I have a 9 week puppy for a week now. Crate training has gone OK. The crate is located in the living room. He seems to like the crate only when my family is in the room. We feed his meals there, and also follow the advice on this forum regarding crates. If I sleep on the couch, he has a couple of wimpers and that's all, although he does get up about every hour to go outside to pee or poop. One night we slept in the bedroom with the crate downstairs and the radio on. Blue screamed (loudest bark I've ever heard) and cried for forty five minutes, which we ignored and then he was quiet for two hours. I went down in two hours and the crate was covered in dry poop. (We had taken him out to poop, which he did, prior to putting him in the crate)

Today we waited till Blue pooped twice in 20 minutes, and then left the house for 45 minutes. When we returned, he was screaming and he left us with a nice crate to clean. =)

My major issue is leaving. Whenever I leave whether for twenty minutes or an hour, I return to a crate with poop in it.

Also, my husband has been sleeping on the couch for the past few nights because I do not want the crate upstairs in our bedroom. Should he continue to sleep down there for a few weeks while Blue is getting adjusted, or should we stay in the bedroom, and hopefully the little guy will start being OK alone.

Thanks for all the help!

While he has only been with you a week he is still adjusting to his new surroundings...
However I wouldn't keep sleeping on the couch next to him, it's just giving him what he wants really and he isn't going to learn, it will only reinforce the bad behaviour.

I will post my method for crate training below, give it a read and see if you think it would help you.
This is how I trained my dogs to stay in their crates quietly and now they love going in because a) they always get a treat and b) it feels safe and secure for them.

----

Selecting a crate.
A dogs crate should be large enough for the dog to stand up in, turn around easily and be able to lay down comfortably.
Crates come in all shapes and sizes so shop around for one that best suits your dogs size.

I personally prefer to use all wire crates as to the plastic pet pack varieties as even though the plastic crates have ventilation they can become very hot.
When you leave, no matter how long for always have fresh water available, D-shaped water bowls are great for crates, they are shaped like a D and the flat part has clips to secure to the wire and prevent spills.

Toys are also a wonderful training tool as it will keep the dog distracted, I use kong toys stuffed with yummy food as a cure for boredom, having special toys or treats that the dog gets only when you go out are also a wonderful idea, it shows them that the crate is a good thing, not a punishment.

Another good idea for crates is to cover it with a blanket or sheet. You can leave the front open so the dog can see but having a blanket over the sides and back makes the dog feel more secure than a wire crate out in the open.
Another reason I prefer wire crates, you can adjust the covering to suit the weather.

When crate training my dogs I first coax them into the crate with a yummy treat, I let them eat the treat in the crate and play with a toy in there. Once they are comfortable with being in the crate I give them another treat then lock the crate and then go sit away from the crate and ignore the puppy.
I only sit down for a minute or two, just long enough so that the dog does not bark or cry.
I then walk over and let them out of the crate and give them praise for not crying.

Letting them out only if they are not crying is very important. If you let the dog out of the crate while it is crying it will only teach them that crying makes you come back and let them out.

Next time I sit down for a few more minutes, again only letting them out if the dog is not crying.

Increase the amount of time you sit for and always let them out before the dog starts crying (you will learn how long that threshold is pretty quickly)

This teaches the dog that they are not being left in the crate forever.

A lot of people prefer to leave the house while they are crating their dog to start with, this is purely personal preference, I have tried both and had more success with staying near the dog.

The only attention the dog shoulg get should be an angry "no" from you when it cries to show it that crying is naughty.
Just remember, however loud and hard your puppy is screaming do not let it out of the crate. It will calm down and then it can come out.

Thanks for the great advice. I started doing this today and I have a few questions.

1. I started doing a minute or two and not a peep from him. I then went in and gave him his "Doggie Crack" (that's what they referred to it at PetSmart). I took him out of the crate. My question is how long till I Put him back in the crate to expand the time?

2. I got up to five minutes twice but both times I go back in the room he is sleeping. Should I love this, or is this going to be a problem?

Thank you so much

1. It is entirely up to you, it depends on how much time you have and your routine. Don't do it too often so he is in there all the time, I would say 2-3 times a day.

2. This is great! If he is asleep leave him be, do you have a rough idea of how long he sleeps for? If you know he sleeps for about half an hour then go in after 20 minutes and actually wake him up ad take him out before he starts crying.

Good luck!