q

How many hours can the typical dog "hold it" over night before having to
pee? Her last walk is at 9pm. We hope the next walk can be 8am.
Realistic or not?
~Q

d. dub

Should be close for an adult...we do 9:30 to about 7:30 or 8 for our two.

Had a dog in the past that would do 11 or 12 hours overnight (when I was a
teenager and slept a ot)

q

Thanks for the reply. Yea, we're looking at 11 hours (9pm to 8am) of sleep.
It would be an adult German Shepherd female. I just don't know if we should
adopt and risk it. I'd hate to have a failed adoption. That would be
humiliating.
Anyone else?
~Q

tee

That's a long time but if the dog isn't drinking water during the night and
spends the bulk of time sleeping then there probably won't be a problem. I
say probably because it depends on the dog. Some can hold it for long
periods of time whereas others have smaller bladders and need to go more
frequently. Age, water consumption and overall health will play a big role
IMO.

My dogs go out at 1-1:30am just to potty before I go to bed. They are used
to going out every 2-3 hours after dark. My Boxer could hold it all night
but my senior Min. Dachshund can't, hence the 1:30 break.

--
Tara

q

That's interesting, Tara. We are looking at the rescue of a German Shepherd,
about 8-10 years (nobody knows exactly). We live in an apartment, and can't
be taking the dog out constantly. 3 or 4 walks is all we can muster. All
depends on her bladder, I guess. But I can't test that ahead of time.
~Q

tee

Is the GSD in a rescue or shelter?

--
Tara

vln

Older dogs need more potty breaks than prime-of-life dogs. As Tara says,
senior dogs may need middle-of-the-night outings.

If more than 4 walks a day is a make-or-break issue, I think maybe a dog is
not be the best pet for the situation. I would regard 4 as not really enough.
I think that before-breakfast, after-breakfast, before-dinner, after-dinner,
and just-before-bed are really the least you can get by with, for a healthy
prime-of-life dog. And an average senior will need more outings.

These need not all be major excursions, but a dog needs a chance to pee.

q

Bummer.

q

I am told: right now she is very unhappy, barely wants to eat, and is in a
small cage. She was just abandoned and rescued. She does wait and pee on a
leash, so maybe she is house trained.
Still, 3 or 4 pee breaks is all we could muster for her. So maybe I can't
help out, especially if age is a factor here for "frequency of peeing"?
(What's the difference between a rescue and a shelter for animals?)
:-(
~Q