IMO "holding it" pertains to a puppy being able to wait while awake for it's owner to enter the house, deposit the groceries in the kitchen and get the youngster outside or such similiar circumstances. Under five months and getting puppy out in time is always a priority.
That's my point - if it's only been 30 minutes since the puppy has pottied then even the excitement of returning home from a quick trip to the grocery store probably won't cause the puppy to piddle inside. For a puppy the ability to hold it is based on many things including how full their bladder is and how excited they are.
Having raised in excess of twenty Berners it has been my observation that gifted puppies that can cross their legs, until their eyes are floating, younger than five months are a rarity.
How quickly do you think the ability to hold it develops? Certainly it's not that a puppy one day shy of 5 months can't hold it and the next day he's magically transformed and can hold it. Does it develop over the course of a couple days? A week? Two weeks? I believe that every puppy is different (not that I'm saying you don't believe that) and has to be observed and treated accordingly.
John Engstrom - yeah, there's a grocery store 2 miles from my house and I have been there and back in 30 minutes. :-)
Plano, TX
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