I work from 7am to 3pm, and my babies do ok during the day. I come home around 11 to let them out for potty breaks. Gunnar does fine with this arrangement, he can hold it. Our 13 week old, Ginger, is gated in our entry. I put out food, water, a blankie, and a potty pad. She seems to be doing fine with this.
Also, we have 2 cats, a 7 year old female, and 6 year old male. Both cats were here before the dogs. Everyone gets along fine, although the dogs sometime like to chase the cats. That is the main reason we chose a puppy over an older boxer. My cats are definitely the alphas around here!!