Hi!
To start with, Rocky is very young. Just keep in mind that he has very little bladder control right now. What you need to do at this point is just be consistent so that day (a few weeks or months from now) when he figures out his body is telling him he needs to go, he will know where to go! We took our dogs outside on a schedule for months before they learned to ask, but then once they got enough notice they started asking to go outside because they knew that was the right thing to do!
As far as crate training, I like crate training and I used it for both of mine. The general gist of it is - a short time in the crate (30 minutes tops at that age) then a trip outside (or to the pad) and if they potty then they get some free time (say 15 minutes) and then back in the crate. A more practical use of the crate is to use it when you can't watch him. If you are cooking dinner or taking a shower you don't want him to have free roam in the house. Basically you want to prevent accidents. Get him on a schedule when you are home (it will take longer since you are gone all day) and praise him and give him a treat when he goes on the pad. I had a sling that I would carry Sam in sometimes because she would SCREAM in her crate at first. You can also put a leash on him to keep him near you so he doesn't sneak off and have an accident.
So, basically at this age your primary goal is to prevent accidents and set him up for success. He will still have accidents and it's not his fault, he's like an infant. He might not be reliably trained until he is anywhere from 6-12 months old, but if you start now he will have a much better shot of becoming 100% trained. Mine are both completely housetrained to go outside (they ring a bell) so it is possible with small dogs!!!
Does that help? If you have specific questions let me know! Also, you might look into hiring a pet sitter. A lot of them are professionals with insurance, business licenses, etc. (and references) and they can come and re-fill his water play with him for a little while each day. Around here they charge about $15 for 30 minutes and they are in in every area. That might help break up the day for him! Also, no food/water in the crate but it's good to give him a treat for going in there. Mine get a treat for going to their crate (used to be separate wire crates with pads, now they have a HUGE fabric crate with fluffy pillows we call their dorm room) and they RACE to their crate when I say "crate!" Even though they are house trained it's still helpful for when the UPS man comes! |