We rescued a dog

I told you we're building a house, right? Yeah, it's a fun, massive project. There are frequent surprises, and a lot of them aren't very pleasant. But I think the biggest one was having a stray dog show up. She wasn't an ordinary stray. She had a collar and was very friendly with my children. She stayed at our construction site. We began to feed her, all the while warning the children that she had owners and we were going to track them down. We did. And after a blustering series of excuses, they finally admitted they weren't prepared or equipped to care for a dog. So we took her home. What we didn't know, and what I suppose there was no way to know, was that this dog, about a year old, hadn't been trained at all. She wasn't leash-trained. She wasn't crate-trained. She didn't know how to respond to commands. She was terrified of my husband. And worst of all, she wasn't house-broken. Oh my. I didn't sign up for a fifth child right now, but I have a huge soft spot for animals. I've volunteered at animal shelters at various times in my life, and I often prefer the four-legged critters to the two-legged ones. We've successfully leash-trained her (she had some major fear issues) and she no longer cowers and pees when she sees my husband. But I could really really use any advice you have on crate-training or house-breaking. We've made some good efforts, but we have a ways to go. And she's a part of our family now, for better or worse. Through thick or thin.  My college roommates used to roll their eyes every time they came home and found another stray cat in the apartment. My parents were very used to me showing up with new animals. I guess it's just something I do. But with four children already, I'd kicked the habit. Have you ever taken home an animal? How did you adjust?  The house is coming along great, by the way! Thanks for asking! And I'm finishing up the final draft for Cassandra Jones Year 3! Watch for it in March! Entranced is up for preorder! It's only $0.99 for the rest of January! Snag your copy here!