wrote in news:1183425556.819853.229560
@k29g2000hsd.googlegroups.com:

I am adopting a lab mix.. she is like 30 lbs.. we believe she is a mix
of lab and chow...


Crating the dog is a good idea, especially with a lab mix at that age.
They are really mouthy even after housebroken and you have to be careful
they don't chew on something that could hurt them. You also want to be
sure that the dog doesn't have the chance to destroy valuable stuff in
your house before learning what is off limits. He can't learn that when
you aren't there to tell him what is okay and what is not, so better to
crate him than to blame him and have him pick up bad habits.

The problem is that 11 hours is not only too long to go without a potty
break, but too long for an active puppy to be confined in a small area.
If you can find a dog sitter or a neighbor who can stop in to take the
dog out to pee and run around for a while, you'll both be much happier.
If you really can't do anything about that long a stretch in the crate,
look into getting an older dog that can hold it longer and is not as
active. A less active breed would also do better. Rescues often have
dogs that are already housebroken and trained to behave in the house
while you are gone. My dogs have the run of the house while we are gone,
so it isn't as big a deal if work runs late than if they were crated.
They would not have been able to do that at the state your dog will be
in, though.

Paula