Here are some crate training and housebreaking tips that you might find useful. Keep in mind that these are just suggestions and that there is no right or wrong way. Some ways may just take longer than others to achieve the desired result. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Some people do not feel comfortable crating the puppy so much and that is fine as well.

Puppies normally don’t have enough bladder control to hold it all night until about 10-12 weeks depending on the puppy. I recommend taking the puppy’s water away around 7 pm for the first little while. This will help during the night. If the puppy cries I would definitely take him out to the bathroom but only so that he does his business. I wouldn’t let the puppy play with you as he might get in the habit of waking you up for playtime. If you ignore him and he has to go he will mess in his crate and you will have a messy puppy and crate and it also teaches the puppy both that it is ok to go in the crate and also that asking to go out doesn’t work. I would pick him up and carry him outside so that he doesn’t make a mess on the way outside. Once outside give him a command such as “Go to the bathroom” (or “go pee” or “go poo” if you want 2 separate commands). Keep repeating it until he goes and once he does make a big deal of it (Good boy, etc) and give him a treat. If you always give him a treat after he will learn to go quickly so that you won’t have to stand outside in the cold/hot. I would recommend going out with him to train him to go to the bathroom command and also to show him the area of the yard you want him to go to the bathroom. After he is trained he can go out by himself. Of course if he goes to the bathroom outside and he cries when you put him back in his crate, ignore him. He is just trying to get attention. If you consol him or talk to him he will have his “reward”(your attention) and will just learn to cry longer to get your attention. It is acceptable to keep the kennel by your bed and to reach your hand and put it by the cage when he cries. This often reassures them and they will stop crying- but don’t talk to him. The first few days of kennel training are always rough, and a lot of people give up as they can’t stand to hear the puppy scream for so long. The puppy can scream for long periods before giving up but you need to leave the house or go outside if you are ready to give up or the noise is driving you crazy. They will learn quickly to be quiet and calm this way as screaming does not let them out of the crate. Ignore them and wait until they are quiet until you let them out unless of course you are sure the puppy has to go outside. We always give the puppy a treat when it goes in the crate and say “kennel”. At first you will probably have to push the puppy in but they will learn to go in if you throw a treat in every time. The crate should only be large enough at first for the puppy to stand up and turn around in. Puppies don’t like to mess where they sleep. If the crate is too large, they will tend to go to the bathroom in one corner and sleep in another. Puppies will need to go out to the bathroom after eating or drinking (Anywhere from right away to half an hour afterwards). If the puppy doesn’t go to the bathroom outside when you take it out put it in the kennel for a while and try again later. The puppy should not have playtime or be loose in the house until it goes to the bathroom outside- until it is housetrained. Then if he goes to the bathroom outside he can be loose in the house to play but only if he is supervised. After about 30 minutes he should be taken outside again to see if he has to go. If the puppy can’t be watched 100% (until he is fully housetrained at least) then he should be in the crate. Puppies the first couple weeks will spend lots of time in the crate if you want housebreaking to occur quickly. If the puppy starts sniffing, circling, whining or quickly runs into another room it is a sign that he will probably go to the bathroom and he should be picked up and rushed outside. If the puppy squats to go and you catch him while he is doing it you can scruff him, say no and take him outside. Even if he doesn’t go outside (because he has already gone in the house) take him out anyways so that he learns the proper place to go. If he does go outside then you can praise and reward him. If the puppy is squatting to go to the bathroom and he is finished by the time you get to him and has walked away it is too late to discipline him as he won’t associate it with having had an accident. All you can do is clean up the mess and watch him more closely in the future. If the above is followed I have had puppies that have only made 1-2 messes in the house at most and were totally housetrained by 12 weeks.

A normal work day and other tips:

During the day when you are at work he should have no problem holding it until lunch time when you get home. I would take him out in the morning to the bathroom then feed and water him, then take him out again quickly. Then put him in his crate while you get ready for work (or if you have him on a leash he can be with you as long as you can watch him). Take him out again one last time before you go to work then put him in his crate. As far as the evenings go leave him out as much as you want as long as you can watch him 100% of the time so that you can catch him and discipline him if he goes to mess in the house and so that you can take him out often. He won’t have to go to the bathroom every time you take him out but you will learn his routine. Most puppies will go within between 5-30 minutes after eating, after they wake up, and after a long play. They will often give a sign such as whining, pacing, circling or dashing out of the room when they have to go. The house training can be done quickly if you are always watching him and in about 3-4 weeks he should be fairly reliable and can have more freedom. If you need to do something such as laundry put him in his crate or keep him on a leash and let him follow you around so you can watch him. You could also train him to ring a bell to go outside. To do that hang a sleigh type bell from a string on the door knob and every time you take him out take him to the door, say do you have to go outside, hit his paw against the bell and then go out. He will learn to ring the bell and ask to go out after some training. Or some people teach them to speak to go out. 

 Practice patience, a schedule and repetition :)