How long can a Yorkie hold its pee

How Long Can Yorkies Hold Their Pee?

How long can Yorkies hold their pee! Now, that might seem like a weird question but it is not. It is one of the most important questions that pet parents ask.

Because, for instance, you have to travel with your Yorkie. Now, a plane is not gonna have pee pads or a litter box or adjust according to the dog-pee schedule or potty training.

There are many things related to it. Several factors decide a dogs ability to hold its pee.

In this post, we are going to round off all the essential aspects of this topic for you. The outlook on this topic for Yorkies is just like other dogs.

Keep reading and you will get to know how long can Yorkies hold their pee. Let us go!

How Long Can Yorkies Hold Their Pee?

Though every dog is different, healthy adult Yorkies need to relieve themselves at least 3-4 times per day. According to experts, young Yorkie puppies can generally hold their urine for one hour longer than their age in months (meaning a 3-month-old puppy could theoretically wait 4 hours).

However, various factors might influence your pups potty schedule. Knowing how often your dog needs to go outside will help keep them regular.

The 6-8 hour rule is a minimum recommendation. Some dogs can easily hold it while others will be more comfortable going out to pee more often.

Next, let us see what factors affect a dogs capacity to hold their pee and how frequently they take potty breaks.

Key Factors That Affect How Long Dogs Hold Their Pee

These factors will enable you to take an informed approach to potty training. Moreover, you will know the factors that lead to frequent potty breaks. Let us get into it.

Potty Training

One of the first times, pet parents get to work with their dogs is when they begin house training. Unlike sit, shake, and stay, preventing your dog from urinating in the house has a clear motivation for pet owners.

Your dogs potty training does not end once they have mastered its bladders.

The amount of time you take your dog out to pee during the day also teaches them how to hold or not hold their pee for various lengths of time.

Learn how to potty train your dog!

Diet

The quantity of water a dog consumes will have an impact on how often a dog pees. When dogs are out in the heat on a hot day, they tend to drink large quantities of water all at once when they can.

Expect that dog to have to go pee more frequently in the next few hours as a result of this.

Its also worth noting that the type of food they eat has an impact on how much they need to urinate.

The moisture content in dry kibbles is less than in canned or packaged wet meals. Dogs who get fed a diet of wet food will drink more fluid per day than dogs that consume dry kibble, necessitating more frequent bathroom breaks.

Age

A dogs bladder capacity generally shrinks as they age. Thus, younger dogs or Yorkie puppies typically have more difficulty holding it than older dogs. The factor of age can also affect a fully potty-trained Yorkie.

If youve ever owned Yorkie puppies, then you know that they are still in the process of learning to control their bodily functions.

According to a general rule of thumb, you can expect a healthy dog to be able to retain their urine for around one hour every month until they are 8 months old.

An average adult dog in general typically can keep their urine for 6-8 hours. Some adult dogs may be able to go up to 10 to 12 hours. But anything longer and your dog risks developing severe side effects.

When your adult dogs reach about 8-10 years old, they are considered old and senior dogs with smaller breeds closer to 10 and larger breeds closer to 8.

Environment

When dogs are excited about something, its more likely to hold their pee while engaged. When your dog is interested in something, such as when on a long car ride or aboard an airplane, the dog may be less likely to release its pee.

Long automobile journeys and airline travel are examples of unavoidable stressors that can affect how long can Yorkies hold their pee.

How To Potty Train My Yorkies To Hold Their Pee For Long?

Please understand that potty training your Yorkies to hold their pee until you get home from work or errands can be a bit more challenging.

But, with consistency, one can do it. House training is the best way to go!

Here are some things you can do to potty train your Yorkies to hold their pee for a long.

• According to the earlier timeline, take your dog out for regular potty breaks during the day. If possible, set a specific time each day for these trips outside so that your dog knows when they will occur.
• By frequently taking your dog outside and praising them when they relieve themselves, you can keep accidents from happening in your home.
• If you cant be home during the day, consider asking a friend or family member to stop by and take your pup out for a potty break. You could also look into doggy daycares or professional dog walkers.
• If your dog needs to hold it for extended periods, crate training can be very beneficial.
• A well-introduced crate can provide a safe and calming environment for your dog while youre away. During crate training your dog, provide your dog with frequent potty breaks before putting them in the crate and as soon as possible when you return home.
• Switching to dry food that isnt overly salty may assist you in monitoring your pets water intake more easily during the day and preventing them from acquiring too much extra moisture from their meals.

Time to Read More!

Do Yorkies Get Cold? – How To Keep Them Warm

Why Is My Yorkie So Big?

How Many Times Do Yorkies Poop A Day?

Do Yorkies Like To Cuddle?

Are Yorkies Hypoallergenic?

How to Potty Train Your Yorkie and Teacup Yorkie Puppy

Yorkies may be small, and therefore their accidents are not as detrimental to your home, but starting off on the right foot with potty training your new Yorkie will save you and your new addition frustration and stress down the road.

Questions about Potty Training Yorkies

When it comes to potty training Yorkies, its important to ask the right questions. That way, you can always be prepared and know what youre getting into!

So, here are the questions were most commonly asked and their respective answers.

Are Yorkies Hard or Easy to Potty Train?

Were asked a lot why Yorkies are so hard to house train. However, we dont think that this is always the case. Of course, training is going to be a process and can be easier or harder depending on the pup.

In our experience, it wasnt too hard to train a Yorkie compared to other dog breeds. To ensure that you have the best chance of a smooth training process, make sure you are as diligent as can be to provide the best structure and consistency for your puppy.

Later on, well get into ways to ensure the most rewarding training outcomes.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: Developing Potty Habits in Yorkies

How Long Does it Take to Potty Train a Yorkie?

Something to note is that this varies for each and every Yorkie based on a few factors. Even with that said, the typical timeframe of your Yorkies potty training should take about 4 months.

For these 4 months, they will learn (for the most part) how to use puppy pads or use the outdoors, depending on your preferences. If you go the puppy pad route, you might have a head start since many breeders begin training Yorkies on them even before you take them home.

After the first training period, you will probably have to wait another 4 months before your Yorkie puppy is completely accident-free in the house. Patience is key!

How Long Can Yorkies Go Between Potty Breaks?

One of the reasons that potty training a Yorkie takes so much patience is because they anatomically arent quite equipped to hold it for long periods of time. Their bladders arent fully developed yet, and puppies still need time to gain full control of the muscles around them.

If youre wondering how long exactly you can expect a Yorkie puppy to hold it, theres a handy rule of thumb to go by. This rule is basically that for every month of your Yorkie puppys age, think that they can hold it for one hour.

So, if you have a 4-month-old Yorkie puppy, they can hold it for 4 hours. If you have a 2-month-old, they can hold it for 2 hours.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: How To Pee Pad Train Your Yorkie

At What Age Should a Yorkie be Housebroken?

Again, this will vary based on the quality of the training process, but the general age you should be looking at is 7 months. At this age, its common for Yorkies to be housebroken, but you still should be keeping an eye out for potential accidents just in case.

Indoors or Outdoors: What is the Best Way to Potty Train a Yorkie?

Sometimes the question arises of how to best potty train a Yorkie, indoors on puppy pads or outdoors. The answer to this will depend on a few things, but the most important factors are your puppys lifestyle as well as your living situation.

If youre in a spot where it would be hard to let your puppy outside often, such as an apartment building, its no question that youd want to go with indoor puppy pads. As a bonus, many breeders start this type of training early, so it could expedite the overall process.

Suppose you live in a house and have daily availability to let your puppy outside to do their business. Additionally, you might be able to take them on walks each day. In this case, you might find it easier and more manageable to start outdoor training early. Of course, the area you live matters too and its good to get an understanding of how suitable your area is for dog training outdoors and what training options are available. Dog Academy has a series of local guides for this purpose, likethis example.

Again, assess your situation and decide which is the best way to go, as there is no one answer!

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: Yorkies in Heat: Signs, Cycles, Length & Symptoms

Toy Breeds and Potty Training Yoy Breed Puppies

Toy breeds are notoriously harder to potty train than larger breed dogs. There are several reasons for this (seemingly unfair!) truth.

• They are used to being carried outside and therefore have never learned how to alert their owners when they need to go potty.
• They have to go more often. Since Yorkies are so small, they simply cannot hold their bladders and bowels as long as their larger canine cousins. This is especially true of puppies of all breeds.

Its hard to break a habit if the owner isnt aware its happening. For large dogs, it can be hard to miss when they have an accident in the middle of the living room floor. For Yorkies, however, owners just may not notice if and when their tiny dog has urinatedespecially if its on the carpet. And when your Yorkies accident isnt followed up with any corrective behavior (like immediately being taken outside), they may learn to think this is acceptable behavior.

If you are experiencing difficulty training your new Yorkie, keep reading to find helpful tips, tricks, and training methods to housebreak your new pup.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: Is Your Yorkie Licking and Chewing Their Paws? All About Dogs Excessive Licking Habits

When to Start Potty Training Your Dog

If you have adopted from a reputable breeder, then hopefully they will have already started on the basics of potty training before you even pick your pup up. Since most puppies are raised in a whelping box (a low-walled box where mother and puppies spend their first several weeks of life), they have probably already developed the instinct that tells them not to eliminate where they eat and sleep.

If however, you have purchased your dog from a pet store where the dog has spent most of its life in a cage (where it has had no other choice but to eliminate where it eats and sleeps), it is still not too late to break the habit. And start as soon as you get home! Puppies as young as 8 weeks can be started on crate training.

Crate Training

Crate training is the most popular and successful method of housebreaking dogs of any breed. To get started, you will need a wire crate with a plastic bottom (be sure to get one with a removable bottom which is much easier to clean!) The idea of crate training works with the idea that dogs do not like to eliminate where they eat or sleep.

To start, only have your new puppy out of the crate when you are actively playing with him or he is eating. Do not let him wander around the house when you are not paying attention. This is keybecause you dont want to give your pup the chance to potty unless he is outside. As soon as you are done playing with your pup, put him back in his crate.

The next time you want to take your dog out, immediately go outside on a leash and take him to the same general area of the yard. Have a key phrase or word to tell your dog its time to eliminate. Then, if and when he does eliminate, praise your dog with words or even a treat while you are still outside. Puppies should be taken outside to go potty at least every 1.5 to 2 hours.

And resist the temptation to pick up your puppy and carry him outside. It may be a lot fasterbut your dog is not learning that the act of walking to the door is to signal that he needs to eliminate.

It is important to make the crate feel like a safe and secure place for your puppy and not a place of punishment. To achieve this ideal, try putting a soft blanket and favorite toy inside. For Yorkies, especially when they are puppies, be sure to partition the crate so that the area they are allowed is just big enough for them to be comfortable. If a tiny Yorkie is put in a 5-foot-long crate, then they might not mind eliminating it on the other end!

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: How to Make Your Yorkie Less Aggressive and Angry You Must Do This

How to Potty Train a Yorkie Puppy Outside At What Age Are Yorkies Potty Trained?

There are a lot of benefits of successfully potty training a Yorkie puppy outside. As long as youre there to let them out and they get plenty of structured training, you can say goodbye to accidents in the house.

However, thats not to say that it cant be a process. If you want to potty train a Yorkie outside, it wont happen just overnight. So, something youll really want to focus on is getting the best, most efficient outcomes.

In this section, were going to go over how to potty train a Yorkie outside that ensures a rewarding experience for both you and your pup.

Pay close attention and make sure you follow the tips!

Find a Designated Spot

The first aspect of potty training a Yorkie outside is definitely finding the exact spot you want to train them in. This will spurn lots of benefits, such as consistency, a clean yard, and ultimately a better training experience.

Consistency is of the utmost importance when it comes to potty training a Yorkie. This is not to say that training wont work at all if you let them go anywhere in the yard, because it will; however, having one spot that you take them to might expedite the overall process.

Puppies thrive on consistency and structure, and your lawn will have a better chance of staying clear as a result. If the puppy knows early on that it has a designated spot on the lawn to go, you can avoid stepping in poop when strolling outside!

Pick a spot thats broad enough so that the puppy wont go in the same exact spot each time, as that could ruin the appearance of the lawn over time.

Make sure to pick a spot thats out of the way, both so you dont encounter it and so your Yorkie is sheltered from the elementsthey still have to go, even when its raining!

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: How to Stop Biting Habit in Yorkie

Prepare for the Training Session

The next important aspect of Yorkie potty training is knowing exactly when to take them outside for a session. Knowing the time frames for when Yorkie puppies will need to go and the actions that trigger it can help in reinforcement.

Yorkie puppies are most likely to need to do their business at these times: right after waking up and right before going to bed as well as post-playing, eating, or exercising.

Its also important to remember the rule of thumb we talked about in an earlier section. If your puppy is 1 month old, it will only be able to hold it for about 1 hour, and so on!

Definitely keep an eye out for when your pup will need to go.

Give Them a Command Outside

Once youve identified the right times to take them outside, its time to start training. Move them to the designated spot you want them to associate with doing business first. Once there, you should wait with them until they go.

Before they do, give them a command, which can be anything you want it to be that triggers them to go do business.

Keep giving them the same verbal command until they relieve themselves, continuing until theyre done.

Puppy training works primarily through memory and association training. By repeating the command throughout the whole process, their brain will start to associate your command with the actionand the spot you chose!

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: How to Make Training of Yorkies More Rewarding

Make Sure Your Puppy is Confined During Training

Something very important to remember is that you should have some sort of system to keep your pups movement under control during potty training sessions. Its imperative that you always keep your pup under your supervision for the best results.

After all, Yorkie puppies can be incredibly curious, playful, and easily distracted by both outside and inside stimuli.

There are a few options you have to keep your puppy staying in one area. The best methods are crates, gates, playpens, or tethered leashes. Not all of these methods will work for outdoor training, so in that sense, youll want to use the classic leash.

When using a leash to ensure your dog stays in place, make sure its a harness leash instead of a collared leash. You dont want to put unnecessary strain on your puppys neck, especially in the developmental stages where muscles and bones arent fully developed yet.

Inside, youll likely want to lean towards the playpen or puppy gates. When potty training a Yorkie puppy, its nice to let them roam but just in a smaller space. If youre leaving the house, too, it can confine the potential accident area. In general, you should put food, water, and a pee pad in there, placing the pad as far away from the food as possible.

Practice Positive Reinforcement

Another tip for a successful training experience is the consistent use of positive reinforcement. If you want to potty train a Yorkie, note that they will respond much better to positive training than negative.

When you see your Yorkie doing their business either on command or simply in the right spot, make it extra known that you are pleased with them. You can feed them a treat or give them some extra love right after!

Deal with Your Puppys Accidents Consistently

Something else to always have in the back of your mind is that your Yorkie puppy will remember how you react to accidents, so its important to be consistent.

As we mentioned in the previous section, its important to avoid using negative feedback, as it might be counterproductive and stress your puppy out.

So, if an accident happens, they will keep you cool. If you catch them in the middle of an accident in the house, its okay to clap your hands and say no!. If you have time, an effective method to deal with an impending accident is to pick them up yourself and move them over to the pad.

If you are able to gently let them know that what they are doing is not right, it will be much more effective than scolding them overtly. Simply showing them the right thing to do will be enough over time.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: Preparing Your Yorkie for a Trip in a Car

Dont Forget to Train Your Yorkie for Nighttime

Now, we know that you cant be up through all the hours of the night worrying whether an accident will happen. Ideally, your puppy will be on a similar sleep schedule to you, but there will be times when they have to go and youre not up yet.

For this reason, its paramount that you let a potty-training Yorkie pup have access to a pee pad at night inside the house. This is yet another reason to implement something like a playpen, where they can take care of their needs inside a confined space.

At first, your pup will need to do its business multiple times throughout the nighttime. This will decrease as they age and gain fuller control of their functions. Additionally, you can train your Yorkie to sleep when you do.

Nothing will happen instantly, so its important that you look at how to train your Yorkie so that youre both in sync sleep-wise.

How to Potty Train a Yorkie on Puppy Pads

If you live in an apartment or are constantly on the go, its not as realistic for you to train your Yorkie to only go outside. In fact, youll probably be relying on indoor training pads for your Yorkie.

Potty training a Yorkie on puppy pads can help you immensely in the long run, and its an extra bonus that breeders tend to give the pups a head start in this area.

Once you have your puppy, though, the potty training is in your hands and youll want to know exactly what you can do to make the experience easier.

Here, well give you some tips on how to potty train a Yorkie on puppy pads.

Designate a Spot for the Pad Inside

Just like in the outdoors training advice we gave, the need for consistency is still immense when it comes to potty training Yorkies. In order to make the overall process go faster and help reinforce, you should pick one spot for the pad to be in.

Whenever you clean out the pad, make sure to return it to this spot each time so your puppy always knows where to go.

Additionally, in the beginning, stages, you might consider using multiple puppy pads throughout the house. This could be a great idea if your house has multiple floors, or if your Yorkie likes to roam to different corners of the house.

If you choose to implement more than one pad, the same rule appliesalways return them to the spots they were in.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: How to Calm a Jumping Yorkie

Bring Them to the Pad in Advance

Again, this goes hand-in-hand with knowing how to anticipate your pup needing to do its business. Once youve realized your puppys time frame on when it needs to go and what triggers the urge, you can start advancing in the training process.

At that point, youll know to bring them to the puppy pad in advance, minutes before you know theyll need to go. To reiterate, its most likely to be after waking up, eating, playing, exercising, or at night right before going to bed.

So, when you know its going to happen, bring them to the pad and start giving them the verbal command youve chosen. Keep saying the command to them before and during the process of relieving themselves so that they associate the words with the action.

Praise Them for Success

Its so important to adequately praise your Yorkie puppy for using the bathroom at the right place and at the right time. You definitely want to positively reinforce that they are doing the right thing, and make sure the message is conveyed.

If you can, give them a treat or some kind of incentive, something that will make them happy and feel great! Whatever the reward is, whether its food, extra playtime, or verbal praise, make sure its immediate and worthwhile.

Over time, if you give them adequate praise, this will be one of the driving factors in your success in potty training a Yorkie. If they have something to look forward to and figure out how to get it, its only natural that they will start doing it more.

Eventually, the Yorkie puppy will be potty trained enough so that you can start weaning them off this process. After all, giving them a treat after using the bathroom well into adulthood is probably unnecessary and you could use those treats for other training!

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: Considering Benefits of Crate Training for your Yorkie

Keep Your Cool if Accidents Happen

When youre potty training a Yorkie, its no debate that accidents will absolutely happenyou just need to be prepared for them. In addition to just knowing how to clean up, you need to know how to convey a supportive temperament to your pup.

If and when accidents happen, its super important that you dont accidentally blow up or raise your voice. If you do so and your Yorkie doesnt know what they did wrong, it wont be constructive in any way.

Something you want is for your Yorkie to be comfortable and stress-free during training, as both of these needs not being med could impede the whole process.

Keep your cool, its okay to clap your hands or move them to the pad quickly, but try to keep training as positive as possible.

Gradually Wean Them Off Multiple Puppy Pads

We mentioned in the first tip that it might be a good idea to use multiple puppy pads for younger Yorkies or bigger houses. That still stands, but as your Yorkie grows older that could be unnecessary.

After all, more puppy pads mean more work for you in order to maintain a clean house. Once your Yorkie is making adequate progress, you can start thinking about phasing them out of the multiple puppy pad method.

When potty training a Yorkie on puppy pads, you can eliminate them one by one but should do so very gradually. You should only start this once you are sure that your Yorkie is potty trained on pads, not just destinations.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: Coping with Chewing Issues of Your Yorkie

Tips & Tricks for Housebreaking a Yorkie

Before we let you go today, we have a few more tips that should seriously help you in housebreaking a Yorkie. Its not going to be super easy, but these tips and tricks will help ensure that its as wrinkle-free as possible.

Here they are:

Yorkie Potty Training Tips & Tricks

The number-one key to a successful Yorkie potty training is time management. Youll have to make sure that youre available when your puppy needs you the most. Make sure that if youre getting a Yorkie puppy, youre doing so at a time in your life when youll be able to train them.

Schedule the most consistent times for potty breaks. For example, if your puppy eats each day at 1:00, schedule the potty break for 1:15. Doing things like this at different intervals during the day will significantly improve your dogs association. Theyll start pairing the time of day with the time to go!

As temperament goes, throughout the process youll have to be patient, consistent, and calm. Especially when accidents happen, your utmost priority is to make sure you dont scare or stress out your puppy, as that could only make it worse.

The last tip is to do Yorkie potty training in an area where there are no rugs youre not willing to part with or spend money to clean! Of course, there might be accidents in inopportune places, but you can mitigate this by using the confinement methods we talked about in the previous section.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: What Is A Teddy Bear Yorkie? Everything You Need to Know

Helpful Tips for Potty Training Your Yorkie and Teacup Yorkie

Be patient!

As noted above, puppies do not have the bladder size (or control) of older dogs. Mistakes will happen so try to stay calm when accidents do happen.

Feed on a schedule. Dogs like consistency, and being fed at the same time every morning and evening will help them learn a routine and make potty habits predictable. All dogs are different, but you will soon learn how often your dog needs to eliminate.

Try a bell on the door. Once your dog has been successfully crate-trained, you may want to consider hanging a bell on the door so your dog can learn to associate the sound of the bell with the door opening. This can be especially helpful with small breeds that can be so quietowners may not notice their dog walking to the door!

Use the right kind of cleanerespecially on carpet or other fabrics that retain odor. When accidents do happen, be sure to use a cleaner that is specifically for pet stains, which typically have enzymes that remove odor. Using the right cleaner will help prevent your dog from wanting to go to that same spot next time.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: Housebreaking Challenges Yorkshire Terrier Owners Face

Punishing Your Yorkie

Most experts agree that punishing a dog for eliminating in the house is ineffective and even counter-productive: often, when an owner finds a puddle (or pile!) in the house, their first instinct is to go and get their dog and scold them over it. Since dogs have such short memory spans, what you are communicating to the dog is not that going in the house is bad, but that its the urine or feces that is bad. This usually leads the dog to eliminate in secret.

If you happen to catch your dog in the act, the best thing to do is to calmly and quickly take them outside to their designated potty spot.

What About Older Yorkie Dogs?

While most of the advice in this article is geared towards puppies, older dogs that are not housebroken can also be trained to potty outside. The most common issue, especially with rescued dogs, is that they have practically spent their entire lives in a wire cage that they have had no choice but to eliminate. Sadly, puppy mill dogs become used to lying in their own waste.

The solution to a dog coming from a rescue situation is patience and understanding. It can be hard to fathom that the outdoors can be a frightening place, but for a puppy mill dog, being in such a large and open space with never-before-seen sights and smells can be simply overwhelming. Add that to the fact that the act of eliminating is a very vulnerable undertaking because that is when an animal is most likely to be attacked.

Try taking your adult dog on a walk to see if he eliminates on his own. Keep distractions (like speaking to your dog) to a minimum so he can relax and unwind enough to be able to eliminate them. Crate training can still work in these situations, you just may have to take the dog outside more frequently to prevent them from eliminating in the crate. Be sure to offer lots of praise when he does potty outside.

Heres another Yorkie article youll enjoy: How Much Does a Yorkie and Teacup Yorkie Cost?

Conclusion

Whether its a puppy or an adult dog, any age pooch can be housebroken. Remember patience is key; stay consistent with everything: schedules, rules, and responses. It is important to show your dog that you are the alpha, and when dogs detect changes in rules, they may take advantage of the situation by acting out