I feel your pain! My pup didn't give any of the classic signals, like sniffing and circling , when she needed to pee. She just stopped what she was doing and squatted. Poor pup was afraid to sit for a few months cause I said 'no" and ran her outside every time she even hinted at a squat for her first few months with me!
This is what worked for us:
I made a conscious decision to always take her out the same door, a door that I could see when I was home, for every toilet trip.Then I knew that if she went to that door, she had to go out. Cause every time she went to that door, I took her out! We made that association.
We went out on waking, 15 min after eating (every 15 til she pooped) and any time she'd been playing more than about 5 minutes. At 9 months, you can probably wait 30minutes to 45 minutes.
IF I took her out and she didn't go, then into the crate for 10, take her out again, until she went.
I'm not sure how we got to this point, but now I can ask her when she pesters me--What do you want? If she goes to the door, she needs to eliminate. If she goes to her bowl, she thinks it is meal time. If she grabs a toy, she wants to pay. If she sits and barks at me, she wants attention.
Housebreaking is about not letting them make mistakes and going bananas over them when they do the right thing. Honest! If you are waiting 25 minutes to take him out and he is peeing indoors, then try every 15 minutes. And so on.
One odd thing that may be at work here: is your house carpeted? Is it YOUR carpet or a previous owner's? Make sure that you are using an enzymatic cleaner, so there is no scent for him to come back to and remark.
How do you react when he pees indoors? Is this a surefire way to get your attention? Something to consider.
Is your baby neutered yet?
And why do you think he hates his crate?
Is his crate in a room where he can see and hear you? It might be as simple as moving his crate.
Dogs love crates. They need a safe haven. Even though I never saw my pup willingly go into her crate when I was home, my pet sitters told me they always found her sleeping in it when they came by. Maybe the crate needs to be moved to a spot where your pup can see and hear you. even at night. Put a nasty old t-shirt that you have worn a few times in there, so he can smell you, and that may help. Also think about how and when you ask him to go into the crate. Does he eat in his crate? Get treats in his crate? Can he see you? Does he go back in his crate after a walk to eliminate? (he could be eliminating inside to avoid the crate!) Some dogs like the crate removed from the action and some like them in the middle of everything, so they are up to date but protected. It may take some experimentation to figure out where your boy prefers his.
