Help Please

I'd put a towel in one part of the crate and newspaper or wee wee pads in the other. (I'm guessing he's too big for a litter box.)
 
When I am litter box training my pups they will sleep in the litter box and pee on the floor if I don't put a towel (or bathmat) in the pen but with the towel they hang out on that more and use the box more.

You are correct, he is too large.  He's 12 lbs now and we are thinking he'll be at least 50-60, but maybe smaller, maybe bigger. 
He won't go in his crate unless there is something soft to lye on, so we have a towel in there.  That's what he's peeing on though.  Do you think the wee pads will be more enticing for urination?  And then how do I eventually break him of the habit?  Will we eventually take the cage away when we can trust him throughout the night?
Thanks!!!!

I am no expert on housetraining, but I will give my 2 cents worth.

It is a lot easier to teach a new behaviour than to unteach an old one. If you want your dog to do all his business outside than that is what you teach from day 1. If it means getting up during the night for a next couple of weeks, that is what I would do. Your dog is going to be way too big to be using peepads or litterboxes, so I would not even introduce them myself. Put in the necessay time now and train him to do exactly what you want. I think it is very confusing for dogs when the rules keep changing. I am a great believer in the ols saying - "start at the rate of going."

Good Luck! Your puppy is a real cutie!

I'm with denise 100% on this one - yes I think you should be getting up at night to take him out until he is able to hold it through the night.  I've done this with all my pups from day one when they first arrive at eight weeks old or so and I only ever need to do it for a few nights, because they are so young they catch on very quick.  The bladder is still very small, so I still need late night/early mornings for a while, but its a small price to pay for a clean, non-confused dog. 
 
I think your dog will take longer because he has already over ridden the basic inhibition that dogs have about peeing on/near their beds and indoor peeing has become a habit for him now.  Increase your vigilance, and remain patient and consistent and he will get there.
 
Dont use pee pads or newspaper for him to pee on, I think this will just confuse him.
 
Puppies eliminate in connection with a substrate, so its not just "i need a wee, find grass" its also "ohh look grass, i need a wee"  It maybe therefore that simply being on the towel is stimulating him to need the toilet.  Or that he needs the toilet but waits until he confined to the crate to do it.  Try changing the bedding to a different substance altogether and simultaneously start letting him out to eliminate much more often, including one or two night time trips, to minimise the number of accidents indoors from now on.  Always always always MAKE SURE he eliminates before leaving him unsupervised for any length of time, particularly if crated.
 
What kind of treat is he getting for going outdoors?  Is it super special?  Have you tried setting aside some cut up hot dog ssg especially for this, or making some liver cake?  The smellier and tastier it is the harder he will work to get a piece - sometimes just doubling the "value" of a treat can apparently solve a house training issue because all of a sudden the dog really really really wants to make sure he goes outside!!

Chuffy, this is all excellent advice, some of which I've never heard before.  I appreciate it.  Last night he did not go in his crate.  I did not put a towel in at first and he still went to sleep.  In the night he awoke and cried, I took him out.  Once back in he cried continuously until I took him out again and then finally gave him a towel to sleep on.  I think I will try this routine again this evening.  Get him really tired out and after the midnight outing giving him a towel.  He just does not like to sleep on the plastic of his crate.  I will also consider using treats.  I've just been having a party when he goes, because is does it so well.  Out the door in to the grass and he's on task.  No laps around the yard like I had with my older dog. 
Again, thanks for the advice, and I do know, in the words of a coworker who also just got a puppy "this too shall pass."  []

Haow long did he "last" before he cried?  Could you set an alarm to wake you a little before he is likely to next time so that you can wake him to take him out not the other way round?  This way he wont get in the habit of making a racket and you come running!  Of course, with house training you can;t just ignore him because that will mean he will have to go on his bed eventually, so it's better to pre-empt the crying if you can.
 
When I took that puppies out at night it was a lot like night time feeds for a baby - it had to be done, but I wanted them to undertsand that it was Sleep Time, so I didn't go round switching lights on, or cuddling them or talking to them, other than "clean dog" (and then treat) when he performed.  Maybe that would help him to settle after his trip outside?
 
Also, have you tried leaving a tshirt or old jumper with your smell on it in his crate so he does not feel so alone?  Could you get a DAP diffuser?  It isn't natural for puppies to spend the night alone and it makes them anxious, which will worsen his bladder-control, so anything you can do to soothe him at night should help.
 
When I first bring a puppy home he sleeps shut in the crate beside my bed, to alleviate his fear, stop him from crying and help with house training, but I can appreciate this approach is not for everyone and if he is already sleeping in another part of the house moving him may only confuse and upset him further.

He was actually sleeping right beside the bed, but we had to move the small crate to my mother's now we have the big crate, he's right outside the door, about 6 feet away and we are all in plain view, so I don't think that's it.  I had a shirt in there, but DH I think took it out, unless of course Toby ate it (JK, it was WAY to big for there to be no remnants).  We one time let him sleep in the bed because he WOULD NOT stop crying, but we don't like to do that until they know not to come up without us telling them to do so. 
I will try to set an alarm and see how that goes.
 

I don't think its a good idea to let pups get in your bed at all, particularly if they are a large breed.  It puts too much strain on the growing joints.  I let them have more priveleges as they get older.  If there's a problem with them doing it it's not so hard to stop them because they didn't get into that habit during puppyhood.  Puppyhood habits are very hard to break

I agree 100%.  That night we simply had to sleep and could not find an alternative.  It as not happened again.  We never let our older dog onto the bed until she was at least a year and 1/2 and then you are right, if she wasn't asked to come on and came on anyway, it was very easy to correct the behaviour. 

I don't think its a good idea to let pups get in your bed at all

Maybe it's not but my two favorite things in the world are sleeping nose to nose with a pup and having a pup sleep with his nose in my ear so that I go to sleep or wake up hearing puppy breathing.

I'm an advocate of crate training but I do it during the day. It's really not natural for young puppies to sleep alone and they are a lot happier cuddling in bed with another big human puppy. After all, that's what pups do with other pups and mothers. They cuddle and when they are first moved to a new environment this is what makes them most comfortable

Your's truly
Pee On My Bed.

I do agree that it is not natural for a pup to sleep alone, which is why I personally put the crate beside the bed at night.  There are loads of dogs out there who are allowed on beds and it causes no problems, but for the ones where it does it can be difficult to stop them when they are older.  It's also a bit mean and not a little confusing to suddenly stop them doing something they enjoyed and was allowed previously.  So I orefer to pre-empt this by letting the pup sleep nearby in his crate and gradually allowing him more priveleges as he gets older.

Actually, I think you nipped in in the bud by taking the towel out of the crate.  Some dogs learn that the towel will absorb any accident they make in the crate, so they will go if there's something soft and absorbent to soak it up.  My vet said you shouldn't put any bedding in a crate at all for this reason (I still do--but only if the pup doesn't use it to potty on!).  I know we humanize dogs and think they won't be comfortable sleeping on the hard plastic, but heck, when my dogs have free roam they usually choose to sleep on the hard kitchen floor over the carpet anyways!
 
I've got an Aussie pup who I put a towel in his crate from day one, and he's never soiled his crate.  Then I got a younger Aussie pup who does pee in her crate when the towel is there.  If I take it out, she won't.