Is it possible that his crate is to big? For the potty training you want one big enough for him to stand up, lie down and turn around, but not enough for him to move a whole body length.
Do you feed him and take him out almost immediately, say within 5 to 10 minutes? The timing may be a bit off, I am used to smaller breeds.

Ellie

How long is he left in the crate without going out? If he's there all day while everyone is at work, he is too young to hold it that long. Overnight may also be too long.

Ellie is right about crate size. If you bought a crate sized for when he's an adult, you might need to put a box inside to take up part of the space and keep adjusting his space until he grows up. If not, they will sometimes sleep in part and use the other part for a bathroom.

Another possibility is that the breeder started him off with some bad habits. A dog I had years ago came from a breeder who wasn't attempting to break them and let them wander pretty freely in the house, peeing and pooping as they went. She was harder than most to housebreak, but she eventually came around. I think these early experiences really stick with puppies and if the breeder works with them from the beginning it makes our job much easier.

The thing to do is arrange that he goes out every 3-4 hours. If you're home, he should be confined when you aren't watching him. He should go out after eating, after playing, and after his naps. When he does anything outside, praise him lavishly. When he goes indoors, tell him "no" very sternly, but only if you catch him in the act. It might help to walk him around if he's being stubborn about going outside, and if he refuses to go, put him in his crate for 30 minutes and then try again. It will take patience, but he'll get it eventually.

Be patient. :) Pups that young don't have strong bladders or long attention spans. Sometime you just have to wait it out ( or walk it out) with them outside until they remember they need to go. I know it is tough this time of year to housebreak!

The crate is a very useful training tool. As stated above 3-4 hours max for a young puppy.
Here's a good article on the house training with a crate: http://www.doglogic.com/cratetrain.htm

I agree with deb18 about the conditions the breeder exposed the pup to. Some breeders are very lax about the condition their animals are kept and routines they keep. Did you get him directly from a breeder? Did they give you a tour so you could see their set-up? Where he was kept? and the kennels overall?

We rescued a spaniel puppy years ago from a family living out of a van. The dogs were being kept in travel crates and were filthy. We convinced the family to give him to us and got him to the vet. We kept him for 4 months before finding him a permanent home. He was only dog I've ever struggled to housebreak. He had no problem soiling his crate, his food dish, his toys, etc. In fact he seemed to like his toys better after peeing on them :" It was a constant struggle for the first 2 months.

He absolutely could not be unsupervised for a minute. We walked the block 3-5 times a day, kept him tied to one or us at all times in the house (or crated) and moderated his food/water intake to the minute.

He did 'get it' eventually and grew up to be a fantastic dog with a wonderful family who happened to be total neat freaks! :P

Leash walk your pup. Dont just take him outside and expect him to know what to do. Your dog should be walked at the very least a couple of times a day. Take his accidents outside to stimulate his system, often when they smell other dogs and their business they are more motivated to do their business outside. The issues I have with paper potty training is that you are in fact training your dog to relieve himself inside and not outside. Spend some time with your pup outside, when he does go, pick a word you can use as a training command and use it in a happy voice while your dog is doing his business, praise your pup as if he brought you a bag full of hundred dollar bills. NOTE - often times boxer pups need a bit more stimulation to get into something, when I lived in Hawaii we had a boxer named LOTUS BLOSSOM of all things - she was listless and unmotivated until I can into her life, which is when she took her first long walks around the neighborhood, and learned to do her business outside, she also had to be encouraged to do much more than she was use to, she lost weight, stopped getting into the garbage and was healthier and happier overall.

Here's my potty-training hint cut-and-paste:

1) Don't give the puppy the run of the house. When you are home, keep the dog leashed to you or in a crate.

2) Feed and go potty on a schedule - don't do free-feeding - at least for now while he's still being trained. This will help put his body on a potty schedule too. Then take him out at the same times each day. (And since he's so young, after playtimes and naps as well).

3) Choose one spot specifically for "potty". When you take him out, at the door say "Let's go potty." Take him to the same spot immediately on taking him out.
Go to the spot and use a catch-phrase command like "go potty" repetitively. Do not let him out of the spot. Don't go for a walk. Walk him around and around the spot and tell him "go potty".

4) When he does go potty - praise him loudly, immediately and very excitedly - "GOOD POTTY!" and if he has a treat he goes nuts over, throw him a small treat. This has to happen immediately after he potties.

5) If he doesn't potty, bring him inside, keep him leashed to you, then try again in 5 minutes.

6) Only AFTER he potties, he can go for a walk and smell his favorite "pee-mail" spots, etc. Going for a walk should be a different activity than going out for potty. He will learn the difference eventually.

Accidents may still happen but they will get fewer and farther between. Good luck!
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Crate training should be fast if you are doing it methodically. It will take longer if you stray from the rules. Depending on the pup, after a week or two you can let him loose in one room of the house at a time, under your supervision. When he has not had an accident for a few weeks, you can try the run of the house, but when you are not there continue to confine him to one room.

I just got my female 11 week boxer and I was wondering about the crate thing aswell. She is already very attached to me. For the most part very mellow. The first night i put her in the crate to go to bed. She howled and whined. I finally moved the crate to my room and she slept through the night. Will she get used to the crate to the point that I can move it into the living room?

heatherlynn - Dogs are social beings and as puppies they will want to be near someone warm and cozy like another puppy. The thing to ask yourself is why you are crating. are you worried the puppy will get into things? p on the floor or mess?? If these are the issues you are worried about leash walk your puppy at least three times a day in the morning and in the evening as long as a half an hour more if you can. Your puppy most likely will always whine when away from people. Use the crate sparingly no more than 3 hours a day and use it with treats and toys, so your pup does not associate the crate with a negative experience. Some dogs NEVER take to a crate some dogs love them. I personally think they are overused - and many people would rather crate their dogs then take them out for a walk. Dogs are like 5 year olds - they NEED to move. Taking your dog to a dog park, and lots of walks will make life easier for you and your dog will love you for it. Take it on a different route for better stimulous....good luck

mazer's right. Your dog needs to be walked or allowed to run around outside more often. DS has a 4 month old boxer that they got when he was 12 wks old and I've discovered these dogs need lots of exercise. Movement gets their system going and stimulates them to eliminate, so anytime your dog is just sitting and looking at you then you're not walking enough.

Crate training and housetraining does not happen in a short period of time and one needs to learn the correct way to use a crate.
Read the link posted earlier and as mazer mentioned, don't overuse the crate.

Boxers are intelligent dogs, so with exercise, patience and positive training you'll end up with a wonderful, house-trained companion.

Here is a link that might be useful: crate training