Frequent urination in dogs isn’t necessarily a problem. You may be comparing your pooch to your neighbours’, but the truth is that some dogs will need to urinate a lot more frequently than others. Even changes in your dog’s toilet habits may or may not be a cause for concern — but how do you know when they are?
Several factors contribute to how often your dog needs to pee. The frequency might increase based on little things like your pet drinking extra water after a hot day at the park or after sneaking some crisps. That being said, frequent urination in dogs might indicate a much bigger issue, such as a health problem. By learning what’s normal for your pet and paying attention to your dog’s pee schedule, you’ll be able to spot problems that may require a trip to the vet.
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What’s normal?
The frequency of urination in dogs varies greatly – it will depend on factors such as diet, activity level, water intake, and availability to an appropriate toilet spot. The size and breed of a dog do not affect the number of times it pees in a day. Typically a dog will urinate once every four to six hours, although some will go eight and even to 12 hours without urinating – although often they are just holding on until their owners return home to let them out.
Dogs favour routine, so will tend to urinate at the same times each day. Try and make a note of what is normal for your dog then it will be easier for you to notice if any changes or problems with them arise.
Puppies pee more
Age does affect how often a dog needs to urinate. Puppies, especially during house training, will need to go out more often – at least every two hours. Make sure you take them out after each time they wake up from naps, after vigorous play and within five minutes of eating or drinking anything.
Learn more about taming your puppy’s urination habits with our article on house training a puppy.
Older dogs and those on medication do, too
Older dogs might also need to urinate more frequently than average as their bladders become weaker. Many older dogs need to be taken out to urinate a similar amount as to when they were a puppy. Similarly, a lot of medication for dogs, such as heart pills, will increase how often your dog needs to go.
When to call your vet
Frequent urination in dogs sometimes signals a health problem. Increases in frequency can indicate a bladder problem, bladder infection, kidney disease, bladder disease, liver disease or diabetes. Make sure that you and your dog sitter pay close attention to the frequency, the colour of the urine, the amount, the smell and whether your dog has discomfort when peeing. Any changes in a dog’s frequency, urgency or ability, or discomfort urinating is cause for concern and warrants a trip to the vet.
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