But remember, even if that seems like too long of a time for your dog to
be confined, this is only temporary.
It should only be for a short time that you have to do this.
If you are very consistent with
the training steps, most dogs catch on rather quickly and then
you don't have to leave them confined as long.
If there is going to be a period
of time when you are not going to be able to watch your dog or puppy
while potty training, then he or she should be in the crate (or confined
area).
Especially when you leave the house for long periods of time.
As long as you make sure they have gone potty before you leave after
feeding and watering them, they should be able to wait until you
return.
Now if you are going to work for
8 hours, I do not recommend leaving your dog in the crate for that
period of time.
You should make arrangements for
someone to help you by letting your pet go potty after about 3-4 hours
(more often if your dog is real young) or if you can do it on your lunch
hour that is great.
It is a good idea to keep the confinement are in the same place all the time.
If your dog is very young, the
length of time he or she can be left in the crate without going potty
can be measured by his or her age in months:
(You will discover, of course, this does not matter if you are using an
ex-pen or other type of confinement because they will be able to go potty
whenever they need to in that case.)
2 months old - 2 hours of being confined without a
potty break
3 months old - 3 hours of being confined without a
potty break
4 months old - 4 hours of being confined without a
potty break
etc. - on up to about 6-8 months of age
"If you pick up a starving dog and
make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal
difference between a dog and a man."
-- Mark Twain
