I'd be concerned about the puppy not having access to fresh water during those 4-5hrs if crated. Instead, can you block off a section of your kitchen or setup the playpen there? If not, see if attaching the pee pad to a tray would make it hard for her to tear up.
Use the crate inside the "puppy zone" (leaving crate door open) with bedding.
Crates are a great tool (IMO) and a lot of dogs like them (they provide a sense of security).
Here's a general guideline of how I used the crate and potty trained my dog. *Note, I'm not a trained expert and do not claim to know everything! These are just suggestions and a baseline.
No matter the method, the most the important thing is consistency.
- Always take the puppy outside to pee/poo in the same spot.
- Choose a phrase like "go pee" and say it every time you go out there.
- Always give puppy praise when they're going pee/poo.
- Take puppy outside every hour. (Increase to 2hrs, 4hrs, etc, as puppy grows.)
- Take puppy out every time you see them sniffing around the floor! (You'll begin to notice when they have to go.)
Take puppy out after every meal.
- Wait a few minutes, if puppy doesn't go, bring inside and CRATE for 10-15 mins.
- Repeat until puppy goes.
Always have eyes on the puppy! (This is when the CRATE is useful!)
- If you need to shower, cook dinner, start laundry, etc, put the puppy in the crate AND give puppy a treat! (And toy)
- If puppy is getting too rambunctious and you want her to chill out, put puppy in the crate (give treat).
- Going to the store? Take puppy outside to pee and then put puppy in the crate (with treat and toy).
Bed Time
- Watch how much water puppy drinks as it gets closer to bed time.
- Make sure puppy goes pee before bed and then put puppy in crate.
- Get up every couple of hours and take puppy outside to pee.
Eventually, you'll learn puppy's mannerisms, body language, and different "cries" and you'll know if/when puppy needs to go out during the night. As puppy grows, she can hold her bladder longer periods of time (you can find this info online).
When puppy does have an accident inside the house:
- Never rub puppy's nose in it. (That just teaches them to hide it from you).
- Immediately take puppy outside to 'designated pee zone'.
- Clean up accident and use a pet urine/enzyme cleaner so puppy doesn't think that's the new designated 'pee zone'.
(Dogs will continue to pee in the places they smell urine.)
Good luck and have fun!
Not at all