POTTY TRAINING AN ENGLISH BULLDOG PUPPY

Question
DEAR MS. Goodness,

My name is Lisa and my husband Robert and I recently got an English Bulldog puppy.  His name is Dallas and he is 11 weeks old.  He is from a private house breeder and he did use a crate when with her (a very small one that you would say take a cat to the vet in. He has since outgrown and we got him the smallest cage that was available.  We were trying to use the crate training method to potty train him, but he will both urinate and deficate in his crate.  He will also not stop (and I mean not stop) barking when in his crate.  We have a routine where at 6 am I am taking him out on a leash and praising him profusely if he goes and giving him a treat (however he often dosen't reallly care about
eating his treat and I have tried several different kinds).  Then he comes him and eats and drinks and about 10 minutes later is put outside by himself while we get ourselves and out toddler ready for work.  Due to the non-stop barking we have resorted to putting the crate in the basement (so everyone can get some sleep). We were leaving him inside the crate but he will bark continiously and go to the bathroom in the crate, so we have left the crate in a room in the basement with the door to the crate open but he has access to run around the little room.  I leave the house by 7:30 but come home by 12:00 to let him out and play with him for an hour. Then my husband let's him out about 5 and he is fed then (then we take the food and water up)and back out he goes for a bit.  Should we now put newspaper down in this confined room?  Will he never learn to go outside if he uses paper? How long can he go at night at this point without being let out (last night my husband took him out to pee at 10:00 and he was barking at 1:00 and when Rob got up to let him out he had peeed in his cage).  We desparately want to treat him well but also want to make sure he gets properly potty trained.  We also don't want him to feel abandoned or isolated, so how long should he be confined vs. with us.  What about weekends when we are home more and he hears us. Should he still have same routine? If you could please help us with a routine and some guiidance as to his age and how to act with him/ and what to expect, we would overwhelmingly appreciate the advice.  
Thank you,
Lisa  

Answer
Hello,
Well, you've got yourself a real bull headed little guy don't you!
First of all, 11 wks. is still VERY young to expect much from house training, even if you're using a crate. It will probably be another month before you see him keeping a clean crate. He's either barking because he has to go out, or he's already soiled his crate and doesn't want to stay in it. You didn't mention if you're using a plastic/closed crate or a wire/open crate, but I recommend a wire crate. They don't feel as isolated when they can see what's going on around them.
Putting papers down won't determine whether or not he'll ever go outside. If it makes it easier for you, do it. Your week day schedule will prevail, not matter what you do on weekends. Consistency, determination and not giving in to the barking will eventually pay off, but it will be a real test of your will for sure.
Have you tried keeping him in the area of the house where all the activity is? Maybe he's just lonesome and wants to be around the humans. This could be partially due to separation anxiety.  I do think that keeping him confined in an area during the day is better than keeping him crated. If there's some way you could gate off whatever room is near your door upstairs, perhaps the kitchen or entry way, mud room, and then use that at the launching pad for getting him outside, you might have an easier time of it. Don't get discouraged, just keep up the good work.