I also need some "pee in the crate advise"
We have an 18 week old Basenji (mix) and we are crate training her as well. When we first bought the crate, we also purchased a nice cushion that fit the crate perfectly. However, she immediately began chewing on the corner, so we took it away for now until she gets better about chewing and gets past the terrible teething stage. So, she just had the plastic floor to sleep on with her toys.
The first few days we had her she would wake up at 3:30am - we did it a few times and she did go, but then, she'd cry (only for about 10 minutes) when we put her back in her crate.
Our vet told us to stop getting up at 3:30am because if she was going to bed at 10pm, she should be able to hold it until 5am (when we usually hear her whine to get out). So, we stopped and occassionally she will wake that early, but usually just goes back to sleep.
We put towels in her crate one night to start to step her up to a more comfy crate, but she peed on them before we got home the next day. We removed the towels and back to the plastic floor and she's peed twice more.
We are giving her about 7 hours in the crate (always letting her do her business before we put her in it).
Is this normal - just getting used to a schedule since she's a pup? We are trying to do the right things, but don't want to create a situation or make the crate an unpleasant place for her.
Thanks.