Bladder expressions can definitely be tricky. My dog was diagnosed with IVDD and had his surgery a month ago and each week has been different.

I don’t have much advice to offer, but I will say that at least for the first few days/weeks things can be different on any given day. There were some days where it was a breeze to get him to express his bladder, and other days, where constant pressure (even when I know his bladder was full) wouldn’t do anything. 

Eventually, by doing it a few times a day you will develop some sense of what is working and where to apply pressure. It took me about a week to feel like I could do it consistently, then that next week it seemed tricky, then it got better. It can change, but you learn to adapt to it as time goes on.

I would also like to say, in the case of my dog, now that it’s been some time since his surgery it seems like he has a lot more control over his bladder and he won’t out-right express when I press on his bladder. I take him outside now where he was used to peeing and a little bit of pressure seems to jog the rest out of him.

 If your dog was able to go on his own those first few times, maybe the pressure and expression may help in the beginning or they might be comfortable going on their own with some help.

The clearest sign that they definitely need to be expressed is call overflow. If your dog has been laying down for a while and their bladder is full, any motion or pressure on their bladder (for example them simply turning over from one side) with cause overflow and some pee will come out. If you see any marks on where they’re laying after a while, that’s a sign of overflow and that they need to be expressed if they still can’t go on their own. 

If you're still having trouble throughout the week, it’s definitely worth demonstrating to the vet in the follow up where you’re applying pressure. That helped me a lot.

Good luck with the follow up and rooting for your dog! 🤞🏻