We got our 8 week old puppy home over a week ago now! We set up a puppy playpen for him with a crate in used as a bed. He has his water and food in the pen and loves it....he has stopped howling on a night. The problem we are having is we have gone back to work this week....we are leaving him in his massive pen with lots of toys etc....people are helping and visiting him to let him out every 2 to 3 hours. However as we are working we have put puppy pads down for him incase he needs to go whilst we are out. When we are at home he generally goes outside....but now I feel we have muddled up crate training and paper training. He has had a few accidents tonight in the house. We are unable too move the pen closer to the back door with the pads in it gradually like it advises when paper training.....but we cannot leave him crated during the day and not use pads.....im so confused! What's the best thing to Do? I'm worried he is getting confused hence the accidents???
You wrote that he had accidents in the house. I presume that is outside of his pen? Puppies are notorious for "accidents" when they are out and about. He is still very young at 9 weeks, you have a ways to go but it sounds like you are on the right track. We crated Murphy until he was about 4 months, much smaller space. He was real easy, only two piddle accidents and one...oh boy accident. We did not use any puppy pads or newspaper. We tried the newspaper, he could not have cared less about it. Instead, we watched him like hawks and learned what his "tells" were and got him outside pronto. It worked for us. But I would never claim that it would work for anyone else.
As you’re at work and so not able to watch him during the day, you don’t have much option but to use pads; he’s too immature to hold it at this stage. When you are home and he’s out of his pen, though, it’s back to the time-old watching him like a hawk, taking him out every 15 minutes, plus every time he wakes up, eats, drinks or plays, praising him when he goes outside and cleaning up all the accidents you make (because, sadly, it’s us owners that are the ones who make the mistakes) with an enzymatic cleaner like Simple Solution. He’s still tiny; most Labs aren’t 100% until they’re around 6 months.
ALL 8 week old pups have accidents, lots of them. You need to take him out after every drink, feed and play. If he does nothing outside carry him for a while then try again. I find this best as they enjoy being carried. My Mollie we’d every thirty minutes at 8 weeks old. Most pups are four or five months old before they are properly reliable. Here is some great advice - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/house-training-your-labrador-puppy/
Oh, one other thing, there is no point in scolding a dog for having an accident IMHO. I have seen people lecturing their puppy about an accident. Good lord, do they really think the dog understands all that blather? Don't get me wrong, Murphy and I have great conversations and he does understand some of what I say, like "Hey, Murph, should we go find the water dish?" Stuff like that. But a lecture explaining to him why he should not do something? Nah. We are both very proud that we have never raised our voices to Murphy or scolded him in anyway. And guess what? He is just terrific to be around. Most people ask if he is my service dog, I just tell them no, he is just good ol' Murphy being Murphy.
Oh Coco! No dogs in the bin! = Blah blah blah blah.... Hey Coco, is it supper time? = OHMYGIDDYAUNTSUPPERTIMELETMEHEARDYOUINTOTHEKITCHEN ! Dogs! Huh!
