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he sleeps. In the early stages of puppy-hood, you may notice an accident or two in the crate, but as they start to learn the ropes of housebreaking, these should lessen. One rule of thumb is to make sure the crate is not too big for the puppy-this allows them to be able to eliminate and then escape from it in a far corner.

It is much harder to crate-train a dog who has gotten used to having free roam, which is why it's recommended that crate training begin the very first night home. If you don't have a crate yet, sometimes a blocked off corner of the room will suffice, or even a cardboard box. If the torturous cries of your new baby are too much to bear, pulling a sleeping bag onto the floor or putting the crate next to your bed are better options than "rescuing" the puppy (other than to take him outside of course.) The crate should be lined with something soft and you can place a few toys for comfort (you may need to remove these for a period of time if your puppy is a chewer!) In general, puppies who begin their lives sleeping in a crate at night grow up to be dogs who enjoy spending time there. In addition, it will be less stressful on you, as the owner, knowing that your dog is happy and content in his crate when you need him to be.

The benefits of crate-training are that it serves to fulfill a natural instinct that dogs crave, acts as a training tool, and helps speed up the process of housebreaking. There is really no reason NOT to crate-train a dog. Certainly, there are puppies out there with the right nature to do just fine without a crate...but most of them will benefit from the structure and security that comes from having a den to call their own.

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