Toilet training

[Narrative]

Sorry, I'm sure this has been done to death. We've had a show bred cocker spaniel for two weeks, she's now 10 weeks old. I'm really struggling to see how she's going to end up toilet trained... I work 3 days a week in 6 half days- I.e. I'm away from home 7.30- 12.30 and 3.30-6.30 when my husband gets home. He's not keen on her being upstairs with us so overnight she uses puppy pads in her puppy pen attached to crate. I'm just worried that she's never going to be potty trained like this as she's always "set up" to end up going inside on her pads, certainly going inside more often than outside, which isn't really great at all.

Do I need to get someone in to let her out in the morning?

Will it all be ok?

You do need to be around to toilet train so everytime she is forced to go inside because you have left her for too long that is another opportunity missed to reinforce outside. At that age they can't hold it for long but equally the more they toilet inside than out the more that is going to seem the right thing to do because you aren't teaching her what is right.

I never used puppy pads because I didn't want to reinforce that peeing or pooing inside was ever right in any circumstance.

Mine didn't sleep in our bedroom either but he didn't have to toilet inside at night because I used a combination of a baby monitor to hear him at night coupled with getting up using an alarm to let him out until he was old enough that he could hold it all night.

I do think you are in danger of creating poor toileting habits inside when you can get people to come in the day (lots of walkers do puppy visits) and you can get up either at set intervals or use a baby monitor at night.