Potty Training Crate Distance

Hey All!

We’ll be bringing home an 8 week puppy soon and we plan to do crate training to support potty training.

However, our bedroom is on the second floor of our house and it’s a decent walk downstairs and out to the backyard. We are not going to use puppy pads. Therefore, I am currently considering two options:

1) Crate goes in our bedroom near the bed. I’ve read that puppies this young are still missing their mothers and that the proximity to their new humans is important for them feeling safe. In this scenario I‘d plan to carry the puppy from the crate immediately outside for potty breaks, but am worried the distance traveled might result in accidents.

2) Crate goes on the first floor near the door to the backyard. This means the puppy would be alone at night. However, this would substantially reduce the distance from crate to yard and make accidents less likely.

Does anyone have opinions on which approach would be better or has anyone gone through something similar? We want to make sure we are supporting our puppy’s emotional needs while also helping train the physical. Thank you!