How can my dog go this long without peeing?

she is definitely not peeing anywhere. whoever had her before me had her very well potty trained. when she really needs to go, she will whine and push her nose on my hand to tell me.

If I am half-asleep, I can hear her pacing and I know that means she needs to go (yes, I do get up when that happens).

what surprises me is how long she will often go with no indicators at all.

Like when I get up and get my coffee and sit down - she doesn't come ask. And as I said, I tried taking her down anyway and she'd just look at me like 'I want to walk, not pee, stupid!'

Saving it for marking is a whole lot more important than just having to pee. Nothing gets the bladder/pee cycle going like a walk because that exposes the dog to myriad scents, all designed to make the pee flow.

Tomorrow, I'll ask my dog which is more important to her, peeing or marking.

chai2, I respect what you are saying but I am sure I am not the only one to not take my dog out the second I wake up and tell her to hold on.

I do think she is 'too good' in that there have been times she has looked at me, and I looked away, and she just walks off.

That made me sad. I don't know if the person before was abusive if she kept at them or if she is just exceptional in wanting to please.

Either way, as I said, that did cause me to make a concentrated effort to immediately throw on clothes and take her out in the am, but she doesn't need to go enough to 'throw away' her pee in a worthless spot ;-) or she holds hostage to go on a walk, I do not know which.

LOL they do have a way of communicating what they think of us! Our Boykin Spaniel is 6...we got him as a rescue when he was 3. In the beginning he had terrible separation anxiety. If one of us left the house he went nuts, running back and forth and howling. He's settled down somewhat now, but he still gets mad if one of us leaves and will pee in one particular spot to show us his anger. Doesn't matter if I take him out immediately after Mr.Irish leaves or not...he comes in, waits until I'm not looking and pees. He's the BEST dog ever, though. We're lucky to be owned by such a fine canine

she is NOT at all shy after I wake up. we just went on a short walk, and she wants her long walk, and she is not letting up - so in general she is assertive and unafraid of pissing me off. If I tell her NO! right now, for instance, it has little effect. lol. if she has to #2 or just really wants to walk, she will ignore my no (which I am only saying because we just came in 15 mins ago) and keep at me.

It is only in the am that she is so docile on this issue. Which is appreciatedfor my benefit, I just don't understand it for hers.

also, she will go just outside at night. She knows when I'm going to go to bed and it's 'last call'. she will go right outside then, but not in the am.

I think you are right. After paying attention to her all day/night, and noting how assertive she is when she wants out, I think she has silently made some sort of deal with me to adapt to my sleep as long as I cater to her schedule the rest of the time ;-).

I think she is very sensitive to me and knows I don't feel good just out of bed so she chills until she really needs to go. IDK, that is all I can think of, since she used to insist and doesn't anymore.

I still think it can't be good for her, so I will try again to see if she will relieve herself just outside when I first get up.

We take our dogs out every hour when we are home, but we are gone during the day for up to 12 hours and sometimes my 2 yr old wont even pee, because she wants to eat first i think...I dont think its a problem, unless she has a hidden potty spot inside your home if she needs to go, she will tell ya!

Yes - I was going to ask that - maybe she doesn't drink much water if any at night. Does she sleep with you? In your room? Does she drink at night? If not, I wouldn't worry - she probably just doesn't drink at night.

Also, when you do bring her out, does she pee immediately - like it seems she could barely wait? If she sniffs around a bit first and doesn't act like in dire need to pee or she would explode she is probably fine.

You could also check with your vet to rest your mind. You certainly do not sound as if you are abusing her if you are so concerned.

she prefers to wait for a walk most often. sometimes she will pee right away. the weird thing is she doesn't even ask. the rest of the day she is at me every few hours, but in the am she acts all casual. sometimes i let her on the porch while i get my coffee and she will wait a while before pushing the door in to say 'hey, let's go'. I live in an apt (upstairs) and she loves the front porch where she can see everything that goes on. We have a communication set up - when she pushes the door in and sits, she wants to walk. when she pushes the door open and walks in, she wants in!

oh, and yes she sleeps on my bed for the most part. she gets down when she wants to stretch out, and comes back on when she wants to curl up. she used to not be allowed on the bed because she would tromp around and bother the senior kitty, but she came up with a trick - she jumped on and curled up, and lo and behold that bought her bed privileges. I think she thinks she has to remain still to stay ;-)

That little tidbit is what has me concerned. They learn things on their own that we are not even trying to teach them.

That is why my concern was that she had 'learned' not to ask in the am - being so sensitive to even my inaudible cues.

If you are worried - I give a quick to call to the vet - just to confirm and make you feel better.

hi everyone,
I'm new here & so happy to have found you while searching this very subject. I understand where chai2 is coming from. I'm also super sensitive when it comes to animals bc as chai pointed out; they depend on us. I swear, if I believed in reincarnation, I was here before as an animal.
Put yourself in a dog's position as in; How do you feel when a someone is in the bathroom and you really, REALLY have to go? It's terrible & it only gets worse, not better, as time passes. I've had dogs all my life but our family pet, Coco is the quirkiest yet. She is a pitmix who was rescued from horrific abuse/neglect. Like many (most) rescues-strays, they suffer at the hands of horrible people before they are lucky enough to find a loving, safe forever home. 'IF' they are lucky enough...Coco is approx 6 yrs old, we've had her for over 3 yrs. Her canine teeth are intact but her other teeth are ground down to the gumline.. It is a heartbreaking thing to see & even worse to think about what she was trying so desperately to get away from. She is anxious to please as all dogs are. She is very quiet (unnaturally quiet says the vet) evidence of punishing abuse for making noise? idk, she can't tell us. We had her 8 months before we heard her bark,, we were like, "What the h*ll was that?? Hey it was Coco!" finally.
But back to the subject, Coco will go hours and hours w/o going outside. yesterday, she went out with my husband at 2PM ..It's my turn to walk her between 6-7PM and then she's good until the morning between 5-6AM.. Well, come 6:30 Coco doesn't want to go. It's cold here in Boston. I went outside, started the car to warm it up for her. I did everything to gently encourage Cokes,, she wasn't budging. She laid stretched out on the couch wagging her tail with no signs of distress. My husband says, "She's smarter than you are. Leave her alone. If she wants to go out, she'll go"
I tried again at midnight, no deal. She slept peacefully until this morning when I put the leash on and made her come with me.. By the way, Coco doesn't go in the house. I'd be honest about that bc I'm trying to share what we've experienced. She hates the cold & I swear, she paces herself. Coco also drinks less water than any dog I've ever owned. How I wish they could talk..
I've never encountered this before but wanted to share- some dogs require less time, listen to your dog, Be aware and be kind.. And, about "health problems" ?(my right hand is dreadfully deformed w/RA and I have a disease called systemic Scleroderma) turning my skin & tissues hard & tight. It doesn't prevent me from caring for my pet the way she deserves.. The few times Coco had to go out in the middle of the night (she ate something that went right through her) I fly out of that bed bc I know how awful that feeling is. If you have health issues that prevent you from doing right by your pet, I'm sorry to say,, you shouldn't have one. Pets depend on us, when I use that simple rule, I never have to worry if I'm doing the right thing. I wish every pet had the love & security that they deserve,,, I'd like to say, God bless the people who adopt (not buy or breed) and always try to help an animal in need. It's our sacred duty.
thanks for listening,
Elizabeth

I came on here with the same concern. My dog (male) is 3 years old, drinks plenty of water, and, during the day time, will pee as he wishes. i bring him in for the night about 6 pm and let him go out every couple of hours to pee until i go to bed. most of the time he'll just grab his ball and want to play. upon letting him out for the last time before i crash, i'll try to talk him into going. most of the time he won't. but if he sees me peeing on a tree or something, he'll join me and go on the same tree. i'll bring him in until the next morning (about 8 hours) then go outside with him to change his water and food. still, sometimes he'll pee sometimes he wont. doesn't seem to be a big deal to him. i originally thought he had a problem but when we go for our walks, he'll water every bush, tree, and weed in his path.

I know I am a little late on this subject but I also wanted to know how long was to long to go pee. I have a 18 month old small mix dog. There are some days where she wont go out side in the morning. I ask her if she wants to go out back to pee and she runs and hides behind the couch. There are times she has not gone pee for 15+ hours. There is always fresh water out and she drinks often. I wonder if I should worry on the days she dose not want to go out.

Easy hipster. I have an English Mastiff that goes potty once a day, sometimes twice. This being despite the fact that I take her out four or more times a day. I consulted my vet and was informed that some dogs(especially but not limited to large breeds) just don't need to go as often. Jm should be much more concerned about his/her unhealthy sleeping habits as aposed to canine caretaking. Dogs are smart animals, if they really need to go, they'll go. If not, natural selection.
Chai2, a little humility and animal education might be in order.

Haha! Chai2! You're a funny fascist. I have no dog, i'm just saying.

I adopted a beagle mix 4 weeks ago. She's crate trained, & except for a few accidents (1 poo second day; 1 poo 2 days ago - my fault b/c I missed her cues) & 3 pee accidents. I take her out often & sometimes she goes a long time without pooing, but today she has not peed since last evening OVER 12HOURS!
I was relevied (no pun intended) to know that other dogs go without peeing for a long time. She's a great dog & gets a lot of love.

Our miniature schnauzer is 17 1/2 yrs. old. She, almost daily, goes from 11pm to 11-12 the next morning. We have asked her doctore about this and she said there is nothing wrong Sassy just can hold a long time. Also since you can no longer go for walks she doesn't have the need to mark territory. We cater to her every need. If she wanted out at 2 am we would get up but we are fortunate that she holds this long especially at her age

MEM

I saw this post and I had to say something. It is my opinion that it is this kind of judgement that prevents people, sometimes, from getting veterinarian care for their pets. People are labeled as abusive when they are in fact seeking help. Life happens and we are all human. I am glad that this poster asked about their dog.