Abby asks:
“I have an 11 week old English bulldog. I am not sure how to go about training. I have her sleep in a crate at night, which she doesn’t mind-But when I am at work, I put her in my kitchen which is hard wood floor, and easier to clean up messes. Is it ok to leave her out of her crate in the kitchen when I’ll be at work for 8 hours and then crate her when I sleep? Or will it affect her potty training??”
Hopefully, you will have read through the tips in my free report and Squidoo lenses.
There would be no problem allowing her to be left in the kitchen (though I would leave the crate in there too so she has a den to go to), but at such a young age, you will be setting her up to fail if you expect her to hold in her pee for 8 hours. Until she is at least six months old, you should expect to be letting her out once every two or three hours through the day. If you or another family member are not able to get home to let her out, I would consider arranging for a dog walker to come in and do it for you or have her in doggy day care until her bladder has developed sufficiently for her to hold it a little longer.