There are many advantages to crate training a puppy. Crate training can help you with house training. Providing a crate for your puppy is one of the safest ways for your puppy to travel in your vehicle. And crating your puppy is essential if you ever plan to take your dog on a plane with you. Start crate training your puppy at a young age and he will enjoy his crate as he gets older.

Chose the Right Crate

Crate training a puppy is much easier if you make sure you choose the right crate from the start. Most people like to buy a crate they can use for their puppy when he's an adult dog. However, the crate may be too large for your puppy when he's young. If the crate is too large, your puppy may go to a corner and potty. You can solve this problem by purchasing a divider for the crate. This will allow you to make a large crate smaller. Your puppy should have enough room to stand up, stretch out and turn around. He shouldn’t have room to play in the crate. A crate is supposed to be cozy.

The most popular crates are the hard plastic airline-approved crates and the metal wire crates. Airline-approved crates can be used for airline travel and they are a good choice for travel in your personal vehicle. The metal wire crates are lightweight and can be collapsed so they are easy to move and take with you if you need to take a crate to a training class. Both crates are good choices and they are about the same price.

Make the Crate Comfortable and Introduce Your Puppy to the Crate

When you bring the crate home you can make it comfortable for your puppy by placing a plush mat or some towels in the bottom of the crate for your puppy to sleep on. Put some toys and treats inside the crate and leave the door open. Let him explore the crate and get used to it.

Allow your Puppy to Adjust to Being in the Crate

After your puppy has gotten used to the crate and knows there are good things inside (treats, toys), you can start closing the door for a few minutes when you are nearby. Practice doing this a few times each day. Your puppy probably won’t object to having the door closed for a few minutes as long as he can see you. Next, you can close the door and move out of your puppy’s sight for a few minutes. Practice doing this a few times each day for a couple of days.

After your puppy has gotten used to being in the crate for short periods of time with the door closed, you can start being out of sight for longer periods. Eventually, you can leave the house for a few minutes. Your puppy may object - loudly - at first. But as long as he has some treats and toys in the crate he should eventually calm down. Each time you return you should let him out of the crate and praise him. Give him a reward for being a good boy (or girl). You can gradually build up the time you are away from your puppy.

Keep your Puppy Occupied in the Crate

It's important that your puppy always has things in the crate to keep him occupied while you’re away. Bored dogs are much more likely to resent being left alone in the crate. Provide your dog with treats, safe toys and safe things to chew on when he's in the crate.

Safety

Crate training a puppy also involves considering his safety. Be very careful about the toys and chews you leave in the crate with your puppy. Don't leave anything with your puppy that he could choke on. If you leave a collar on your puppy, make sure it’s a breakaway collar that will come off easily if it becomes caught on something in the crate.

Not too long

Finally, whether you're crate training a puppy, house training a puppy or just crating your dog, do not expect a puppy or dog to spend an excessive amount of time in a crate. If your puppy or dog will be in the crate for more than 3-4 hours you should make arrangements for someone to let them out to exercise.