I am a brand new dog owner and by luck have stumbled across the information you have to offer. I have ordered your puppy and dog training videos and am working my way throught them. My husband and I run a small health care office on the first floor of our building and we live on the third floor. I got a rescue puppy (about 5-1/2 mo. old) and have begun to crate train him. At first he loved the crate and didn't want to come out of it, I had to physically remove him to go outside to potty. I guess because he was scared/unsure of his new situation. But now he cries and barks in his crate constantly. I would love to just let him bark, but we have neighbors in our building who run businesses and it really disturbs them. I got a bark collar which I am getting the impression was not a good idea but the thing hasn't worked one time anyway.
Originally I had the idea that I would take the dog to work with me. This is the reason I thought I would have enough time to spend with the dog. This is working fine especially now that i am keeping him on a leash at my desk all day--where he is very quiet and well-behaved. He has no problem just lying at my feet all day with some short potty and play brakes. But this really seems to be spoiling him and making him more of a brat in his crate at night. In fact, he doesn't want to go upstairs because he knows he will have to go in his crate.
I thought this would be an ideal situation for a dog to have him with me all day, but I am finding that if I can't put him in his crate without him crying (and annoying the neighbors) maybe it is not so ideal.
So...after doing some reading on your web site, I realize I need to put him in his crate more often. Can I use two crates? One for my apartment and the other for the basement at the office--it will be more convenient for me to keep him in the second crate because I will not be having to constantly run home to take him out. Or are two crates a bad idea and confusing?
I really wanted a dog. This brings me to my second question. I will need help with this dog if I am to give him enough exercise. After reading the Groundwork article, I get the impression that I am the only one that should feed, exercise, etc. him. However I am not going to have time to do all this because I work 12-14 hours a day. My husband has agreed to help me and will take him out, etc., but is this not a good idea?
I wish I had known about the information you have to offer before I got this dog. But now I am really very willing to do what it takes to make it work since we've become very attached. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your help and Merry Christmas!

Two crates are fine.

Laura,
I have two dogs and six crates. Two crates are at home, two at the office and two in my vehicle. This saves me from lugging them around since the dogs are with me alot for training. They do not seem to have a problem with the difference. I keep a blanket in each crate and wash them once or twice a week. The crate is a comfort zone for the dogs, kind of like us and our homes. My dogs choose their crates above and beyond any other place to rest.
My Mal pup is 12 weeks now and she knows to use her crates already. If you give your pup something to do in the crate it may help with the barking. Something safe to chew on works for me. As long as nothing "bad" happens while in the crate (ie, a friend of mine tried to move her dog in the crate and dropped it, it took a long time for the dog not to be nervous about the crate after that) and you do not use it for punishment, your pup should do fine after the initial adjustment period.
Merry Christmas
Carol

Thanks for your help!
So if I like to keep him at my feet while I am working, I should only do this sometimes, and not all day? And only if he's gotten really good and quiet in the crate?
And how long should I keep this crating up for?

My dogs are in there crates at work no matter what. If I have to go out of sight for even a minute there is a potential for naughtiness. If you want to keep him at your feet some of the time at work I would recommend crating him if you have to leave the room, or take him with, and my Mals crate is actually under my desk. I socialize her carefully since we are still forming the bond and the crate under my desk just keeps people from spoiling her or scaring her thinking it is funny to tease them while in the crate. I am not adverse to telling people to "leave my dogs alone" if they have not been given permission to interact with my dogs. Since my dogs are Search and Rescue dogs they get to interact and be touched by people, but if you are planning Schutzhund, PPD or anything like that I would take Ed's advice and allow no one to touch your dog unless necassary.
At home my bloodhound gets free run of the house unless we leave, then he goes with, is crated, or put out in his dog yard outside. My mal does not get to run the house as she is still too young. She does get to be in the kitchen with a 4' lead on while I get their food ready in the morning (my pup eats in her crate and that helps them get used to it also) and evening but otherwise she is crated or in a dog yard if we are not training or having free tug time. I am sure you will get lots more advice from some of the others that have tons more experience than I do. This is what works for me. Good luck and enjoy your pup.
Carol

He's just a mutt and I'm not planning any kind of special training, I just want him to know basic stuff but be well trained in general.

As far as being in the office at work, I have him on a leash all the time but will start crating him under my desk. You're right the thing I have to worry about is people messing with him when I have to step away from my desk. Last night I had to tell a little kid to stay away from my dog or I would make him (the kid) wait outside--and he started crying. Good thing his mother was understanding, and a dog trainer herself. But if he's out of sight, people won't be able to try to pet him.

Is it possible for there to be a point when he can be more sociable with patients, sit politely for pets, or is that a bad idea altogether?

Hi Laura,
Hope you had a wonderful Holiday.
I think you are making the right choice in crating your dog at work. If he is noisy in there you can give hime a safe toy to chew on. Just make sure that you do not let him out if he is being noisy. That will just "reward" or "reinforce" that if he is noisy he gets out. Instead, wait until he is quiet and then let him out. Also, you will learn the difference between the "let me out" bratty noise and the "I gotta go pee mom" whine. The first you ignore, the second you do not ignore.
Also, he will probably be fine with people at your office petting him but he is still a puppy so I would not expect him to be "quiet" for quite a while yet.
I would go through the "bonding" period first before I let people start really messing with him.

I also take my puppy (6 month Mal) to work with me. I have an office to myself but I have a crate in my office too. I leave the crate door open when I'm at my desk and he usually chooses to nap in there. He can "patrol" the room if he wants but must be quiet and behaved. If I need to go to a meeting or lunch or whatever I put him in the crate and lock it. He resisted this at first because he knows I'm in the area. But I reward him heavily for willingly entering the crate when told to and when he fussed I scolded him sharply (even shook the crate a little) and he has stopped that. I have a second crate at home that he sleeps in. Same deal. I wouldn't let my puppy "bark it out" when he threw fits about being in the crate. He knows that I demand good behavior in AND out of the crates! Now he loves both of them and uses them as his dens.