Dear Marco:
I hope my response helps to answer your question on potty training.
My Comet is crate trained. He is 5 months old and is able to hold his urine for no more than 3-4 hours at a time. When he is in his crate, he will not urinate. Before he goes in his crate, he eats and drinks and then goes for a walk to potty. After he returns from his walk he goes in his crate. After 4-5 hours in the crate, he needs to potty immediately.
For and older dog who is not potty trained and who is being offered water 24/7, It is important to take the dog outside or to the wee-wee pad every hour on the hour.
My dog drinks in his water bowl 3-4 times per day. He was initially trained to drink when he eats to help establish a routine for potty training. I am now able to leave his water out all day, because of the crate training.
However, if a puppy drinks all day long without anyone monitoring his drinking, and if he is not in a crate and allowed the run of the house, it will be harder for you to figure out when he needs to pee. Dogs can hold their poop much longer than they hold their urine.
You should start gradually and keep a close watch on how soon he needs to go potty every time he drinks. Hope this helps
