At what age range can puppies typically not hold their bowels for longer than 4 to 6 hours?

Puppies typically do not have full control over their bowel movements until they reach about 8 to 10 weeks of age. Prior to this, especially within the age range of 6 to 8 weeks, their ability to hold their bowels is limited. During this time, puppies are still developing both their physiological capacity and their nervous system, which affects their ability to signal the need to eliminate. As they grow, they gradually gain more control which allows them to hold it for longer periods.

While younger puppies, particularly those in the 2 to 4 weeks and 4 to 6 weeks age ranges, have even less control and require more frequent bathroom breaks, the age range of 6 to 8 weeks marks a critical period where they can start to hold their bowel movements for up to 4 to 6 hours, but they are still not very reliable. Puppies typically do not mature enough to hold their bowels comfortably for extended periods until they are closer to 8 to 10 weeks old.