you will be able to extend the time between eliminations to 1 1/4 hour, then 1 1/2, etc. Watch your pup's needs. It is his bladder maturity that controls the timing, not your agenda. Be patient! [/b]

Every dog is different and you need to be able to make minor adjustments as the need arises