Leaving your Puppy at home while you go to work, etc.
If you need to leave your puppy at home alone (so you can go to work,etc) here is a very good suggestion for you; Prepare a "puppy safe" room such as large bathroom, laundry room, etc. be sure there are no electric wires the puppy can reach or bite thru (instant death). Cover the floor with newspapers, (or the like) so puppy has a place to go "Potty." Place his bed or open door crate on opposite of the room with water and food always available. The puppy will want to go as far away from his bed and food as possible to "potty." Leave a small TV turned to Animal planet or talk show; or a radio tuned to talk show playing in the room.
Be sure it is on high shelf where puppy cannot reach it. Some folks go so far as to record an hour or so of the everyday activities, when the entire family is in home, voices, laughter, table talk, music, etc. They put this cd or tape in player set to repeat when they leave in the morning. Puppy will spend most of his day sleeping, eating, playing with toys, listening to the voices. Works great! this is far and away a much better situation for the puppy than day care.

As soon as you get home take the puppy outside to potty; take the soiled newspapers with you and deposit the solids in the spot you want puppy to use in yard. Tell puppy how good he has been all day! After puppy "potties" outside (they will almost always at least urinate when they reach their "spot") take him inside and make a big fuss over him, including him in all the family activities, evenings after work and hopefully all day Saturday and Sunday. As for the "spot in the yard," best to not clean daily at first. Once the puppy has his spot well established, you can clean daily or immediately if you so choose.