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She doesn't need access to food at all times, but she does need to be eating three or four times a day. Young puppies are just like babies -- they need small, frequent feedings.

Thanks for all the feedback. Since she is so young I will leave her puppy pads out until I notice she can hold it for longer periods of time and I will hold off on fully crating her. She does have access to water all day while I'm away. As far as the feeding goes the first few days she was home I was free feeding her but she didn't want to eat unless I was there watching her. She would only eat while I was in the room. So I stopped the free feeding to get her more on a routine and I have tried feeding her in the mornings and when I get home. Today was the first day she actually ate in the morn

I'm concerned about the above statement that you're "only feeding her in the afternoon". If she's just 9 weeks old, she should be fed 3--4 times every day, unless you're free-feeding her? She should also have water available at all times, particularly if you're free-feeding her dry kibble. Sorry for my confusion! If Ginger is only getting one meal a day, that could be the reason she isn't pooping very often. I'm just concerned about your statement. Please clarify. Hugs! Vicki

If you can't feed her three or four times a day at least for the next month, I would (personally) leave dry food down for her to nibble on should she get hungry when you're not there. You most likely will have more messes to clean up, but it's for her health and good start on life. Once she gets a little older, then you can start giving her larger meals at a time and then work harder on the potty training. She's just a little baby at 9 weeks old. Vicki

I think it's not unusual for puppies to be erratic in their pooping. They usually get more on a schedule as they get older and their digestive tracts mature. I trained Yogi to both use wee wee pads and to go outside. But my situation is a lot different than yours. I'm home most of the time, and we have another dog who does his business exclusively outside. So when Yogi was a little pup and had trouble holding it for more than five minutes I gave in and put a pad down. He took to that within a few days. But he also went outside regularly with our older dog, and caught on to the idea of

Should I leave her access to food at all times at this age? I thought putting her on a routine schedule would work better? so glad to have found this site. So many useful resources and information.