How Long Can A Yorkie Hold Its Bladder?

Yorkshire Terries are tiny dogs.

As such, they have small bladders. But they also drink smaller amounts of water than larger breeds.

The end result is that Yorkies can hold their bladders for around the same amount of time as other dogs.

But how long exactly depends on a number of factors.

We’ll give you a formula below to get a rough estimate, but you’ll want to observe your dog and make sure you give it as many opportunities to pee as it needs.

You do not want you pup to suffer discomfort.

Keep reading to learn how long a Yorkie can hold its pee, plus a few other important things you need to know on the subject.

 

How Long Can A Yorkie Hold Its Bladder?

An average healthy Yorkie can hold his bladder for 6 to 8 hours. They should never have to go longer than 10 hours without peeing.

Ideally, you should give them the opportunity to pee at least 3 to 5 times a day. But this does depend on factors such as age, sex, activity, and overall health.

 

A Mathematical Formula

Here is a simple mathematical formula used as a common rule for Yorkies: age (in months) + 1 = maximum hours they can hold their bladder.

Note that you should never wait for the maximum number hours, if it is at all avoidable.

Why cause your pup so much discomfort? Take your Yorkie out as often as possible. And ideally, give it a chance to pee whenever it looks like it needs to go.

Younger Yorkies tend to pee more often than the older ones. The bladder of a younger dog has not grown big enough yet, limiting its capacity to hold urine.

A two-month-old puppy, for instance, will not be able to hold its pee all night. You will have to take it out every couple of hours and not make it hold it for more than 3 hours.

 

Younger Dogs Can’t Hold Their Pee As Long

Yorkies who are five months and older have more control over their bladder. Thus, they can hold it for a little longer. No matter the age, you should consider it risky to have your dog hold its bladder for longer than 8 hours. Never make it do this.

A dog being holding its pee for too long can develop serious health issues such as urinary tract infections, from which many Yorkies suffer. Once or twice is probably not harmful, but frequent holding of the bladder is dangerous.

UTIs can actually cause your Yorkie to pee far more often, so you will then need to take your pup out even more.

In addition to the regular peeing routine, you also need to take your Yorkie out minutes after activities that add pressure to their urinary system. There is a fifteen-minute rule in connection to this.

Tiny Yorkies usually need to pee within fifteen minutes after eating a meal, drinking water, or taking a nap. After each of these activities, take your Yorkie outside, or lead it onto a pee pad.

 

How Long Yorkies Can Hold Pee: Conclusion

Maybe you are planning to buy a Yorkie. Or you already have one. Either way, it is natural to wonder how long a Yorkie can hold its bladder.

Now you know there is no definite answer to this. But you did learn the average length of time your dear pet can go without peeing, and how often you should attend to its physiological need and more.

A good pet owner considers their pet’s comfort. And being a good owner involves understanding you pet and its routines, including how often you need to give it the opportunity to pee.

Even though all dogs, even those of the same breed, are different, and there is no fixed answer on how long they can hold their pee, you now have some guidelines to use, including an easy formula.

Use this to find a good starting point, then adjust from there.

Yorkies might all be the same breed, but each individual Yorkshire Terrier is different from one another. As a pet owner, you need to get to know your baby. That involves a lot of patience and observation.

No matter how long your dog can hold its bladder, we highly recommend letting it out three to five times a day so it can pee. Carefully observe your pup and see if you need to bring it out more often. Some dogs do have especially small bladders.

The bottom line is that you never want your dog to suffer discomfort and you want to keep your Yorkie from peeing in the house. Once you get a feel for how often it needs to empty its bladder, make sure you give it the chance to pee whenever it needs to.