How long should 10 week old be able to hold it?

6461 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by oldhounddog, Feb 27, 2013

kristimcmurry

Discussion Starter · Feb 11, 2013

Ok, so we got our puppy about a week and a half ago, and he turned 10 weeks on Saturday. He was already crate trained, thank goodness, and he's taken really well to his potty training. He's had minimal accidents the past week. For some reason though he's been having trouble holding it through the night. It's only happened 3 times (not back to back nights), but I'm feeling REALLY bad for him. I know he doesn't want to pee in his crate, and I don't want him to be miserable all night!

I'm just wondering what you all have experienced with beagles and how long they can hold it. I don't want to get him into the habit of going out at 1 or 2 in the morning and then not be able to get him back to staying in all night. If I'm being super cruel by keeping him in his crate all night, please tell me. I don't want him to suffer!

-Kristi and Chipper

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oldhounddog

· #2 · Feb 11, 2013 (Edited)

Hi kristimcmurry ,

Puppies less than 6 months age just do not have the holding power to make it over night. You can help this by making sure no water 2 hours before bed and a potty trip before lights out at night.. Sounds like you are doing a good job of training , don't feel bad as this is just puppyhood. At 6 months of age the overnight holding should be no problem.

One thing that will help is to take your Beagle to the same spot to potty every time and praise when he gets it right. This will help him understand that this is a potty trip and not a walk with time to sniff around.

Tip : Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover works great.... Link: http://www.petco.com/product/2437/N...c=bazaarvoice-_-RLP-_-2437-_-description_link

Let me know if this helps chipper.

Best , oldhounddog

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kristimcmurry

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 12, 2013

Thanks so much for the advice! I will establish a set potty spot for him so he knows when I take him there it's not for playtime. We took up the water a couple of hours before bed last night, but it didn't help this time. He fell asleep earlier than usual though so the time period between potty breaks was longer. We'll just keep plugging away!

Thanks for the odor remover recommendation as well.

-Kristi

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oldhounddog

· #4 · Feb 12, 2013

Setting a potty spot will be a big help in the long run. It may take your Beag a while to catch on but he will in time.
The falling asleep is just a puppyhood thing , I've seen young dogs just playing up a storm and then just run out of gas and fall asleep on the spot.

That Natures Miracle also has an enzyme that removes the scent marker so your Beag can't find that spot again , we have used it for a long time.

>We'll just keep plugging away!<
Sure sounds like your doing great with Chipper.

Best , oldhounddog

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kristimcmurry

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 21, 2013

Just wanted to reply with an update. Each time I take him out now, I set him down in the same spot. He doesn't always pee right there, but he seems to be getting that when I put him down there it's potty time. Well that and the fact that I use the word "potty" constantly when I'm trying to get him to go. Also he has started whining when he needs to go at night, so I can get up and take him before he goes in his crate. He usually doesn't whine until 3-4 and he goes back to his crate no problem after peeing

I'm happy with the situation as it is. He doesn't have to go out in the middle of the night EVERY night, so it doesn't seem like he's making it a habit.

Thanks again for the advice!

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lynn

· #6 · Feb 27, 2013 (Edited)

The general rule I've followed is an hour per month of age, and by ~6 months a full overnight hold should be expected.

I agree with OHD's advice above, limiting water 2 hrs before bed, and using the same spot for potty.
Using specific words for potty activity work well; establish the relationship between the words at the exact time of release, and the dog will always understand what is expected with those words (ours is "hurry up" to go out to go, and "good hurry!" at the time of her release)

We also hung some bells by the back door, and made a point to ring them every time we went out to hurry. After the first month, we made her stand on her back legs and took her paw in hand and batted the bell before going out. She learned this quickly, and by 6-8 months old she would ring the bell on her own when she wanted to go out.
Now at almost two years old, she hasn't had an accident in over a year, and always rings the bell to go out. Even if we are in a strange place, she will stand on her back legs and paw at the door to go out, even if no bells are present.
Repetition and praise were the motivators in our case, no treats were used for this training.

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oldhounddog

· #7 · Feb 27, 2013

lynn said:
We also hung some bells by the back door, and made a point to ring them every time we went out to hurry.

I hope my wife does not see this because there may be some bell's at my back door to train me not to forget the things on my to do list...

Best , oldhounddog

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