My Dog won't go potty outside!

My boyfriend and I just got a new beagle puppy. He was in the pet store
for the first three months of his life and doesn't mind going in his
crate or even laying in it. He goes whenever he feels the need we don't
scold him unless we catch him in the act. When we do we stop him in mid
action and take him directly outside... it doesn't matter how long we
take him outside for he won't go outside. We've even tried a spray that
makes him want to go outside but it doesn't help... Can someone help us
get to go outside even once... we're starting to get discouraged!

Janet B...

You're seeing one of the [many] downsides to purchasing from a pet
store.

Here's what you do. Hope to have good weather (don't know where you
are, but somewhere on an air force base I presume?). Get up in the
morning and take your puppy outside. Feed him outside, provide water
outside, play outside, walk, etc. For as long as necessary, even if
that's HOURS. YOU need to stay outside with him the entire time, so
you can praise him when he finally goes. Crate training may not be
possible right now, because as you've found, he learned that
eliminating in his cage was his only option when at the pet store. An
open x-pen or a room may be a better solution.

Housebreaking comes down to a few things though:

Schedule - [measured] feeding and outings
Quality of food - better foods produce less stool, which also results
in less pressure on a full bladder
Supervision - he cannot be out of your sight
Appropriate confinement - for many puppies, that's a crate, but for
pet store puppies, other arrangements often need to be made - not the
strongest reason why it's a bad idea to buy from a pet store, but one
that new owners notice pretty quickly.