Originally Posted by
Alty
I have to ask. How many dogs have you owned? What is your background, are you a trainer, or do you just consider yourself to be one. Just owning a dog doesn't make you an expert in dog care or training. In fact, too many people that have dogs don't have a clue when it comes to training.
Just because it's in a book doesn't mean it's right. You have to use common sense. Telling someone to let their 11 week old puppy lie in its own poop, is not only cruel, but the worst advice you can give.
On this site we don't guess. The majority of people answering the dog questions know what they're doing. If you give bad or harmful advice we will call you on it, we're not here to make you feel special, we're here to help the animals that are in people's lives.
Lucky gave a very accurate, very precise post. I have nothing to add. I have a 9 week old puppy right now, and he's never had one accident in his crate. But then, he was on a farm, not a pet store, or puppymill, and sadly, the majority of dogs sold in pet stores are puppymill dogs. Farm dogs learn not to pee or poo where they sleep. It's not natural for a dog to do so. But puppymill/petstore dogs are forced to spend 24/7 in a cage, so they have no option but to poop where they sleep. It will take more than a few weeks to train him that this behavior isn't right, because that's all he's ever known.
I can only add that I wish the OP a lot of luck. Be consistent, kind, and I'm very sure that puppy will come around in time. :)