Potti training my sheltie

Question
Two weeks ago we purchased a 12 week old Sheltie (Tobby). He is not used to a crate, we managed for him to sleep in the crate at night, but he spent most of the time in the kitchen or in the garden with our other Sheltie Luna. When we take him outside he does "his business" we give him a cookie and let him know he is a good boy, but he still does not let us know when he needs to go outside, and hates the crate during the day. How can we guess when he needs to go outside?

Answer
The key to housetraining is management and supervision. Baby gates can keep him in your line of vision. You might want to tether him to you with a leash. Then you are likely to see when he is starting to sniff and circle. I love teaching a puppy to "target" (bonk something with his nose or paw). Then you can hang bells off your door handle and teach him to ring the bell when he needs to go out. Another alternative is teaching him to hit an "easy button" from Staples that talks. They are only about $5. There is also a product called Paw Chimes that the dog can hit to ring a bell, but it is a bit more expensive Sandy Case MEd, CPDT www.positivelycanine.com