Just got my new pup!! ...and I need some advice...

Hey all! I'm the proud owner of an 8 week old little male Beagle. I picked him up on Friday and have been doing my best with this little guy. This is my first dog. So far things have been going pretty good. He's super quiet and sleeps A LOT, which is surprising as I was expecting a little ball of energy. I'm sure that's soon to come though.







I'm new here and have been looking on the net for some info or a site like this that might be able to provide me with some helpful info!

I have been keeping him in my kitchen at night as it has doors on both sides and I can close it off from the rest of the house. I put down a training pad which he has been using MOST of the time, but he has had a few accidents too. He cried off and on the first night but has been getting better and better. I get up at night and let him out every 2-3 hours. I am trying to get him used to being alone as I work full time and don't want to spoil him with this long weekend. I've been working on trying to act like it's a usual work day and get him on some kind of routine to work around that.

I would like to crate train him...but I'm going to be gone for 8 hours, 5 out of 7 days a week and I realize that he has a tiny bladder and can not hold it that long and I feel like it would almost be cruel to make him do so. For now, I'm thinking I might leave him in my kitchen during the day after some outside time in the morning before I leave and maybe bring him in my bedroom to sleep from now on.

Did any of you guys work full time while your Beagle was a pup? What worked best for you? I don't want to shut him in the kitchen all day and then all night again after only a few hours of play/open house time.

If I do bring him into my bedroom, did any of you have problems with your pups elminating in your bed? I'm thinking I'll just move his bed from the kitchen to the bedroom each night, or just get another one.

I also thought about maybe putting him in a crate for the night but I think that would only confuse him and his potty training efforts as he would be "allowed" to eliminate on a pad during the day, but wouldn't be able to go in the evening until I got up and took him out.

Obviously, I need some advice!! Thanks in advance!!