[yorkietalkjilly]

Most dogs begin to hold their urine through the night as they get older and learn they don't like wet/dirty pads, blankets, etc., in their den or nest. As they mature, they seem to begin to realize sleeping on or near wet or feces-smeared surfaces is not healthy for them. It seems to be a hereditary knowledge that more mature dogs begin to innately come to understand; so staying away from urine, feces, unhealthy sleeping areas in a dog not forced to live in it 24/7 will eventually begin to dictate their bowel behavior at night. And as they mature in brain/bladder/bowel capacity, they learn how to hold themselves to prevent having to live or sleep in or near wet or feces-covered surfaces when they know they will have a chance to relieve themselves outside of the enclosure in time. Sadly, dogs that never do live outside of confinement begin to accept living in, sleeping around urine-/feces-covered areas and accommodate more to it. But I think Mother Nature begins to instruct the mature dog how to keep himself dry and clean of bodily wastes and how to best do that for his own health's sake so the majority of them do learn how to hold themselves in time.

Aside from that aspect of it, healthy dogs just prefer to sleep rather than to take every chance there is to pee as they mature. Once they get older, the will even forego you're giving them the chance to go outside unless they really need to go. I never thought Tibbe would stop taking every single opportunity to go outside to play and/or pee, but he did and now, when it is very, very hot, cold or raining hard, he may only go outside 3 or 4 times in a 24 hour period, even though I ask him much more frequently if he wants to go outside.