What's up guys!

So I will the picking up my new 8 week old husky this Wednesday and i'm doing as much research and buying all the necessary thing I need to make sure the puppy will be happy.
I read that the crate should be a happy place for the puppy to easily sleep in and associate it with good feelings, this way the puppy wont poop inside where he will sleep, and make it difficult to potty train.
The puppy will though have to be alone for about 2 hours max,since leaving him for a couple hours alone will increase the chance of an accident, I thought it be best if left in a playpen with toys to play with away from the crate.

Does this sound like a solid plan? Where did you guys leave your new pup when you have to leave home for a couple hours?

Thanks!

While I haven't "done puppies" in over 15 years, I'll comment.

If you size the crate (with a divider) so that your pup can lay down, turn around and maybe stretch a little, the chances that he'll do anything beside sleep while you're out and about are really slim.

If you've let him know that he's going to get out as often as needed and, of course, a "potty walk" before you leave I don't think you'll find a mess in the crate when you get back.

The reason that most (emphasize the "most") dogs won't defecate / urinate in their crate is that desirably they think of it as their den (his "home", if you will.) A dog who has been crated for longer periods of time and has no option will mess in the crate - but the poor pup really doesn't have a choice "burst or go" isn't a choice.

It shouldn't take you more than a day to figure out if your pup is one who can willingly "hold it" and for how long - if you exceed the willingly, you're going to have problems. If he really has the option of going out when he needs to, he'll learn (and you'll learn) the signs to let you know he needs out. One of the recommendations here is that you keep a "house leash" on your pup and keep it attached to you (or your chair) so that you can learn to read the guy - it also helps keep him from getting into trouble when you're not immediately paying attention.

Appreciate it man!

I'm just worried that if my husky were to have an accident a couple times inside the crate it would make it very difficult to train him to go potty outside or worse make the crate feel like a den.
I wanted to use the play pin until he can hold his bladder, then resort to leaving him inside the crate, when i'm not home.

I second aljones, also remember your puppy is going to sleep A LOT, so he doesn't necessarily need the space anyways. Plus it will help teach that when you are a away, it is down time, not get into everything and play time. Also remember an hour per month, but don't be surprised if your pup is going alittle more frequently when awake. I know when my girl was a pup we had a cycle. Play, sleep, and the second she woke up we were running for the door, cause she was going to be peeing within 5 seconds.

Here's another thing you can do with your new pup, keep a journal for a couple of days. I mean everything he does:

7:35am-woke up outside went pee
7:50am-ate breakfast and drank some water
8:00-8:30am-playtime
8:30-9:00am-naptime
9:00-woke up, potty break poop and pee.

You will start to see patterns quicker this way so you can start identifying when you know your pup is gonna need to go potty.

It sounds like you have done some research, and are nervous, just don't sweat the small stuff, remember it is a baby. Start training the behaviors you want soon though things like a 10 week old puppy jumping on you is cute when they are little but not so cute when they are much older, larger, and still doing the behavior.

Good luck! Puppies are tiring and so much fun, take lots of pictures because they grow soooo fast!

Thanks alot guys! It may not seem like it but being a first time pet owner, I really appreciate the tips and any advice given. I'll will definitely be making a new thread on the welcome mat when I pick up my boy next week

As far as what to feed him, I have been doing lots of research on different food brand and its content and I've come to a decision of going with the Acana Heritage Puppy & Junior Formula!
Do you guys have any experience with the brand and this specific one for puppies or know anyone who has?

I've read that it is a very good quality food, but not sure if the protein content is too much for a 8 week old growing puppy? If I pick a food, I will stick with it and not hop from one to another so I want to be certain.

Guys, I wanted to know if this is a bad idea and if I should stop doing this....Since i've had my puppy whenever he takes a nap during the day, I just let him fall asleep on the carpet, rather than putting him in his crate.
I only put him in his crate when I leave the house, or at night when he is falling asleep.

Should I always be putting him in the crate for naps, or only for night sleeping and while i'm away? For instance, I don't want him to get use to or enjoy sleeping in the carpet so much that he will prefer it to the crate at night, or while i'm away.

You're probably going to get several different answers to this question so I'll give you mine ...
I have three dogs and two crates - because I trust one of them and he's never violated that trust and he's most often outside anyway. The other two, well, one of them lives outside her crate - normally asleep at my feet; the last one naturally heads to her crate in the evening - bed time - but otherwise has the run of the house while I'm home.

Letting them sleep where they want during the day/when you're at home, whether that's in their crate or in the middle of the living room is - as far as I'm concerned - inconsequential.