I have a 5 month old cocker spaniel that I've had for about a month. So far so good on the housetraining. I am at home 6 of 7 days, it has been fairly painless. My question revolves around how long she should be able to hold her urine. Except for overnight, she goes out every hour or so. I assumed by now 2-3 hours would be doable.

Hi there! I have a 6 1/2 month old English cocker spaniel, and I'm in love... I bet you are too. They're truly wonderful little dogs. :)

The house training book I have (how to housebreak your dog in 7 days) recommends going out about 6 times a day for a 4-6 month old puppy. So, yes, 2-3 hours should definitely be doable. Just start small and work your way up.

I can tell you my experience for where we are now, if it helps any (count this as starting from about 6 months old):

-first thing in the morning, anywhere between 7:30-8:30am; he also gets some nice outdoor playtime and comes home after an hour or an hour and a half.
-then again at about 1:00om;
-at around 5:00pm we go out again, and then we stay out for playtime and to run errands until about 7:00
-then it's once again after dinner and right before bedtime at about 11:00pm

With the extra time outside, I would count it as going out about 5 times per day. It's been working great for us, and it's hard to believe that we're down to such a workable schedule now.

I don't know how many times an adult dog (as in 1+ year) should be taken out... if anyone has advice on that, I'd love to hear it!

Thanks! I was fairly certain she should be able to hold it a bit longer, she's just so used to me being home, if you know what I mean :)

We'll start tomorrow on a bit longer waits and we'll see how she does!

My last dog was a shih tzu, who was my companion for 14 years. He was so very highstrung, I'm loving the cocker temperament, she's so laid back and eager to please.

Are you feeding morning and evening, or free feeding? I like having her on a feeding schedule, it keeps it simple if I do need to go away.

Thanks! I was fairly certain she should be able to hold it a bit longer, she's just so used to me being home, if you know what I mean :)

We'll start tomorrow on a bit longer waits and we'll see how she does!

My last dog was a shih tzu, who was my companion for 14 years. He was so very highstrung, I'm loving the cocker temperment, she's so laid back and eager to please.

Are you feeding morning and evening, or free feeding? I like having her on a feeding schedule, it keeps it simple if I do need to go away.

I started him on a free feedings, but as he started to head toward the chubby side, I moved to fixed feedings. We're still doing 3 times a day, and I will probably continue this way even when he's older. Our work is very close to where we live, so we usually have lunch at home. I think our little food monster (he LOVES food) would panic if he had to watch us sit down to a nice meal while he drank only water. Actually, I've heard a dog trainer say that feeding small meals throughout the day (rather than one big meal or even two) can actually help a little with some behavioral problems. I suppose it keeps them from getting cranky? :) personally, I prefer three meals a day for myself, so... :)

Anyway, now that we've been doing the fixed feedings, we can't go back! He devours everything. I might try to go back to it, but first I want him to grow out of the little bit of baby fat he's carrying, and of course it would take some adjustment time. I've always had cats, and they were all raised with free feedings. If it works with your pet, I think it's the best way to go. It's certainly the most convenient option.

I'm such a cocker lover now. If you have an American cocker spaniel, there's a great site you might enjoy taking a peek at (and the forum is quite special). Here's the link: California Cocker Spaniel breeder - The Zim Family (http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/) On the other hand, if you have an English cocker, this is a great site: CockersOnline Forum - Index (http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/) Our little Ulysses Sugar is a red English cocker, but I live in Europe now, and the English variety is much more easily found here than its wonderful American brother. Ooh, I really just love them all. :)