Puppies are so cute and fun, but they are also a lot of work to train. It can take a while to train a puppy to use the bathroom outside or in a specific location, but what about diapers on puppies?
A dog owner can put a diaper on a puppy overnight, but this should not become the default when potty training a puppy. Diapers can cause irritation and infections if not cared for properly. However, changing them frequently and bathing the puppy daily can prevent them from occurring.
So, how can you use a diaper in a helpful way when potty training, and what other reasons are there to use a dog diaper? For more information on puppies and putting dog diapers on them, read below.
Can a Dog Wear a Diaper Overnight?
Puppies can wear a diaper overnight, but you should phase that out over a few weeks. Wearing a diaper overnight is a long time for a puppy, and it can cause them to try and take the diaper off, get an infection, or become irritated on the area the diaper covers. So, be careful about using a diaper overnight, and keep the amount of time that your dog wears the diaper short.
Puppies wearing diapers overnight should be washed frequently to prevent some issues listed above. Dogs can get UTIs (urinary tract infections), so to keep them clean and dry, you should wash them daily or every other day. If they wear the diaper frequently, they should be bathed frequently to help keep them clean and irritation free.
Over a few weeks, learn their bathroom schedule so you can make adjustments to their sleeping arrangements as necessary.
Is It Okay to Put a Diaper On a Puppy?
Putting a diaper on a puppy is totally normal! Dog owners can't be with their new puppy 24/7 because they have jobs, school, kids, and more going on that prevent that. So, using a diaper, doggy pee pads, or a doggy playpen to keep your puppy in an enclosed space is common and normal.
There is the issue of how long the diaper should be on your puppy and how often you should change it, so if you know how often your dog needs a diaper changed, use that to help you plan how long you will be away from your dog.
Will your puppy need a few diaper changes while you are out of the house? If so, perhaps opting for the pee pads and keeping them in a playpen might work better and make your new dog more comfortable during the day.
How Long Can You Keep a Dog Diaper On?
You already know some general reasons why a diaper should be changed frequently, but how long is that exactly? Well, that will depend on how often your puppy pees, and perhaps how much they pee.
If your puppy pees twice an hour, but if they only pee a small amount each time, you don't need to change it every time they pee. Instead, you can change it every 1-2 hours.
If your puppy pees once an hour, then you should change it every 1-3 hours. As you get into the habit of changing the diaper on your puppy and learning how often they pee, you can adjust your rate of diaper changes to your dog's needs.
Can Puppies Hold Their Pee Overnight?
As your puppy gets older, their bladder size will increase, bladder control, and they will increase their ability to wait longer in between peeing. You will see the range begin from 2-hour stretches, to 3-hour stretches, to 4-hour stretches. Overnight, your puppy will need to pee a few times or only once depending on their age.
When puppies are bigger, they can hold their pee overnight, but at the beginning of their life and when you begin training them, they will sleep, wake up, pee, eat, and repeat. Because of this, many owners like using diapers and pee pads for their puppies overnight so that they don't have to get up and take them outside to pee.
Depending on the dog breed and how big your puppy will get, there are different milestones to look out for. Some dogs will have a fully developed bladder and control over their bladder within 6 months, while others take 9 months. But, when this happens, your dog should be able to go throughout the night without a bathroom break.
Can Puppies Get An Infection From a Diaper?
Puppies can get an infection with a diaper. They can get a UTI if their diaper has not been changed within a short amount of time after they have peed.
Make sure you bathe your puppy daily and take extra care when cleaning the entire area that the diaper covers. Be soft and gentle, and if you have any concerns, ask your dog's vet about things you should do to help your puppy. They can recommend soaps and tell you ways to bathe your puppy that will be best for keeping your puppy happy and clean.
How to Have Less Irritation With a Diaper On?
The first thing you can do to make sure your puppy does not live with irritation while wearing a diaper is to know their schedule and change their diaper when needed. The next thing you can do is not have diapers on them while you are home with them. Instead, keep a close eye on them and take them out to pee.
You can also get a cream to help soothe irritations, that way the diaper doesn't rub your puppy too much. As long as you remain mindful, set alarms to remind you about changing the diaper, and you are dedicated to keeping your puppy clean, you will be good to go!
There are a lot of tedious tasks you have to look out for and continue doing for your puppy, but if you do your best to attend to the many tasks, you will be setting yourself and your puppy up for success.
Cindy is a prolific writer and online researcher who can't imagine life without dogs. There is scarcely a dog topic she has not researched or written about. Her love for dogs and helping dog parents is evident by the thousands of dogtemperament.com visitors who read her articles monthly. Most of all, each topic Cindy writes on helps forge a stronger bond and understanding between her and her happy Catahoula Leopard Dog Jossie.