Advice needed - getting through the day

[Milopup]

I was wondering if most cairns can go a whole day (9am to 5pm) without going outside for a walk/pee/poo. Do most people on the forum here train their pups to just go out morning/evening (and not during the day) - if so, how did you train your pup to go the full 8 hours without needing to go outstide??

My pup needs/likes his noon walk, and I dont know how to break him of the habit, but sometimes we just dont have the time to take him for a walk in the middle of the day (but we do it anyway).

(sorry to revisit this topic again, but i was curious how the cairns on the forum spend their day....)

thanks.

[Lisad]

Oh Milopup, I wish I could help you. I am too much the other way. I know I walk my dog way more than he needs. In regards to how my pup spends his day, he is very lucky. My dh works out of the house and I work just Tuesday, Weds and Thurs. On the days that I work he still goes out quite a bit:

6-6:30 am Morning walk

8:00-8:20 am "Post office" walk

noon-12:30 p.m. afternoon break

4:30-4:45 pm afternoon pee

6:30-7:45 pm evening walk/hike

9:10-9:30 pm last pee for the night

I know, however, that he can hold his pee for at least 10 hours. Good luck!!

[sj4iy]

My dog unfortunately has to spend a lot of time by himself during the day b/c both my husband and I work- here's what his schedule looks like:

6:00 am- first walk, pee

6:30 am - eat breakfast

6:45 am-7:00 am - second walk, poop

(we then go to work)

5:30 pm - short walk, pee

6:00 pm - dinner

6:15 pm-6:45 pm - long walk, poop

9:00 pm - last walk of the night to pee

So yes, they can be trained to a shedule like that- he doesn't use the bathroom in the house. It just takes consistancy and patience ^^

To start with, I would put him in an area of the house that you don't necessarily mind him using the bathroom in (we use the kitchen) while you are gone. Then when you take him out, praise him, give him treats when he uses the bathroom. And although it's pointless to scold them when you find a mess in the house after the fact, if you catch them in the act, say "no" and take them outside immediately.

I hope that helps some ^^

[wags]

I'd worry about that causing a urinary infection and kidney problems. If the dog doesn't all all day, he may go all night.

Can you imagine working from 9 to 5 and being banned from the toilet?

What about a doggy door and an enclosed outside area?

[Logansmom]

Oh my...so much "electricity" on this forum today.

At any rate, I think most dogs spend a great portion of their day adapting to their peoples schedules and do just fine. Logan and Sadie are quite adept at holding it until we get home. They have plenty of time in the evening to exercise. While I agree that if I were at work and forced to hold it from 9-5 I may have an issue but I think that is because I spend most of my day drinking water and munching. I'm sure that most of our dogs are not left with bowls of food and probably drink less than we think. Besides, not sure about yours, but mine sleep alot during the day.

[tena]

Sophie holds from 7-4 or 5. She is dependable about holding. Her main excersise comes with walks after 4 until dark. She spends most of her day sleeping, and we play with her in the evening. She is let out on demand from 4 until at least 11. Sleeps all night and is ready to start over at 6, again.

She is also 3 or so years old.

[Eliz222]

Scout and Finch can go all day without going outside too. I am home (for now), but when we both worked full time, they did fine. When they were both puppies, my DH came home during his lunch to let them out. I think it depends on the dogs. I know that both of mine go outside about 7-8am for their first potty time. They go outside again about 45 min later for a second poo....don't ask me why...but that is what they both do. We take them on lots of walks and they get their last potty break between 9-10p.

[kayharley]

Every dog is indeed different but from experience....

Winnie could relieve herself at 7:00 in the morning and not want to go again until dinnertime. Now at the age of 12+ she has developed bladder stones and I honestly believe they came from her not eliminating often enough.

[sj4iy]

When my dog was a puppy, he was not able to hold it all day- I didn't work for part of the time he was. And if he really had to go, he would (we cleaned up after him for months until he was older). Like someone else said, he sleeps all day (even on the weekends when we are home, he just lazes around- he's not eating or drinking anything). He's a year and a half now, and he's been adapted to it since he was about 9 months old.

It all depends on the dog, and puppies can't hold it very long, but our dog only needs to go really 2 or 3 times a day.

[Milopup]

I appreciate the advice so far - my pup spends most of the day on guard duty in front of the window (he is the neighborhood grandma nosing into everyone's business!) yet he loves to go outside! It is horrible to say but sometimes needing to take him out every 4 hours makes it impossible to do anything else but wait to take him out (dont worry - we always take him out, even when we know he is just wanting to go out for the sake of hanging/strutting through the neighborhood!).

[Logansmom]

Milopup, you remind me so much of my sister in law. Her two labs are her life. She was taking them out every four hours as well and she too, lost sight of what her life could be because of that. After much cajoling and promising that they would be okay, DH and I shared with her the fact that dogs are very, very adaptable. If you "train" their bladder to go every four hour, then that's what they do. I promise you as well, your pup will be okay. I'll bet as soon as everyone leaves the house, guard duty is over and he is snoring away. Every two weeks add another hour between potty breaks. You'll get your life back and he'll learn that you are alpha in the house.

Just a thought.

[Maggie15]

We've been in that situation with maggie almost right from day 1... she typically holds her potty for almost 10+ hours... we come home for lunch everyday, but most of the time she'll stick by my side for the time i'm home and not go potty! I think the advice to slowly come home a bit later at time to adjust to the schedule makes the most sense... maggie does sleep most of the day, she has access to the living room window from her expen to see some activity, a few toys, and i also have a pet tracks 'relaxing' cd that i play all day... not sure if it helps at all, but i'm sure its better than silence -and she probably isnt triggered as easily by any sounds outside...

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[Milopup]

Thanks - problem is that my pup loves to go outside! He is bell trained, so he hits the lil sleigh bells often, more than once every four hours, but when he really needs to go (usually at the 4 hour mark) he starts whining when we dont respond to the ringing bells.

[suedelu29]

Milopup, my two are like yours. I actually try and work my schedule around them. Everyone yells at me. But if I don't take them out at the times they are used to, they go nuts, They actually start pacing!! Can't figure out how they know what time it is. It is not even a matter of going potty, cause I know they can hold it, I just feel bad cause they just sit around all day.

[tena]

Sophie's favorite thing in life is to have me home all day. She wants out every 5 minutes simply to sniff and wander, and I take her out alot. On work days...she stays in most of the day, until 4 pm. She adapts to that also.

I've never been real good at keeping a strict scheduale, so she is conditioned to tell us when she needs to go, not trained to go by time. Now she does get anxious at 3:45 everyday...my son comes in at 4 and they walk together, which is almost the only schedualed thing we do (except the first thing in the morning pee/poop)

[brin145]

We try to go home at lunchtime for potty breaks. Gus has to go because he is so little. Crunch could go all day until my son gets home (3:30). Crunch has been very scheduled when he goes. He is like clockwork. It is usually tied to mealtimes for him and when he gets up in the morning. I guess what I am saying is that Crunch can hold it for 8 hours if he necessary. When we are home all day (on weekends), he doesn't go throughout the daytime hours. Also, I don't leave water bowls down in the house when it is not mealtime-twice a day.

[wags]

Milopup, sorry I sounded so harsh in my last posting. But Wes eats, drinks, and poops around the clock. After his last vet intervention, I'm just happy his food allergies have abated.

Like your dog, Wes also looks forward to going outside- He's already marked the neighborhood a million times over.