To crate or not to crate, that is the question. Introducing your puppy to a crate from the beginning could save you countless hours of frustration and anger, not to mention soiled and stained carpets, broken heirlooms, shredded upholstery, etc. Contrary to popular opinion, crating a dog is not cruel and unusual punishment.  Puppies chew. That is a fact of life. Another fact is that puppies do not discriminate, they will chew anything and everything they can get their jaws on. If you leave your young and probably teething puppy at home alone, giving her the run of the house, you will come home to find havoc as well as several puddles and piles. Get a crate. Use it.

Crates are not used for punishing a puppy for bad behavior, but to help prevent that behavior in the first place. If introduced correctly, your puppy will come to regard her crate as a place of haven, her "den" in which to rest and relax.

Place the crate in a quiet place, out of heavy traffic areas, but close to where you spend most of your time. Your puppy should not feel like she's being abandoned and isolated. After all, you got her to keep you company......right?   Start by leaving the door of the crate open, or if it has a removable door, take it off. Begin feeding your puppy in the crate, giving her treats and toys there. When you are ready to begin leaving her in the crate, replace the door so you can latch it. Put her in the crate after she has had a play period and has had a chance to relieve herself outside. She should be tired and ready for a nap by then. Do not call her to you, but go and pick her up. Put her blanket and some toys in the crate, then put her in, give her a treat and a command such as "Go to bed." Say it as matter of factly as you can. Do not get melodramatic or sympathize, if she refuses. Just pick her up and deposit her in the crate and shut the door.

If you're lucky, she'll just lie down and go to sleep. I've never been that lucky. Cover the crate with a towel or blanket to darken the interior and to keep her from peeking out. Once she's in the crate, do not say anything to her. Be quiet and steel yourself for a bout of whining, scratching, barking, howling and every other conceivable form of puppy complaint. Do not give in. Wear ear plugs if you have to. Do not let her out or talk to her while she's protesting. Just wait quietly and as soon as she stops, even if only to catch her breath, quickly open the door, praise her for being a good, quiet puppy and let her out. I know she really wasn't a good, quiet puppy, but it won't be long before she realizes that she can come out when she's not making a lot of noise. As you let her out of the crate, make sure you give her a release command, such as "okay or outside". You may want to take her outdoors to go "potty" so she becomes accustomed to this routine. Put her back in her crate as before and start all over again. It may take minutes, hours, or days, but if you are consistent and fair, your puppy will soon learn to accept her crate and will remain in it quietly. She will eventually come to regard her crate as her very own place to crash. Dogs need a place to call their own, just as we humans do.

Note:  There is a crate training technique that some dog trainers advocate that makes use of a pop can filled with pennies which is thrown at the crate to startle the puppy into being quiet. I admit that I have used this technique in the past, but I no longer recommend this as I believe it does more harm than good. Most puppies go to their new home at about six to eight weeks of age, the optimum age for bonding. However, at this age, a puppy is very susceptible to emotional trauma that will last a lifetime. Some animal behaviorists have identified this age as the "fear imprinting period". It is important that your puppy have only pleasant experiences at all stages of it's life, but it is especially critical during this period.

Do not leave your puppy in her crate for long periods of time; two hours at the most until she's old enough to have better control of her bladder and bowels. If she's forced to soil her bedding repeatedly when she's young, she will grow up to be a dirty dog and will be almost impossible to housebreak.   Crates are meant for short periods of confinement. If your daily routine includes being gone for more than a couple of hours each day, you should invest in a fenced yard or a chain link kennel. A kennel should be large enough to afford your dog room to exercise and to relieve herself away from her dog house. The dog house should be insulated in case of inclement weather.

Many people leave their housebroken, adult dogs inside their home while at work or during other extended peiods of absence. These pets will rarely soil their home, but will wait patiently until their human comes home and lets them out. I personally do not like to do this. I believe an animal that is forced to "hold it" all day is being abused and may suffer urinary tract problems as a result. This is just my own opinion. I have absolutely no scientific facts to support this. But wouldn't you be miserable if you were forced to "hold it" for a period of eight to ten hours every day?