lab pup having trouble while away

Ok so i got a lab pup from a shelter around december i believe it was, now hes probly around 6 months old a bit older probly. like a week or so after me and my roommate had him we got him a big cage, one that he could use until he was full grown, well didnt work out to well, he yelped when he was in there which was expected, but after we were gone for a little while he would proceed to do his business in there and spread it about.

so we decided to try giving him a bit of freedom around the place, like when i go to work or we go out right now we usually just leave him be, and alot of times its fine, hes a bit anxious when we get home but nothings wrong, sometimes he just decides to tear up the couch, or take something off the counter and spread it.

also sometimes i will take him out, he will do number 1 and wont do 2 outside so i figure he doesnt have to go after enough time, i get in, 5 minutes later, right there he goes in the middle of the living room.

is scolding him for these things after the fact bad to do? like does he know im yelling at him about it, i mean he cowls down and slumps over like he did something wrong but not sure if he knows.

You're going to break this dog and make it fearful of you. Stop yelling at it.

All of this is your fault. You haven't properly house trained your dog and you've confused the heck out of him.

Crate:
-Your crate is far too big for a puppy. It should be just big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down. Any bigger than that and you should expect him to go to the bathroom in it.
-Try using a cardboard box or a piece of wood to division the crate and make it smaller.
-If he is already big enough that he takes up most of the crate then you have your work cut out for you. You may have created a "dirty puppy" that doesn't mind going in its crate. Your fault.

Leaving unattended:
-If your dog was soiling the crate it means that it needs less freedom, not more. I'm surprised you haven't had more accidents in the house with your current arrangement.
-Of course he will tear up the couch/eat things while you are gone. He is a puppy! It isn't safe for you to leave him alone like this while you are gone. He might eat something and choke on it, bite through an electrical cord, etc.
-You can't teach him not to destroy these things while you are gone because you aren't home to teach him.
-Yelling at him for something that he did hours ago doesn't help him learn anything, it just makes him scared of you.

Bathroom:
-If he doesn't go to the bathroom outside, it is your obligation to walk him until he does. I've never met a dog that won't go #1 and #2 in a 15 minute walk. Do you walk your dog?
-You should make sure that he goes #1 and #2 in the morning before you leave, in the afternoon, and in the evening. That is the very minimum and you will probably have to take him out even more because of his history of accidents and his age.
-You haven't properly house trained him. If anything, he should be yelling at you. Do NOT yell at your dog for something he doesn't understand!

Geez, Herschel.. lay off the new kid will ya? There are plenty of ways to educate without cramming IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT down their throats. Goodness.

The problem is that it was a big one and not one appropriate for his size at the time. You should look into getting an insert for it and then making it bigger as your pup grows. I don't know what kind of crate you got, but many of them come with inserts or you can order them separately.

Six months is far too young to leave a pup with the whole house to himself. He's young and he'll get into anything and everything possible. He's a puppy, that's what they do. You need to stick to a crate or just a room of the house that is puppy proofed completely. The more you let this type of behavior happen, the more the pup will learn it's acceptable to do so.

He needs to be on your schedule. Take him out on a leash and wait for him to do his business. My husband and I trained all of our dogs to pee and poop on command. I'll give some tidbits but I'm sure some of the trainers will be more helpful.

We took Buddy out on a leash in our backyard, he had as far as the leash would go with either myself or my husband standing in one spot. When he started to pee, we would say things like "good, piddles" and treat him immediately. The same thing with poop, we call it poopers.It takes patience and consistency. We happened to get Buddy in the cold, raining season. So we were out under an umbrella waiting for him to do his business. If he didn't do it, we would go back inside and he woudl go back in his crate. About 10 minutes (or so) later we would take him back out to do his business and it is then, and only then, that he was allowed to be off leash and have some fun play time with us. We have a six month puppy and we did the same thing with her. It works wonders and it's a great thing to have when you're in a rush and the dogs only have so much time to do their business, they know that when we say, "go piddles, go poopers" they need to do it right then.

You're teaching your dog to be afraid of you when you come home or when you find a mess. Scolding does not do anything, but maybe help you feel a little bit better.

Having a dog means having a lot of patience. Having a dog means having a lot of responsibility. I have three dogs, it is a A LOT of work. But with determination, heart and patience, you can have a well rounded obedient dog with no accidents in the house. It's going to take a bit more work now as your dog has grown accustomed to his ways, but start teaching him what you want and he'll follow suit.

Good luck and there are tons of knowledgeable and helpful people here that are always so giving of their advice. And welcome to the forums.