I've heard the way your sister told you to crate train is a good one. I myself had him in his crate the very first night he came home. What I found to be helpful was taking him out BEFORE he whined. I set up a schedule to take him out every 2 hours. Trust me, it was a pain, but it was well worth it. I've had him for 2 1/2 weeks. He's 10 1/2 weeks old. This way has let to a handful of times he's had an accident in the house....and it was my fault, not his. I should have been more alert to his signals to go. He's over the past few nights he's been taken out every 5 hours with more frequent trips out during the day. (ALSO - My puppy is about 4.5 pounds, smaller ones obviously need to be taken out A LOT MORE!) I know that the general "rule of thumb" is an hour for every month old he is, but in my puppy's case, this just doens't ring true. I think you have to find the right solution for your puppy...what might work for me might not work for you and vice versa.
