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Many dog trainers and dog professionals recommend a crate for your dog. Crating has benefits such as helping with toilet training, protecting your home when you are away, protecting your dog from potential injuries and poisoning, it makes being transported easier for the dog as well as stays in kennels or pet hotels. It is, however, important to introduce your dog to the crate and train him properly to avoid stress. Crate training your dog might only take a few days but can take up to a few weeks, depending on the dog’s age, temperament, past experiences, and the quality of the training. The crate should always be associated with something positive and pleasant for the dog and training has to be done in small steps. It is better to take steps that are too small than too big. A crate is not a magical solution to keep you dog out of mischief all day while you are at work and then again during the night. Spending too much time in the crate will most likely lead to frustration and physical and emotional distress. There are a few steps to successfully crate train your dog: Step 1 - Selection of an appropriate crate: Crates come in different shapes and materials. There are plastic crates (flight kennels) or collapsible cage-types (often seen at dog shows), and there are even custom-made stylish crates matching your furniture. Whatever type you prefer, the crate should be big enough for the adult dog to stand upright, turn around, and lie down. When starting crate training with a puppy, this means either buying a crate that will be big enough later in your puppy’s life or starting with a small crate and upgrading the crate with the growing puppy. You should also keep in mind that older dogs will not be as flexible as younger dogs and might need a bigger crate to be able to turn around safely without getting stuck. Step 2 – Selection of crate location: Put the crate in a spot in the house where you and your family spend a lot of time but where the dog also can find some quiet time. Find a spot where you are sure you will be able to leave the crate permanently. You should also consider the breed or breed mix of your dog. It might, for example, not be a good idea to put the crate of your German Shepherd right next to the front door as he might think you want him to guard the door and house which might result in the dog not being able to relax in the crate and can lead to barking. Step 3 – Create a comfortable environment in the crate for your dog: Create a cosy environment for your dog with soft bedding or blankets and his favourite toy. You could also put a worn old shirt with your smell in the crate. It can also be positive for the dog to have the sides of the create covered (in case it is a cage kennel) to give the feel of a safe den. Step 4 – Familiarizing your dog with the crate Make sure the door of the crate is open and fastened so it cannot move or even shut and hit the dog and thus frighten him. Start the training by encouraging your dog to enter the crate. Lure your puppy with treats (or if he prefers toys with his favourite toy) to come and explore the crate. If he enters the crate give treats in the crate. If your dog is a bit more cautious and does not enter the crate, try to persuade him by throwing treats into the crate, at first very close to the door and then further in. Leave the crate door open so that your dog can enter the crate whenever he likes. This helps establishing the crate as a place to sleep in and have quiet time. Step 5 – Establish crate command: Once your dog is comfortable with entering the crate, you can start establishing a crate command. This might be the word “crate” or “bed” or “got to bed”. Start with your puppy standing in front of the crate door. Throw a treat into the crate and point into the crate. As soon as your dog starts walking towards the crate and entering the crate, give your command. When this command is working at least 9 out of 10 times you can start increasing the distance to the crate. As with all training, if the command does not work, you probably progressed to fast. Go a few steps back and start over. Step 6 – Feed meals in the crate: At the same time you start establishing the crate command, you can start giving your dog his meals near the crate. Remember, your dog has to have pleasant associations with the crate. After a few times, you can start putting his bowl into the crate, again close to the door at first and increasingly further in. Step 7 – Close crate door: Once your dog eats his meals comfortably in the crate without any signs of distress, you can start closing the door. Start with only a few seconds while he is eating and open it again (do not forget to fasten it). With every meal, leave the door closed for a little bit longer, your dog should never get stressed. Continue until you can leave the door closed for up to 10 minutes after your dog finished his meal. Step 8 – Slowly increase time the dog spends in the crate You have now established a crate command and your dog has his meals in the crate without any signs of fear, anxiety or distress. You can now start the next phase. Call your dog (outside his meal times) and tell him to go into the crate, reward with a few treats thrown into the crate and close the door. Sit quietly near the crate for 5 to 10 minutes, open the crate and let your dog out. Repeat this several times a day (or as often as possible). If that goes well, tell your dog to go into the crate, give treats, close the door and then leave the room, just for a few minutes. Your dog should still be calm. Over the next days, increase the time you leave the door closed and you are out of sight/out of the room. Once this training step works without the dog becoming agitated or distressed, go to the next level and tell your dog to go into the crate, give him a treat (maybe even a Kong filled with some goodies or a pig ear) and leave the house for a short period of time. Over the next days or weeks (depending how fast your dog adapts to being in the crate), increase the time the dog stays in the crate. Make sure not to make a big deal out of leaving the house and also not when returning to avoid getting your dog too excited. Leaving and coming home should just be normal, like getting up off the couch and going to the kitchen. You should not leave your dog in the crate for more than 4 hours at a time during the day as the dog needs to stretch and move around and release himself and especially puppies up to around 6 months cannot control their bladders and bowels for longer periods. Step 9 – Crate overnight Once your dog is comfortable to be in the crate for a few hours, you can start crating overnight. Make sure you are able to hear the dog during the night in case he needs to go, especially when you have a young puppy who is most likely not able to make it for longer than 4 hours without having to go to the bathroom. It might be an idea to have a second crate in the bedroom, at least for a while, so that the dog does not have the feeling to be socially isolated. Being close to the social group, especially for young puppies, means safety. You could also have the crate near the bedroom first and then move it gradually to its final spot.