[heidielrashidi]

Hi, I just got my 7 week old puppy and I have to work 8 hours a day. I can't leave him in his crate all day and can't manage to hire a dog walker but I can take him to work with me and leave him in a secure apartment with a friend. Will this affect my crate and potting training as he won't be home or eliminating in the same place as home? I'm not sure what to do in this case.

[Sariss]

As long as someone is letting him out very regularly he hopefully will get the concept of going outside.

[dontknownuthin]

Take the crate with you to each location so it's his safe spot where he feels comfortable to rest. Using the crate will make it a lot easier to keep him safe as well as sparing the carpets and housebreaking him more easily. It is also safer to transport him in the crate in your car - kind of like putting a baby in a car seat instead of on your lap.

Every couple of hours, take him out of the crate and directly outside. I used to have to carry my puppy out and put her in the grass or she'd immediately pee on the floor. As she got older I let her walk outside herself. Don't play with him or make a fuss until after he pees. Then make a big fuss and give him a small treat so he is rewarded with going outside properly. Then play with him for a little while. If he can be allowed to wander outdoors or somewhere on a hard floor (I'd keep him off carpet entirely until he's reliably housebroken), let him have some time out of the crate to wander and explore on his own, and then put him back in the crate. If you give him a reward for going into the crate like a treat, he will be happy to go in there.

Don't ever use a crate for punishment. The dog won't understand or connect the punishment with the act he's being punished for, and punishing dogs doesn't work very well. There are a lot of good books on training with alternatives. If the crate is associated with the dog being in trouble and you being mad at him, he will not want to go in it.

Also don't stop using the crate - continue using it because there will be a time when you will need to crate the dog and if he's no longer used to it, he won't want to go in there. For example, my dog hurt her back and the vet wanted her crated as much as possible for 8 weeks, but since moving into a shared residence with family members who were horrified by my dog being in a crate, I stopped using it several years ago. I couldn't use it when my dog needed it, which I really regret. It was a challenge to find another way to rehabilitate my hurt dog.

I'm a little concerned that you have the puppy at 7 weeks - normally they are kept with the mother until 8 weeks. I would ask your vet about that.

Have fun with your puppy!