[Friley]

We are training Baloo (12 weeks old) to go outside via the crate method. We've been having problems because he will go in his crate, and I can't figure out if he doesn't mind the mess, or if I'm leaving him in too long and he just can't make it. Here is a typical weekday for him:

6 am: Get up and potty outside
6:30 am: eat
7:15 am: go outside again, then go in crate
11:15 am: I come home from work and let him out for a few minutes, then he eats lunch/water
11:45 am: outside again, back in crate
3:15 pm: I come home from work, let him out
5:30 pm: eat
8:00 pm: last water for the night
9:30 pm: bed
between 1am-2am: go outside

Now my first problem is, I don't think he likes his crate all that much. If we put him in it, he mostly seems to mope/sleep, and he squeaks alot if we aren't in sight. After almost 3 weeks (with us being gone all day to boot 5 days a week), it seems he can't live without us and I thought he would adjust by now. But we always say "crate" and put in a treat or two to entice him to go in, sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't (in which case we place him in there). We usually place him right in front of the door and block his path to anywhere but that door with our body when we say crate to set him up for success.

It is a wire crate with a plastic tray bottom, and we've tried all kinds of bedding. We've let him in there with just the plastic (he seems to like the least), old towels, or a soft doggie mat. Its very easy to see when he messes the kennel with the plastic or mat, but hard with the towels, because after a few hours, it pretty well dries out and folds up and you can't really catch it unless you spend a bit of time searching. He really likes the towels it seems, but since I've found he's messing in the crate more than I thought, I really like to leave him in there with just the plastic to see how well he's really doing cause I may have been missing his messes for a week or two it seems.

Looking at the schedule, he usually only has to make it 4 hours in the crate, and over night, he does quite well, but in the day time, he doesn't do as good. I wonder if sleeping quells his urge to mess which is why the night is better. At 12 weeks, can he hold it 4 hours? Tonight he started squeaking at about 1.5 to 1.75 hours of holding it, and I let him out and he pee'd outside right away. Can anyone offer an explanation of if he can hold it 4 hours, why he doesn't when we leave him in while we are at work until lunch? I've seen suggestions for others the crates may be too big, his I have set up so its about 4 inches of clearance on all sides of him when he's standing up (according to shooterdog.com). Problem is, he still can curl up and sleep in only half the space, you almost need to stick him in a shoe box. Also since we leave him in the crate about 8 hours a day weekdays, how much should we put him in the crate when we are home? I usually let him sit with me on the couch most of the night, but I was reading online stick him in there for like 30-60 mins at a time and let him out to pee and thats it, play with him very little.

Sorry for the long post, very frustrated, he's doing ok, but we are constantly looking for the "right way" to do this.