peeing

by margaret james
(leeds uk)

i have had my 6 month old great dane puppy for 2 weeks now. she got spayed 34 days ago. i take her water up to about 7 o'clock every night but she still keeps peeing in the night and sometimes in the day.

i let her out all the time but she still does not ask to go out, i have to watch her all the time please help. thanks




Hi Margaret
By six months old, your pup should have reasonable bladder/bowel control, so the first thing I would do is have your vet check to make sure there's no urinary tract infection which is causing frequent urination.

If everything there seems fine, it's just a case of being very consistent with her and supervising closely. If you're not using a crate yet, I would strongly advise that you get one and start crate training her.

This is the simplest and quickest way to get a puppy into the right habits (and train them out of the wrong ones!). It also eliminates the majority of opportunities for her to eliminate indoors. Check out my Crate Training page for all the tips and information you need on using this method of housebreaking.

Although most puppies are beginning to be fairly reliable about housetraining by the time they're 6 months old, this is if they've received continuous and consistent house training.

As you've only had this puppy for a short time, it may be that she's not received regular or consistent guidelines, and if that's the case she is most likely very confused. Puppies want to please their owners, and once your girl figures out what it is you expect, I'm sure she will pick it up fast.

You may also want to check out my Potty Training page for more advice on potty training in general.

Best of luck with your puppy!