Puppy going potty in crate

Anyone out there know a Dog Whisperer??? We have 2 almost 5 month old puppies and are having major potty training issues!! We are crate training and, from day one, Sophie has no problem peeing or pooping in her crate- which is not normal for a dog. They had urinary tract infections one after the other and then they both ate something that gave them massive diarrhea. We did the rice diet and medication for 2 weeks - Sadie got better but Sophie had diarrhea for 2 more weeks. We now have them on prescription dog food - which has finally helped with the diarrhea- but now we are back to square one with potty training. Sophie will not go potty outside (maybe 1/5 times). If I take Sadie out first, she pees in her crate. If I take her out first and freeze my butt off for 30 minutes - she won’t go and then promptly pees in her crate while I take her sister out! This is not normal and my husband (who has never had a dog -so this really sucks that it’s his first experience) says he’s done. I am beyond frustrated and at a total loss. She is the sweetest dog (or secretly evil and slowly trying to give me a heart attack) We take them out pretty much every 1-2 hours (FOR 3 MONTHS NOW), reward them with treats and celebrate whenever they potty outside etc etc etc. Sadie was pretty much trained and is now going in the house again! Someone please send me a Fairy Dog Mother that can just snap her fingers and train them!!

Hi!  It sounds as if Sadie has learned really effectively to pee in her crate, and now you want her to pee outside.   Unfortunately dogs can have set peeing places and like to go in an area that smells of their business and can't be seen - so a crate is probably perfect!   Perhaps outside feels like someone else's territory - nice to visit but you have to be brave to pee / mark there. I wonder what would happen if you moved the crate outside, or bedding from the crate, as an intermediate step (perhaps trying a kennel that doesn't smell of their smell - I mean to a dog nose as I'm sure you do clean it - in the house?) However, behavioural theory changes a lot, and 'trying' things - one after another - can do more harm than good.  So it may be a good idea to call your vet and ask them to recommend a good, accredited behaviour vet first, rather than to half-heartedly  'try' too many different things. Best of luck