Crate training is an essential part of training a puppy for several reasons. The main aim of crate training is to be able to help your puppy sleep peacefully through the night, leave him unattended for a few hours and to prepare him for travelling on planes and in cars for long periods of time, without having to worry about him using the crate as his toilet in all these situations. 

 

One of the most important things to remember while crate training, is to never use the crate as a punishment, even if he has made a big mistake or misbehaved. Doing this will condition him to think that the crate is a place of punishment when he does something wrong. Dogs usually learn from behavior and habituation. So, you can give him feedback every time he does something wrong or right. For e.g.: if he starts barking, you should not encourage him from doing it further. 

 

Introduce your puppy to the crate – Before you keep your puppy in the crate for the first time, give him time to become familiar with the crate and it’s surroundings. This will make him more comfortable with a foreign object like the crate and will help him recognize it as a harmless thing.

 

Praise your puppy – Initially, you could gently place your puppy inside the crate for a few minutes and keep the door open so that he knows that he can come out at his own will and is not being caged. You can keep increasing the time and every time you notice that he is sitting inside the cage for longer periods, you can praise him or give him rewards. When you first begin crate training a puppy, place him or her inside for just a few minutes.

 

Be firm – As time passes, you can slowly be firm with your puppy and coach him to enter the crate. You can gently coax him into the crate if he does not willingly enter the crate and also give him treats when he enters it. If your puppy starts whining, use a towel and blind the outside of the crate so that he calms down and learns to get over his initial fears.

 

Make the crate your puppy’s home – Just like we prefer living in a happy house, try making the crate a bit more homely and comfortable for your puppy. You could add in a water container, towels and a few toys so that he likes living in his crate, and does not see it as a place of punishment. 

 

Reward him – Rewarding your puppy with a small treat every time he enters the crate in the initial periods will make him associate entering the crate with the reward. This way, he will willingly go into his crate and feel happy about staying in it. 

 

To crate train a puppy easily and to encourage good behavior in him, it is always important to provide him with feedback and positive reinforcements.