Set me up with some basic puppy skillz? I'm going to be puppysitting, omg, and I'd like a bit of veteran advice - probably on an ongoing basis once he arrives, but definitely in advance. [Length/rambling warning!]→[More:]

This boy is four or five months old, and I think has had almost no training, so he can't help me much. Our friend ended up getting him without really planning for it (when the dog of a friend of hers had a litter), and she left not long afterwards on a planned three-week trip, during which time the puppy stayed with her dad in the country.

Now just a few weeks after returning, she has another trip, and I'll be taking care of Branco (I offered) because her dad is ill and not at the top of his game right now. He'll be with me at least a couple of weeks (the dog, not the dad).

Here's as much of the situation as I know: the puppy (from what I've witnessed) is very relaxed, very friendly, very calm, and very, very quiet (I've never heard him bark). He doesn't seem at all nervous about new places or people. This I've seen from first-hand experience over several-hour periods, and is also what our friend relates.

He's part some kind of breed, apparently, and part friendly stranger. My friend is saying one of the parents is a Brussels Griffon, and it seems to me like one might be a variety of poodle. At four months, he's about a foot long; I have no idea what his adult size will be.

Anyway, the main thing is that I don't think he's been leash trained, and I do want to take him out (but never off-leash, don't worry!) ... so obviously, I can take him to park areas, and I'd like to see what happens if we just go out for a walk around the block, but if possible I'd like to take him with me when I go to the neighborhood grocery, for example, and pretty much whenever I go out for short errands. If I can.

I'm thinking that I will try putting him in a wide, shallow, shoulder bag with towel padding when going inside, since he doesn't have any experience with "stay" and "sit" and is just a wee babe (but not nervous or antsy about being picked up or carried - that I've experienced).

Also, he's not really house-trained, but not really not house trained. My friend lives in an apartment with a large balcony, and he does his business mostly outside on the balcony (don't get a bad image; she's super clean and a mad housekeeper), so I don't think he's had that much experience doing the walky-peepee-poopoo thing, and if possible, I'd like to mainly do things that way.

But we do have a small terrace area where that can happen, and a larger downstairs courtyard area (but if the upstairs cats come for a rumble, I don't give him much of a chance - so I'm going to block off that area, unless I'm with him every second).

So I'm wondering, since it's all going to be a new situation for him, how to introduce him to these new and different go-potty possibilities (while on a walk, or on the terrace, depending on his level of comfort), and what I can do so that if he does go in the house, it will be a particular place. Like, if I put down newspaper somewhere, would a dog gravitate towards that? I'm thinking of the entrance hallway, which is terrazzo, and better than the wood floors for a mishap, and also far away from where he would sleep or eat, and definitely not a spot that he would spending any time in generally as far as regular living/playing/loving action is concerned.

Or better near the entrance to the terrace? Which is from the bedroom, and ceramic tile, so I don't worry about the floor, but just worry that since it's also the same room he'll probably sleep in, it's not a good thing.

And sleeping! Should I get him a big box with a cutout front, well-padded with blankies and his familiar sleeping material? Or just put his familiar sleeping material straight down on the floor in the bedroom? [edited to say, that he does sleep on the floor of my friend's bedroom now. I wouldn't actually mind if he wanted to sleep in the bed if that's what he does normally, but he doesn't. But if he does decide he feels the need, it wouldn't bother me.]

I've never had a dog before, so I know nothing, but this is a really sweet dog, I'm game to keep him for a two or three weeks, and I'm at home during the day, so no worries about that. And he really likes me a lot, so I don't think he'll freak. But I'd like to make it as good as possible for both of us, so if you have wisdom of any kind - please dispense!

also, about the image I linked to, he did weewee on the rug - at a strange house, on a cold day when doors to outside were closed, after several hours, and only at the point that his mistress went to the bathroom to pee. He peed in front of the closed bathroom door (which happened to have a rug in front of it) at the same time. aw. Everybody was so touched that I had to make a funny. :)