urine?

Question
Hello Jana,
I have been debating with my husband for a long time now about the length of time that you can expect a 5-6 lb. 4 year old healthy dog to hold his urine?  We are gone at work for an average of 8 hours a day. He insists that our dog should be able to hold his urine until we get home.  I beg to differ.  His water intake is normal.  I leave water down for him but he does not drink very much while we are gone.  He mostly sits on the couch waiting for us to come home.  He is a mixed Maltese and Pomeranian. I don't understand how a little dog with such a small bladder can be expected to hold it for 8 hours.  I surely could not!!  Thanks so much,
Wendy

Answer
Well all I can add to this is that my dog who weighs 52 lbs can wait up to 10 hours for me.
Bladder size is relevant to dog size. A small dog isn't going to produce as much urine as a 50 lb dog. They will produce the amount for a small dog. While it is certainly better to be able to let a dog be outside for that long, that isn't always possible if you live in an apartment etc.

Dogs concentrate their urine pretty well. That means that they keep the amounts small while still filtering it. This is one way we know if a dog has kidney problems. Suddenly they go from deep yellow urine to light yellow and large amounts. That is actually not a good thing but most owners equate the way we urinate with the way a dog does- and they are not the same.

We want our urine to be light colored and lots of it meaning we are well hydrated. In dogs that is a sign of kidney failure.

So I wouldn't worry too much about a dog that is small waiting at home for you. Don't dally to let him out when you get home. If he couldn't hold it, he would wet the floor. It's as simple as that.
I hope you didn't have money riding on this!!