Our puppy is 4 months and has been doing great with housetraining. Or rather WE have been doing great. I really think it is just because he is on such a tight schedule that there haven’t been many accidents. He is walked 3-4 times a day, 2 of them are usually 20 – 30 minute walks. He also spends a lot of time outside. It has been awhile since his last accident. Last one was 2 weeks ago until… just now!
Thing is he doesn’t bark or show any indication of wanting/needing to go out. No whining, pacing, dancing, circling, sniffing, barking, nothing at all. With the nice weather he is outside more than in these days and that helps. I can’t bear to crate him when it is so gorgeous out – he loves being outside! Plus he hates his crate so it hasn’t been a very effective tool for more than secure confinement when we have to be gone and he has to be inside. He doesn’t run to hide when he pees indoors or anything like that. Just now, he was chewing on a chew toy with me in the laundry room, stood up and peed. When we catch him in the act we say a stern no and bring him outside but he won’t finish going at that point. I try to wait it out so he will finish going and I can praise him but (like now) I waited 15 minutes and finally had to go back inside to say prayers/tuck kids in bed.
We attempted to train to a bell from the start but it was just a chew toy for him so we put it away figuring we’d introduce it when he gets it that he needs ot let us know when he needs to go out for potty.
Has anyone had a challenge like this?
More details for DP – I said THIS time I waited 15 minutes. I had to go inside & tend to my kids. You are definitely right that I am trained – I thin kI said that in my ramble 
But if I catch him in the act and startle him to stop the flow, presumably he would have to finish going sooner than 15 minutes? At least for the praise he receives to be associated with the lack of praise he received when he went inside? I do say “outside” every time we open to door to go, I say “go potty” both as he is walking around outside, when he squats and when he starts so he associates that phrase with going and I also praise heavily – but not always with treats, I don;t want him to only go because he gets treats. I guess he is definitely better than when we got him so slow progress is better than none. I guess the dogs I have had prior have always been much quicker – lucky it seems