So far, so good! No potties in the crate yet. Come to think of it, they've only been in the crate long enough to get more toys to take outside.
No comments on whether this approach will housebreak them? I can't wait to let them run around inside the house someday so they really feel like part of their new family.
I don;t like doggie doors for housebreaking; past experience. When we got our sheltie 9yrs ago, he followed the two resident dogs out to potty. The problem is, we couldn't always see if he went to the bathroom. Fast forward til he was 6yrs old and got his first UTI and bladder crystals. Long story short but I learned one of the proper ways to housebreak (I'll talk bout that in a minute) and thats when I realized that just because Tucker went outside didn't necessarily mean he actually peed or pooped.
So, how I housebroke my PIA pbgv, who was the hardest dog I've ever had: I took him out, on a leash. As we left the kitchen, walking into the breezeway, I said, time to go potty. As we walked into the kennel from the breezeway, I said "go potty". He finally learned that he was there to potty, not to play. When he pottied, he got a tiny treat, then he could go play.
I can't say whether it will or will not work to housebreak your dogs but it's not going to help you to know that they actually went, unless you follow them out, and I'm sure you aren't, or you wouldn't use the dog door! Can I ask why you got two young puppies, the same age? Are they littermates?