Puppy Holds Pee All Night but Not During Day

Zack Keithy, our author, is a certified veterinarian technician (UC Blue Ash) for over 6 years (contact him here). The articles written here are based on his expertise and experience, combined with a review by our expert vet reviewers including Dr M. Tarantino. Learn more about us here.

Puppies, especially very young ones, are more prone to urinate during the night in comparison to the daytime. Usually, this is due to their small bladders and the fact that their small bodies have not yet fully developed.

It is important to remember that this issue will only last for a period of time, typically around less than 10 weeks old. This is usually not any cause for concern, but what if your puppy pees normally during the day but holds its pee all night?

Will there be any issues? What should you do about it?

Let’s find out more in this post.

How long can dogs hold their pee?

The answer to this question depends on a lot of factors, including the dog’s age, size, metabolism, and overall health.

Younger dogs, particularly pups that have not yet been fully toilet trained, will not be able to hold their urine for as long as most adult dogs.

This is due in part to their bladders and urinary tract systems being small and underdeveloped, as well as the muscle that is required to hold the bladder.

Dogs who have been fed a high-moisture diet may need to go potty more often than those who don’t eat as much wet food.

And lastly, your dog’s health plays a part as well. If there are any existing medical conditions such as urinary tract infections or if your dog is on medication, it may affect its peeing frequency.

In general, adult dogs can hold their pee for up to 10 hours, but it doesn’t mean that it is good. You will need to potty train them and get them to pee regularly, as much as 3 to 5 times a day.

Dog age	Frequency of peeing
Less than 6 months	Every 1 to 3 hours
6 months to 1 year	Every 2 to 6 hours
1 to 8 years	Every 6 to 8 hours
More than 8 years	Every 2 to 4 hours

Is it normal for a puppy to pee during the day but hold its pee at night?

Beyond ten weeks, your puppy is likely to have developed some control over their peeing routine and is starting to be able to hold their pee better during sleep time.

This means that it is normal for them to be able to sleep a number of hours without having a pee break, and you really do not need to step in much or be overly concerned.

What you should know is that dogs are unlike us when it comes to sleep patterns.

For the uninitiated, you may think that your puppy is a very light sleeper when in fact that is quite normal as they are polyphasic sleepers, which means they sleep in phases.

To prevent them from wetting their sleep area, which they dislike, you should place a peeing pet in a corner of their crate for easy access.

This way, they can relieve themselves during the night when necessary. You can check it when you get up and figure out if they take potty breaks at night.

What else can you do?

If you realize that your puppy did not relieve itself throughout the entire night, for example for a period of ten or so hours, you might have to take a closer look at what’s happening.

It could be due to the anxiety of living in a new environment, missing its mother, or something else that is causing this.

A bit of coaxing should do the trick, but if things do not improve and you are genuinely concerned after a few days, you should consult your vet.

Another method you can consider is using belly bands for dogs.

Schedule potty breaks during the night

To start, schedule potty breaks during the night. Set an alarm if needed and take your puppy outside every couple of hours.

If he doesn’t pee, try again in 30 minutes or so.

If it does pee, praise him or her with gentle petting to let it know it’s done well.

You may want to try waking up once or twice a night for potty breaks instead of relying on your regular alarm clock schedule because puppies can sleep through anything—including their own bladder being about to explode.

Finally, don’t forget about scheduling daytime trips outside as well!

This is important because it helps keep things consistent throughout the day and night when it comes time for bedtime routines.

Doggy says, consider reading this too: What if My Dog Ate A Toilet Paper Roll?

Amount of exercise

You might find that giving your puppy more exercise during the day might be beneficial.

Puppies need a lot of exercises to develop the muscles for good bladder control, but it’s not always easy to tell how much is enough or too much.

Some pups have frequent accidents because they don’t get enough exercise, while others pee all over themselves because they’ve overdone it on walks and playtime at home.

It’s important to keep track of how much exercise your pup gets every day so that you can keep an eye out for any changes in behavior or habits that might indicate there’s an issue with his bladder control.

Doggy says, read this too: What if Your Dog Ate a Pee Pad? 10 Solutions

Underlying condition

Your puppy could have an underlying medical condition that is causing this, such as a urinary tract infection or bladder stones.

In this case, you will need to get him to a vet as soon as possible.

Urinary tract infections and bladder stones are treatable and can be cured by your vet.

If left untreated for too long, they can cause severe damage or even death. They can also be managed if caught early enough so that there is no permanent harm done to your dog’s health.

Look out for any signs of distress when it is peeing and check the color of their urine too.

They should look similar to those in humans, and any abnormality should be a red flag that there could be health issues.

Doggy says, read this too: How to Transition Your Puppy From the Litter Box to the Outside?

Steps to house train your puppy

Without going into a full-blown guide about potty training your puppy, here is a streamlined version that can help you out right away. Take note that you will need a crate, peeing pad, and lots of patience!

1. Set up a schedule

Ensure that you establish a routine early on where you take your puppy out for a walk after eating and drinking. Take them outside right after you wake up, then again every two hours until they are old enough to hold their pee longer than that. If they have an accident in the house, clean it up and do not punish them—they are still learning!

2. Use a specific word

Associate the act of peeing with a specific word such as “pee time” to get them familiar.

3. Use the same spot

Each time you bring your puppy for peeing, go back to the same spot, ideally a peeing pad.

4. Reward them accordingly

Each time your puppy succeeds in doing what you set out to do, be sure to praise them or even give them a small treat. You must do this immediately, rather than wait till you walk to another spot

Do you know if you should put two dog crates side by side?

Should I wake my puppy up to pee at night?

No. It is not a good idea to wake your puppy up every few hours to go outside to pee. It’s best for puppies to sleep as much as possible, and if you wake them up at night, they might not be able to fall back asleep.

If you do decide that it is necessary for your puppy’s well-being for him or her to go outside at night, then the best time would be just before bedtime and no later than an hour after eating his or her last meal of the day (usually dinner).

The reason that this time frame is suggested is that dogs don’t have bladder control until they’re six months old, so waking them too late in the evening may result in accidents on your floor or rug!

You should never try waking up a sleeping dog unless absolutely necessary, which is almost never.

Doggy says, consider reading this too: What is puppy sleep regression?

In conclusion: Puppy Holds Pee All Night but Not During Day

You do not have to worry about your puppy not peeing much during the night, nor do you need to wake it up to do so. Puppies are able to hold their pee for a few hours, and allowing them easy access to a peeing pad nearby will let them relieve themselves when it does wake up.

What you should be concerned about is if you observe difficulty during peeing which may indicate health conditions such as urinary tract infection. This will require your vet’s intervention as early as possible.