Frick n Frack | 02-18-2007 06:18 PM | Question (very frustrated) We have two yorkies (boy and girl), both about 7 months old.
Developing bladder strength/control, how do you do it? Our little boy is 4lbs and he can't hold it very long, the girl is 2.5lbs and she can hold it longer. I'll explain. Both sleep together in their crate at night, and its a small crate, one of the 22" x-small ones that midwest makes with the yorkie picture on the box, they BOTH fit in there. During the day, if we leave them in it, after about 1.5-2 hours, he will just go in it (pee), cause he normally goes about every hour. He goes whenever he likes because he and his sister are allowed a small area that is penned off with a pad, and they are about 95% hitting the pad and my wife and I both work. Our little girl has better control, and I have never seen her go in the crate during the day because she can hold it longer than we have left them in there for (max 3 hours.).
At night is a different story. They both hold it, and this is really weird. Normally they both potty and fall asleep at 9:30. If we go to bed with them and crate them at 9:30, they sleep till about 3:30 and he wakes us up to go by rattling the cage door. But, if we have them lay around with us (sleeping mind you) while we watch tv until 10-11pm, they fall asleep until only 12:30-1am and he wants out to go, and usually has to go again at 3am and 5 something am (just before we get up). So its really weird that their bed time seems to effect how long he holds it, if we go to bed at 9/9:30 we only get up once, any other time its like 3 times. Again, he determines when they go, because he is always the one to want to go first, and we take both at the same time.
I don't understand how to make him learn to hold it because he will go in the crate, and I don't want to physically hold him for 4-6 hours at a time to make him not go and learn to hold it. Also, if he has the ability to hold it 6 hours when sleeping at 9:30 pm, why can't he hold it that long any other time? On top of all that he always pees in 2-3 small spurts. He will go a normal amount, then like 5 minutes later go a small amount, and maybe even again 5 minutes later a tiny amount. She just goes all at once and we know that when she is done, she is good for a couple hours. If we sit around in our game room, he will go every 30-60 minutes on the pad and she goes like every 1.5-2 hours.
Its really very frustrating because I read all the time about 8-12 week old puppies on here that sleep through the night, or 4-6 month old puppies that hold it 6-8 hours in a crate while the owners work. I really don't know what to do with him, I would like it if he went during the day about every 1.5-2 hours like her, and sleep through the night 8 hours. I figure those goals are reasonable!
P.S. they are fed twice a day, and water comes up before 8! |