It's quite an adventure, isn't it?
I know there are oodles & oodles of different ways to crate train, but I can share what has worked for me in the past with my dogs and what I'm doing now with Sophie, who is 5 mos. She is either in her crate (for short periods of time), walking with me, playing with me, or in her window seat basket (where she can play with toys and watch the neighborhood out the window) while I work at my home desk next to it. I NEVER let her wander around without me directly watching her. If she starts to get into potty position, I make a little "uh-oh" gasp and scoop her up to take her outside immediately. Then I say "go potty" while she's doing her business and praise her and give her a little treat. If I need to leave, I take her for a good walk so she can do her business, then put her in her crate until I come back. (She has water, a snack, and toys in there.) If I'm taking a bath or cooking dinner, or anything where I can't watch her directly, she's crated. I know some people think it's unkind, but I keep the crate periods brief, and she is so comfortable in her crate that she goes into it when it's open to play with the toys. She also eats her meals in the crate. It's her little "den." I do move it around the house with me so that she can see me and doesn't feel isolated. If you have some other suggestions, I'd love to hear them! This forum is such a great way for us to all share ideas! :-) Hang in there-- hopefully our potty training days will be behind us soon! :-)