Your Pet's Own Area
Much like baby rooms are prepared for a new child, it will work best if you can dedicate a small room, hallway, or gated pen to your new pet. Ideally, this is an area where your pet will feel most engaged with your household activities. This will help integrate your pet into the family.
Your Pet's Den
Your pet's own area should be equipped with an enclosable dog crate which acts as his sleeping den and as his ultimate safe zone. We feel safe and secure in our homes... as do our pets in their dens. The crate should provide sleeping room and room to turn around, but not much more. Your pet will never relieve itself in its den, if kept small and tight "to fit." It may be necessary to move up in size with new crates as your pet grows.
Meal Times and Relief Schedules
Just as we should get three square meals a day, our pets also require routine feeding schedules. Consult with your veterinarian for the portions and times best for your pet. Maintaining this schedule will enable you to learn your pets "relief" schedule; knowing this schedule will better enable you to deploy training tactics for the Spotty Training Place.
A generalized relief schedule for puppies:
