Hmmm...This is hard but it is true that puppymill dogs are much harder to housebreak! It is still an ongoing battle with my Bruce, but he has made progress and so will your little guy if you just do not give up on him! You need to work these little guys into things that they find strange, since no one has taken proper care of them in the past. So ease him into things like bathing. Make sure you are talking to him in a slow and steady and soothing voice. Hold him from underneath his belly in the tub instead of by his back, this will seem less threatening (according ot our trainer) and still let him know you are in charge. He will get used to things with a little time.
As far as the housebreaking goes. I would try penning him in a larger space like an XPen at first and put a potty pad sprayed with extra training spray (hormones that attract them) on the opposite side as his sleeping area. If you want to work him down to a crate keep decreasing the size, he will get used to not wanting to go in his bed...This worked for Bruce.
As for training your husband (j/k) please explain to him the difficulties puppymill dogs often have with their behavior and how they can change! Print this article
http://www.newyorkcitypets.com/archi...-behavior.html and have him read it, maybe he will understand more!
Hope I helped some!