House-breaking

Question
We want to use puppy pads while we're not home but when we're home we would like to train him to go outside, would this cause confusion for the dog? We're usually only at work for maximum 6 hours but usually 4 hours. My fiance and I usually work opposite hours, though.

Answer
To be honest, I'm not a big fan of puppy pads.  My preference is for dogs to learn right from the start to go outdoors, unless, for example, the owner is disabled, or lives in a high rise and can't get the dog out fast enough.  It is not necessarily confusing to the dog - they can learn that both places are ok to eliminate in, but if you want the dog to only go outdoors when he is an adult, I would rather see you just train him to go outdoors - and use a dog walker if you have to, just until he can hold it long enough for you to crate him while you are at work.