When it comes to crate training, a lot of people might think of the crate as a place to go when the puppy is being punished. This is not true, as the crate is like a safe haven for your puppy to go, and once the puppy is used to the crate it will be his favorite spot to go to.
If you have a crate and leave it open, your puppy will start to go to it when he gets sleepy or when he gets confused. Although puppies tend to like crates, you shouldnt overuse one by allowing him to spend hours at a time inside of one.
As you are teaching your puppy to get used to his crate, you have to make sure that you do not let him out if he is barking or going crazy. Wait until the puppy calms down before you let him out. Before you know it your puppy will greatly appreciate the crate.
So when you are on the way to pick up your puppy, you should already have a crate set up in your home for when the puppy arrives. When it comes to the crate placement, any centralized area where there is not a lot of walk through traffic would be ideal.
Now that you have the puppy home for the first time you should have the door to the crate open. You want the puppy to familiarize himself with the crate as soon as possible, it can also help to put puppy toys or even a dog treat to lure the puppy inside. Make sure you reward the puppy when it enters the crate for the first time.
If your puppy stays in the crate on his own, praise him for it. Once your puppy starts getting in the habit of going into the crate on his own, you should place a new toy or treat inside for him to play with.
Now that the puppy is getting used to the crate, you can shut the door and monitor the puppies reaction. Some puppies may start to whine when the door to the crate is closed, this is normal you just have to make sure that you do not let the puppy out just because it is whining, wait until the puppy is calm.
Even though it may take some time, crate training is great for your puppy. You can use the crate when you need to leave, when you have family over, or for when your puppy has a medical condition such as diarrhea. If you use a bit of patience and never use the crate for punishment, your puppy should catch on to the crate pretty quick.


