I am looking for a shelter dog to adopt, but don't know if some are housebroken or not

 simple answer? no. there is no 'test' esp if dogs are in a kennel setting. even in a crate setting, it's hard to say.

 that said - my dog is some sort of corgi/terrier mix. I got him from the shelter I worked for. He had/has many issues - unrelated. he would potty in his kennel, simply because he wouldn't let anyone near him. he'd potty in his crate for cold weather, again - because no one (except me and one other girl) could get anywhere near him. Now. since I've had him (2sh years now) he's had only a handful of accidents - one was diarrhea. He never, ever went in his crate (when he was crated)

house training is as easy, or hard, as you make it. most dogs are very clean animals, and will not want to potty in their home setting (ie room or crate). at 9 months, it should be very easy for the dog to 'catch on'.

crating is a great tool - but do you research. you need to use it properly, or it will backfire. stay far, far away from potty-pads.

terriers are SMART and ACTIVE. great dogs - I, personally, love them :)

 Thanks for the vote of confidence. My mother tends to have a bleak view at times. My last dog was a terrier hound mix and he was awesome. I am sure most of his charm came from the terrier side of him, of which he was most. I was lucky he was housebroken at 1 year when I rescued him. I had no idea.

That is a good thought that most dogs don't really want to soil their living areas.  Growing up, my family had a Westie who still peed on one too many occasions well into his senior years. But I don't think anyone did much to break him of the habit in the right way. It could have been for a number of reasons.

I am willing to do what it takes if I get this one dog ( or any dog that has a house problem,) but it sounds like I will need to do some extra research on crating. Mostly I get that you don't keep a dog in it all day and night, but maybe an hour or less here and there (or more if not home) and all night at first. I am sure I can order some great book on the topic. 

Thanks again. And cute pup! Corgis are sweet dogs too. 

 yep - you want to make sure you keep the crate a positive place, not for time out. feed him/her in there, give special treats only when the dogs in there, etc. I have not crated my dog in a very long time, but because of where I live - it's was extremely important for me to make sure he was comfy in a crate, in case of a hurricane and what not.

I rarely crate my fosters at night, they usually sleep in bed with me or on the floor. Casey has always slept in bed, never in his crate at night - but that is a completely personal option - many people feel very differently about dogs in the bed or not crated at night.

you also want to make sure the dog is really tired out before he goes in the crate - so he's more inclined to sleep.

 I bought the today at a thrift store, "The Monks of New Skete: How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend." I just read some of it.

 It has a great two page synopsis on how to house train a dog. They talk about things like not free feeding or leaving water all day, providing consistency, having the dog look at the mess (without scolding) and then taking him out and then coming back to clean up the mess. They say it is wise not to let the dog see you clean it up because then you give off the impression of being a maid or doorman to the dog. They give time frames for situations and looking for signs that the dog is going to do its business somewhere.  Basically it's about sphincter control and capitalizing on the dog's instinct to keep his nest clean. 

 The really good little book on house training is "Way to Go" by Patricia McConnell - it was written to help people train a dog of any age, not just puppies.  Also, my very best favorite book on the relationship between dogs and people is The Culture Clash.  Hint: if you go to dogwise.com, you will find a general top ten list of books that's really good.  I normally don't recommend most of what's in the pet stores, although some books are ok - we tend to be a more dogcentric group here;-)

 Consistency is the key to successful potty training. I also tell my girl when its time to go, that way theres only a slight chance of a mess up. Shes now 5, so its not an issue anymore.