How big is your dog?
Larger dogs can hold their pee and poop for a lot longer than a small dog, who tend to have very tiny bladders and shorter digestive systems which need to be emptied more frequently.
An example of this difference would be for the Great Dane and the Chihuahua. Despite being the same species, they do have different needs!
The Great Dane, being a much larger dog, can probably hold his pee and poop for a lot longer than the tiny Chihuahua who must be let out a little more frequently due to their smaller size.
How Often Should I Take My Adult Dog Out To Potty At Night?
In general, you only need to take a healthy adult dog out once before bedtime.
If your adult dog is ill or injured, you may have to increase the frequency and might have to take them out several times throughout the night.
Senior dogs who suffer from incontinence may also have to go out more often. If you are unable to take them out frequently enough, or you are worried their whining will not wake you up, you can also restrict their access in the house to limit where they might go to the bathroom by using baby gates or a crate, you can place potty pads in several areas throughout the house, or you can put a diaper on them.
For senior dogs or dogs who frequently go to the bathroom in their sleep, you might also invest in a waterproof bed for your pup.
What time should dog go to bed?
Their average sleeping hours lie between 10 – 14 hours a day. Large breeds need more hours of sleep, hence they doze off for 14 – 18 hours a day. Sometimes people also call them ‘mat dogs’ as they tend to sleep a lot. But the sleeping habit also depends on their daily routine, diet and of course their health.
14 Signs Your Dog Doesn’t Love You (Even if You Think They Do)
Ive had my retired greyhound for 3 weeks now and have got into the habit of going into the garden with him just before bed (his last proper walk is 7pm). He always weed and poos every single time hes let out but in reality this wouldnt have happened in his racing career or at the rescue kennels, hes fully crate trained so must have gone a long while before toileting. So my question is do you think its really necessary for me to take him out again at bedtime? Its not a massive chore but he wont go out without me and its cold and wet!
Last walk for us is between 7-7:30pm. But I make sure she goes out in the garden for a wee about 11pm-midnight just before I go to bed.
Why make him feel uncomfortable all night and maybe have an accident if he is willing to do before bed ?i always let my dog out last thing as I wouldn’t want him to have to hold it when he doesn’t need to, it’s all part of having a dog
Last walk of the day is usually before 5pm, especially when its dark in winter. Fed at 7pm and usually asks to go out afterwards And then let out again before go to bed at 10:30. She will pee on command, so we insist on one before bed
Mine are just out doing their last wee now. One of mine was confined and used to having to wait to toilet, she wees and poos every opportunity she gets, I think it’s habit to whenever there’s an opportunity.
I always put them out last thing before bed regardless of when their last walk is. I wouldnt like to go to bed needing the loo so dont imagine they would either!
My intention isnt to make him uncomfortable, I just wasnt sure if it was overkill especially since Im usually walking him up to go out!
Mine never gets walked in the dark but goes out for a wee just before bed , he wees on command so it’s a pretty quick procedure.
Well – my Lab-X rescue has a bladder of steel, apparently, and won’t wee or poo in the garden at all – accompanied, unaccompanied, on-lead, off-lead, makes no difference! Last walk sometimes pre-7pm (then next opportunity not till 7am) and sometimes later up till 10pm depending on commitments. We’ve had her coming up to 3 months and although we offer the opportunity for the garden every morning/evening/lunchtime/random occasions, she won’t use it. So I’d say count yourself lucky & dont break the habit because it’s a complete PITA to make extra time for a walk just for toilet purposes. If you walk at 7pm I’d offer the chance for the garden every night before bed. If anything, the routine is important. But if you want to stop accompanying, scale back gradually- keeping closer & closer to the back door etc.
Its seems that everyone else does similar so Ill continue to go out with him, I agree that hes probably got used to being turned out of his kennel at set times and is used to going at every opportunity.
Thanks NoSquirrels, thats a good idea, a bit like the gradual retreat method when putting babies to bed!
Ive got a dog flap, so juicydog can go out whenever she needs to and i dont have to worry about falling asleep/forgetting
Ten minutes before I sod off to bed. So anywhere from midnight to 2am. I cant just boot him into the garden, because weve no gate. Hed be oer hills and far away like a shot. But he will pee pretty much on command, so were only frozen for 5 minutes.
Just about the last thing I do before I go to bed, is go for a wee. Just to make sure I’m comfortable and won’t be woken in the night by needing to go. I have always thought my dog(s, we’ve had a couple) would be the same frankly, so out he goes in garden just before we lock up and come upstairs to bed. Last walk usually around 8pm ish, will sometimes pee/poo on walk, but not always. Let out around 11pm ish usually, nearly always pees. First thing DH does when he gets up is let dog out around 7am, then he (DH I mean, his name isn’t Bruce Almighty) goes for a pee in the downstairs loo. I can imagine them peeing in tandem either side of the back door, grinning at each other 
Last wee here – done as a walk around the block – is last thing at night, about 11pm
I have just got a Rescue Patterdale. I take he out about 9 for the last walk she wees and poos some days not others. She does not like our garden and won’t go out there of a night. I have only had her a week, but she seems to be able to hold on even when the last walk is missed. She won’t go out in the mornings until it is light and even then still does not often do anything until her long morning walk.
Last walk of the day usually late afternoon as we do most walks early in the day. Last pee/poo in the garden any time between 11pm and 11:30pm.
We open the back door and leave it open about 15 minutes before we go to bed and tell them to go and have a pee. Which recently has been 9pm more often than not. Often they don’t go out then. Walk in the morning is around 7.30/8,00 so they last a good long time.
Also a dog-flap here, so she goes in and out at will (sometimes all bloody night!). This thread is a bit of an eye-opener!
Actually, she goes in and out at will, 24/7. I can imagine having to really rethink my movements if I had to be home for her to wee.
Fed at 4. Walk at 6 where she will do a poo and wee. She won’t poo in the garden generally. Then quickly let her into the garden for a last wee before I go to bed between 8 and 10pm. She goes out between 5 and 6 am and can manage that comfortably.
Dog door here also. Cant imagine why anyone wouldnt have one, as it saves all of this faff and stress about whether or not the dog needs/wants to go out.
A dog flap is too much of a security risk for me. Elfpup goes out just before I go to bed anytime between 11pm and midnight. I have to wake him but he always needs to go.
Isnt the dog flap a security risk or do your dogs wear one of those magnetic key thinks on their collar? We have a very large greyhound so we would need a pretty big flap and Im not even sure if hed be brave enough to use it.
There is no access to my back garden, so security not an issue for us. A neighbour could get in by traversing a few walls but we arent rich enough for anyone to bother. Before i had the dogflap installed, i used to leave the back door open all the time, so its acyually improved our security!
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