Many of those who read my blog are dog owners & work outside of their homes & their dogs are home alone while they are gone. I wish I could take my dogs to work with me, but health codes wouldn’t allow that. So we wonder if my dog is ok at home in the house all day without me? I decided to blog about this & give you some information you may not know or haven’t thought about.
A dog’s bladder is roughly the size of a fist or often less than 1/2 the capacity of a human bladder (which holds 473 ML or a US pint). A 25 lb dog might only be comfortable holding 160-220 ML. A dog will roughly produce 20 ML of urine per lb of body weight daily. Larger breeds can usually hold larger amounts & smaller breeds less. Their bladder starts to expand once it contains 16-22 ML.
I don’t know if you ever think about it or realize how often you use the bathroom on a typical day when you are at work? If you have never thought about it make a conscious thought to keep track for a week.
An adult dog typically needs to urinate roughly every 4-6 hours, puppies more frequently. A puppy should be taken out to potty often, example a 2 months old puppy should be given the opportunity to empty its bladder every 2-3 hours, a 3 month old every 3-4 hours a 4-12 month old every 4-5 hours. Senior dogs also need to be given the opportunity to empty their bladder more often.
I have heard “my dog can make it 8 hours or more because he does it overnight all the time.” Many people don’t know that overnight the urine production slows down, due to inactivity & because they are not consuming water. Please never take away your dogs option to consume water during the day, so they won’t need to urinate, this can be dangerous to their organs.
Risk & Consequences of holding it:
- Painful urinary tract infections (UTI’s)
- Bladder stones
- Chronic Kidney issues
- Neurological Issues-damage to the nerves controlling the bladder.
- Over stretched bladder muscles (leading to incontinence).
- Behavior stress
- Severe, sometimes fatal toxic build-up in the body (kidneys).
- Kidney infection or failure
- Accidents in the house.
Signs a dog has held it too long:
- Accidents
- Restlessness
- Pacing
- Walking in circles
- Whining, scratching at the door.
- Licking the genital area.
- Frequent unproductive squatting
Consider setting up cameras in your home & observing your dog(s) when you are not home, this will give you a better idea if they are stressed & need to get out more often then you think to empty their bladder.
Some dogs can hold it in an emergency for 9-12 hours but it should not be a regular occurrence. For the comfort & health of your dog, it should be given the opportunity to go potty at least every 4-6 hours.
I don’t know if you have observed how often your dog wants to go out when you are home with them. When I am home on a day off my dogs usually request to go out every 2-4 hours, sometimes it is because they heard something outside, but they still urinate while they are out there. If it is raining they will usually wait a little longer.
I know many people have to work away from home, so I want to give you some options to consider if you work away from home & no one is at home with them. Some people are blessed to live with others & work or go to school at different times & their dog is rarely alone for more than 4-6 hours & this is ideal for a dog.
Here are some options if that is not your situation:
- Hire a dog walking company (many can let your dog out in the yard for a quick potty break or walk your dog). My post #23 has tips on finding a pet sitter.
- Ask a neighbor you trust to let your dog out. My sister has a widower next door & he loves being around her dog & it makes him feel useful. My brother in law returns the favor by helping him with things around his house.
- Ask a teenager or college student who lives close by if they can let your dog out.
- Ask a family member: a sister, brother, cousin, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, parent, in-law or grandparent. Different people may be available on different days, there can be several people.
- Take your dog to doggie daycare (dog friendly dogs enjoy this & it wears them out).
- Pee pads
- Come home for lunch (I do this, or I hire my dog sitter).
- Install a doggie door (obviously only if you have a secured fenced yard & your dog isn’t going to go out & bark & disturb your neighbors). I also recommend one that only opens with a remote collar your dog wears. You don’t want critters or a person can’t try & enter your home through the doggie door. I recommend you lock the gates to your yard so no one opens them & lets your dog out. I found a senior dog several years ago that this is how she got out, she was almost hit by a car & was standing on railroad tracks when I saw her. She got home safely, but her owner had one sleepless night.
- Take your dog to work (if allowed).
I hope this was educational & interesting, plus hope it will help you to help your dog. The goal & passion for my blog is to share my 20 years experience fostering pets & a lifetime of living with pets to help as many pets to Thrive & not just survive as I can. I have 138 other posts on this blog on a variety of pets & topics. You can find my Table of Content on my home page under the show tab (upper left). When you see a title that interests you, go back to my home page & scroll down till you find that post. If you have an idea for a post topics you can email me directly at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com
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Thanks, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 