How often do Shih Tzu’s pee?
So you need to know how often do Shih-Tzus pee? In this article we will look at how often they need to go out and what can affect this…
Perhaps you are trying to organise regular daily walking times or trying to find a good routine that is fair for your Shih-Tzu. Simply put an adult Shih Tzu will need to pee around 3 times a day but lets take a little look into Shih Tzu toilet habits and see what works best for you and your Shih-Tzu in the hope that we can avoid any unwanted accidents.
Each persons situation may be different and there may be certain times when you will need to leave your Shih-Tzu alone. Please see http://completeshihtzuguide.com/can-shih-tzu-be-left-alone/
In this article we will delve into how often puppies, adolescent, adult or aging Shih-Tzus will need to pee. We will list various toilet training methods for puppies and what can be done if your Shih-Tzu is having any accidents.
How long can Shih Tzus hold their bladder?
Most Shih-Tzu’s will be similar in respect to how long they can hold their bladder, but there are a couple of different factors that can affect this. The first being age. Puppies wont be able to hold their bladder as well as adult dogs for instance. Another thing would be any medical condition. Lets breakdown different age groups…
Shih-Tzu Puppy
As you may expect Shi-Tzu puppies will need to pee regularly. As a new-born they are likely to go once or twice per hour. At this stage they are not old enough to go out yet and should be with their mum anyway. If you have a new puppy that has left its mum for the first time I would generally expect that the puppy is likely to need to go around once every hour or two so it is important to be around to let them take regular trips outside.
The older the puppy is the longer you can expect them to go without peeing but you will need to housebreak them over time. Here are some housebreaking tips for Shih-Tzu puppies…
- Create an area that your Shih-Tzu can go to pee inside the house with puppy pads or newspaper if needed. If your puppy does go inside the house it is important not to shout or get angry at them as the can not help it at this stage. their bladders are not strong enough so accidents will happen.
- Take your Shih-Tzu puppy out very regularly and if they go outside then you should praise them for it. Using treats and positive reinforcement will help speed up the process.
- Having meals at the same times during the day will speed up the process of needing to go toilet. After a meal it is important to take them outside at this time.
- Regular positive reinforcement when a successful toilet trip is made outside will get them used to do doing this and over time it should become second nature
- Have patience! Your Shih-Tzu will learn over time but accidents will happen.
As an adolescent Shih-Tzu (6-12 months) you can generally expect that they hold their bladder for around 3-5 hours or so.
Adult Shih-Tzu
An adult Shih-Tzu can hold their bladder for around 8-10 hours. Possibly even longer, although you would not want to leave them to wait any longer as that would not be fair to them. It is recommended that you let your adult Shih-Tzu go outside to pee 3 times a day. Whether that be for a walk or just outside in the yard or garden.
Ideally, your Shih-Tzu would get walked or let out first thing in the morning to do their business, once at late afternoon or very early evening and then again before bedtime. This breaks up the day for them and allows them plenty of opportunity to pee and get exercise.
Sticking to regular toilet times is important for your Shih-Tzu. It means that they become accustomed to it and are less likely to worry about the next time they can get to the toilet. If you was to change their toilet times dramatically and regularly you are much more likely to step in a wet patch at home, and it would not be the dogs fault. Something that nobody wants!
Aging Shih-Tzu
As with humans, Shih-Tzu’s can often start to struggle a little more to hold their bladder the older that they get. Toilet trips are likely to need to be made available a little more often. Dependant on your dogs age and needs this can change. This is something that you will need to keep an eye on, especially the older the Shih-Tzu gets.
Unfortunately your Shih-Tzu can start developing health issues the older they get and this can often have an effect on their bladder strength. If your Shih-Tzu is starting to lose bladder strength suddenly then I recommend you check with a vet that there is not underlying health issues.
Final Thoughts…
Whilst this article aims to be informative and helpful, it is by no means more important than veterinary advice. If you find that you are struggling with your Shih-Tzu and they are having any accidents after using this advice, I would always recommend speaking to a vet to find out if there are any underlying health issues that could be causing problems.
On a side note I think it is important to know what to do if your Shih-Tzu does have accidents, whether they are a puppy or an aging dog with health issues. Whilst it can be frustrating if there is a puddle in the kitchen and you may have multiple things on your mind. The most important thing to remember is to keep calm and not get angry with your Shih-Tzu.
Shih-Tzu’s are very human orientated and the thought of being in trouble with you will break them and cause them all sorts of stress. This needs to be avoided for the benefit of a happy Shih-Tzu.