Can a 7 month old puppy hold his wee??

Hi I have a 'nearly' 7 month old Border Terrier puppy who when we leave him in the garage for 3 hours a day will wee. I have tried to put him in a cage for these 3 hours (maximum of 3.5 hours) but when I get back his mat in the cage is wet. I have read that dogs don't usually soil their bed or sleeping area? Is he too young to be expected to hold his wee for this long? Thanks.

I think that's the first time I've ever heard of a dog soiling it's crate, and from the day we got our puppy at 10 weeks old, she was crated the whole night from 9pm until 5.30 am (oh I remember it well!!) and never, ever messed in it.

From what I can remember, I was still letting her out quite regularly during the day coz I was here at home, but I'm sure by 7 months she could be left for 3 or even 4 hours on the odd occasion without wee'ing indoors. I wonder if it's the surface in the garage which makes her think it's outside, i.e. concrete??? Would she mess in the house if you left her for 3 hours?

Hi thanks for your quick reply!

When we are at home with him we take him out every couple of hours for a wee and he has only every weed in the house once by the back door when we didn't take him out quick enough!

I think you may be right about he thinks it's ok to wee in in the garage because of the concrete but thought he may not do this when we put him in his cage

I would like to think I could trust him in the house without me being there but he decided my kitchen cupboard was a great was of stopping his boredom!!!!

I may give the cage a miss and just hope he stops weeing in the garage as he gets older.

Thanks again.

My BC was a nightmare to toilet train---and I have done a few!

He weed in his crate and when he was just lying down and sometimes when he was walking along. No medical problems and he was OK at 14mths! It took that long.

I kept a mop handy, taught him to go on command and waited patiently (G)!

Good luck!

rune

He should be capable of holding it for 3 hours if he is contained to his crate. I am guessing that he holds it for more than that overnight?

Are you leaving him in the morning? are you making sure that he isn't guzzling a load of water before you shut him away?

He should have water always available in and out of the crate.

rune

No, I have never had much trouble with 7 WEEK old ones going 4-5 hours. I would start with a vet visit. If he has a UTI and can't empty his bladder completely, he will jhave trouble.

No, dogs are not supposed to foul where they sleep. Unfortunately if you check here, you will see many people have similar problems. I think unless there is a physical problem, it stems from poor early care by the breeder. It is even worse if the breeder holds the puppies past 7-8 weeks.

First, check with the vet. If he is OK, go back to the cage. It will restrict his activity, slowing the body and allowing him to go longer. Before leaving him, take it out on leash. Walk around. They can only walk and hold it so long. When it finally has to go, lavish praise on it.

Replace the mat with a grid. They are available with the crates, but expensive and hard to find. A piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. I am now using a plastic vegetable bin with plenty of holes drilled in the bottom. It helps block off part of the crate for the smaller puppy.

If you keep him dry, he may decide he likes it and do his best to hold it eventually.

Yes i bought him from a breeder at 13 and a half weeks old and they hadn't even given him his injections! I know what you're thinking, I should of looked into a reputable breeder but I fell in love with him! Maybe he will be slow in training but I just hope he'll get there in the end! He does hold it all night and I try not to let him guzzle water in the morning before putting him in the crate and always make him wee outside before putting him in. He is left from 9am until 12.30pm everyday but if I leave him in the afternoon for a couple of hours he has been fine?

Do you walk him in the morning before you leave?

No I don't walk him in the mornings, only in the evening for about 1 hour. Do you think I should walk him every morning too?