OK, I admit it, this is the first time I have ever had a puppy this young (8 weeks) Levi was 12 and what a difference, not to mention the Lines. After 5 days, Drogo, still hasnt put together the connection of going potty outside, which I assume is standard for an 8 week old pup. Issue is, I go back to work tomorrow and even though hubby's schedule differs from day to day and he always comes home for lunch. Looking for advice on handling kennel and care. I have two kennels, do I want him in the bigger one in case of accidents or the smaller one to hopefully prevent? I dont think his bladder is big enough yet to handle 4 hours of kennel w/o accidents. I also have a large outdoor kennel and Phoenix isnt very hot yet so I could do the outside thing? Any advice from the experts on how best to approach this?

Any chance you could bring him to work and kennel him in the building? What about your vehicle (weather dependant)?

My dogs come to work with me everyday, and if they can't come in the office, they hang in the truck. I have done this since they were 8 weeks old, so I could go out on my break and potty them.

They get a walk before work and another (or training!) at lunch, then you can potty in the afternoon as well.

Before I had a truck with a cap, I had the crate on the back seat, all windows down a few inches and sunroof all the way open with the sunscreen pulled across. Now that I have the truck, I park where I can see my truck from the office window, roll down each window a few inches, the back window all the way, open both windows on the side of the cap and leave the flap open on the back, then I just lock the tailgate, so no one can get them out, if they were able to get past my male LOL Both dogs are crated.

I wish, as I said, I'm a Phoenix resident and I drive a car. I work for Verizon Wireless in a big call center. Not only would heat be a MAJOR issue but company policies would no way allow a dog onsite. You are lucky to be able to bring them to work.

I wish, as I said, I'm a Phoenix resident and I drive a car. I work for Verizon Wireless in a big call center. Not only would heat be a MAJOR issue but company policies would no way allow a dog onsite. You are lucky to be able to bring them to work.

Personally, just me, IMHO, I like the idea that your husband comes home for lunch. Not every dog owner is that fortunate. I definitely wouldn't leave such a young puppy outside in the dry Arizona heat. I think that the lunch time potty break will work out fine, because, once you get him potty trained, 4 hours isn't terribly long to hold it. It may be hard at first, so I'd pbly go with the larger crate.

I wouldn't use wee-wee pads, as those encourage bad behavior. Resign yourself to the fact that you may have an occasional accident to clean up. Once he learns to go outside, hopefully he will not want to go in his crate.

I did the same as Naomi with 2 of my pups...crated under my desk if it was too hot or cold, even in a roofed area over my truck, outside my office window. Yeah, I was lucky too. My boss was great & a dog guy.

I think that 4 hours is a long time for a young pup to hold it. Tough choice...large crate to almost encourage room to potty in it or a small one to not encourage a potty spot but a bigger mess if he does go in there.

To me the choice would be based on how clean of a puppy you have. Some really HATE to get wet or pooppy...other are a bit piggy & don't care so much. A lot of the time this can be based on how clean an environment they were raise in from birth... sometimes not...just the dog itself. On that likes to stay clean...will try harder to hold it...another not so much. But it will depend also on the development of the dog physically when it will have the bladder strength/control to hold it for extended periods of time.

I will also add that in most cases....the more the pup gets the chance to mess his crate...often the longer it will take to potty train him.

Do you have a friend or neighbor that you might trust to come in to potty the pup for a couple of weeks? That might help get him started off right. Or even a friend that you can trust to keep the pup (crate & all) while you are at work & just take him out to potty several times during the day. You can drop him off am & pick him up pm after work. Just some thoughts.

Good luck with the new pup.

You could always put up baby gates in the kitchen or shut him in the bathroom so that you could lay down paper or pee pads and he'll have space to escape the mess and stay cleaner.

Another option is a pet sitter to come in if you can afford it. Twice a day to break up the 4 hour spans when your husband isn't home. The bonus is that they can clean up the mess he might leave or play with him a bit per your instructions. Vet tech's are a good option if you're concerned about the 'typical' pet sitter (college student who doesn't know how to handle a young pup and may have problems following directions).

I actually thought of that Samantha but the little twit likes to chew the bottoms of the cabinets in the kitchen and in the bathroom~ lol oh yes! I have chew toys galore!

He is so sassy tht when the other dogs give him a "back off" growl, he just barks in their face~mine too, think i'm going to have my work cut out for me on this little guy~

This one, for sure, is not my Levi..this one is a hellion and a half!

I cant remember how to post pics on this webboard, anyone?

I Now need to decide what sport to do with his type A personality!?

Hey Robbin,
I agree 4 hours can be a long time at 8 weeks but usually ok at 10-12 weeks for a GSD puppy, though no guarantees on that.
You are so close and have an ideal set up with your husband being able to come home for lunch; I'd do all possible to provide an extra break to avoid accidents and housebreaking set backs.
You mention a call center; can you swap hours with other employees? Maybe pick up an off hour shift that cuts down on the time before the pup is given a break? If not its not the end of the world.
I would choose the larger crate and give the pup a chance to stay clean.