please help... overwhelmed trying to crate train

I had her confined to the bathroom, since she wouldn't go in the crate and she peed on the bath mat.... i don't know what to do... please help

I taught Shippo to jump into his crate voluntarily by feeding him his meals in it, and only giving him his kong or bones in the crate.  Does your puppy have a puppy kong?  It might come in handy.  You can stuff it with anything - dog cookies, a little yogurt or peanut butter (or both), fruit like bananas, apples, etc. anything you know your puppy likes the most... and you can freeze it (good for teething).

Basically, he does not get his meals or the kong outside of his crate.  I started by luring him inside it by just having him follow the bowl or the kong in, and when he got inside I'd go "yaaaaaaay good puppy!"  The first few times, he followed the bowl in but wouldn't eat, and just dumped it everywhere, so I picked it up and he didn't get fed till the next meal time.  After a couple messes with the food, he hungrily jumped into the crate and waited for his meal!  I was so happy lmao... >^^;<

If he whines in the crate, he gets no reaction from me.

As far as your puppy peeing before making it out the door, just start picking her up and carrying her straight out the door.  Shippo did this a few times, so now he just gets carried out... he can use his legs after he does his business lmao...

It's worth a try... >^^;<

I have a new puppy too and did a lot of reading about crate training, expecting the worst since my childhood dog was a bit of a nightmare with the crates.   Miraculously, my puppy is fine with the crate and I didn't have to use most of the advice, but I did read a suggestion that sounded really good and might be helpful to you.   Lure the puppy into the crate with treats, close the door and leave.   Come back after 1 minute and let her out of the crate.   Repeat and increase the time by a minute, then another minute, then 5, etc.   This is supposed to help the puppy know that you're coming back.  I leave the TV on for my puppy during the day because seems to like the sound.        astaracheetah's suggestions are also really good.  

About the peeing in the crate - might the crate be too big for her?   As I'm sure you know, puppies from pet stores often have special issues with eliminating in the crate, so you might want to look up more specific advice for dealing with that.   I know Puppies for Dummies (a suprisingly good book) has a section on it.

Thanx so much for the suggestions!! i'm going to get a puppy kong today! i also unearthed the divider that came with her crate and so far that seems to be working better, too.

Hi,
Oscar was a nightmare in the crate too. Feeding in the crate is a GREAT way to help. However, if the pup is fearful, I recommend NOT locking the crate door...you are only adding to her fears. Start by leaving the crate open (maybe even taking the door off) and feeding her in the crate. Once she will wilingly go in the crate before you even put the food in, THEN try one or two minute intervals in the crate with the door closed but you sitting there. If you can take a little time off work or school, in a few days you should be able to leave her alone for even 2 or 3 hours at a time and walk away without her being worried because she will have started the learning process and will know that you WILL come back for her. Right now, she thinks you've abandoned her and, as far as she's concerned, you're NEVER coming back. It took me more than a month total but now when I say 'bedtime' Oscar BOLTS for the crate.