I didn't crate train Ruckus from day one either. I know a lot of people say the first night is the best time to start getting them used to sleeping in their crate, but I don't think we even put the crate together until the second day we had him. He slept in the bedroom with us and I had to get up once during the night to take him out because he was too young to hold it all night. I never used puppy pads because I thought it would encourage him to go in the house. I was working from home when I got Ruckus, so I potty trained him by taking him out after he drank anything, ate anything, played hard, or at least once an hour -- but as he got a little older I started taking him out less frequently. If you're going to let him roam without the crate, I suggest putting a bell on the door you use to take him out and ringing it when you take him to potty. I did this and now Ruckus rings his bell whenever he needs to be let out. I did eventually crate train him; I started by just making his crate an inviting space and coaxing him in with treats and toys when the door was open. Then, I started putting him in there and closing the door for small amounts of time when I was in the room, and then I started leaving him alone for short periods of time, and so on. He doesn't mind his crate at all and sometimes he just goes in there to sleep. We let him roam the living room when we're not home and he never has accidents (he just turned one), so we don't use the crate much at home, but I found it really useful the few times repairmen have needed to be in our home just to keep him out of the way and safe, or when we travel he likes to nap in his crate and take some toys there because he knows that space is his. Good luck -- and post some pictures of the puppy!
