I'm not sure how young your pup is, and I can appreciate the fact that you have to work during the day. But it IS possbile to potty train him. When Rocco was young, I would try to come home at lunch most days to let him out. When I couldn't, I gated him off in the kitchen, with potty pads, food, water and toys, then worked on training while I was home. He stays home about 6-7 hours alone during the day.
The best you can do is train him on the potty pads for now because there is NO WAY he can hold it for several hours yet. When you are home, take him out EVERY SINGLE hour, wait for potty, then praise the heck out of him when he goes. He will eventually catch on and be able to hold it longer (but 9 hours a day will be too long, even for an adult dog). Good luck to you! This too shall pass...it does get easier as they get older, if you are absolutely vigilant in your practices.
__________________ "The little furry buggers are just deep, deep wells you throw all your emotions into." ~ Bruce Schimmel   |