awwwwwwwwwwww............ hes a cutie, and you are a great person to take him in..... I swear by the crate method
my toby hated it at first, but now it is his "safe place" , i think it will work particularly well in your case because of the dogs history, if he was beaten then a "safe place" is probably the best thing he could have..... as far as house training, what method are you using??? i am currently trying to housebreak toby (he is about 16 weeks) and i am using pee pee pads, these are great if you dont want to take the dog out in the middle of the night, or if its cold...... the important thign with housetraining is to be patient (but i think youve got a good handle on his feelings and what hes goign through) and also to start out in a small space, DO NOT make the same mistake i did if you are using the pads.... i let toby have the run of teh house (BIG MISTAKE), now when he is not with me, he is in his crate.... this is a great forum, you will find no lack of help here
congrats on youre new baby