What makes a good dog?

Is it loyalty? Cuteness? Intelligence? I think there are 2 requirements to be a good dog - 1. you are housebroken, and 2. you don't chew anything you're not supposed to. I don't care how many tricks you can do, how many ribbons you win in dog shows, how obedient you are, if you don't pee in my house and don't chew my things, you're a good dog. Anything else is just icing on the cake.

Right now, while Teddy may be cute, I can't say he is a good dog. I have doubts about his intelligence, and he is loyal to me only because I control the food and the door. We are still struggling with housebreaking, and he seems determined to put every object in my house in his mouth at least once. The funny thing is he rarely touches the same thing twice once I have told him to leave it (except for my slippers, which apparently are irresistible to him) So I figure I only have to tell him 235,983 more times to 'leave it'. I'm sure that won't get old after awhile! He is very good about his housebreaking abilities while I'm at work, or at night, but he hasn't figured out how to tell me he needs to go out. So he just sneaks away while I'm not looking, and I find a puddle later. I know that since he lived in a crate for his first years of life, he is used to going whenever he needed to. But how do I get him to tell me? Any advice on housebreaking a rescue dog?