Although a dog crate is a wonderful training tool, that's not all there is to housetraining your puppy. You also want to teach your dog where you want it to relieve itself and a command that he will respond to in order to go potty, something that will get to do his business when you ask, and more importantly, where you ask.
You can begin teaching both of these concepts right away. Take your pup to the place where you wish it to relieve itself. Let him sniff and circle but do not interact with the dog. This is not the time to play games. Instead, let your puppy concentrate on what it should be doing.
After your dog has begun to relieve itself, tell it softly (so as not to interrupt), “Go Potty! Go Potty!” (You can use whatever vocabulary you like.) When the dog has completed his business, praise even more, “Good Boy… Go Potty.. Yes!”
Take your pup to this spot each time the dog needs to go, and repeat the process every time, for as long as the process takes. For some dogs this may mean several weeks of going outside before it understands that this is the potty spot.
You cannot simply send the dog outside alone. If you do, how do you know whether the dog has actually relieved himself? It may come inside and immediately use the bathroom on the carpet, or worse yet, sneak off down the hall and go under the bed. If the dog goes outside alone, you cannot teach it a command, either, nor can you praise it.
During walks, if you come to a spot where it would not be annoying to other people, such as a vacant lot or specified doggie potty area, tell your dog that it can relieve itself here, too. When your dog does, praise it and of course clean up after it. A big part of responsible dog ownership is choosing wisely where your dog should relieve itself. Don't allow your dog to soil your neighbor's front lawn or the lawn in front of a business.
It's important to practice housetraining in varied locations. Don't make the mistake of having your dog relieve itself only in your backyard. Some dogs take this message so seriously that they will not relieve themselves on walks. Should you ever travel with your dog, he may try to go without relieving himself for too long.
As your pup learns the routine, begin asking him if it needs to go outside as you walk toward the door, “Do you need to go outside to potty? Potty? Potty outside? Good dog!” When you use words your dog understands in a happy tone, he should begin bouncing and dancing toward the door. When he does, praise enthusiastically!
By doing this, your dog will learn to let you know when it has to go outside. On the day your pup comes to you, making eye contact, bouncing and dancing… pay attention! He's finally saying, “Hey, I have to go potty, I need to go potty! Please take me to my potty spot!”
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