Day 1/Week 1: Introduce your puppy to his new crate by opening the door
so it won't close on the dog accidentally. Be prepared to spend some
uninterrupted time with your puppy and sit down next to the crate for a few
minutes.

Put some toys and a blanket inside the crate. Your puppy will toddle over
it. When it does, pick up a toy from the inside, show it to your puppy and
gently toss the toy inside the crate so that it hits the back wall and makes
a noise.

Chances are, your puppy will be curious about the toy and where the
noise came from, and may walk over the threshold to check it out. If your
puppy goes inside on its own, reward it by tossing in a little treat so it hits
the back wall of the crate, too. Repeat the process a few times.

If your puppy doesn't go into the crate, toss some treats near the crate's
door and encourage your puppy to eat the treats. As your puppy gets
closer and no longer seems afraid of the crate, throw a few treats

inside and tell it to go get the cookie. Make a big fuss by saying, “Yeah, Yeah – Good Puppy!”

Day 2/Week 2: Take your puppy to the crate and toss some treats inside.

When your puppy goes in the crate, verbally praise it again. Repeat this
process several times. This is also a good time to put your puppy's food
bowl inside and feed it a meal inside the crate, but leave the door open.
Your puppy will begin to associate the crate with yummy experiences,
which is a good thing. After a few meals, your puppy will run inside and
wait for you to put the food bowl down.

Day 3/Week 3: When your puppy is comfortable with dining a la crate, try
closing the door while it's eating. When it's done, open the door after a few
minutes. Repeat at the next meal, but increase the amount of time the
door is closed each time.

Day 4/Week 4: While feeding your puppy inside the carrier with the door
closed, go to another room for a few minutes so you're out of sight of your
puppy. When you return, let your puppy out. Repeat and gradually
increase the time you're away.

Day 5/Week 5: In addition to feeding your puppy all of its meals inside the
crate, try putting it inside after playtime and right before naps. Use a
verbal command, such as “go get a cookie,” and toss some treats inside,
making sure they hit the back wall noisily. When it goes inside after them,
close the door for a few minutes. If your puppy settles down for a nap,
walk away to another room. Repeat.

During the day, your puppy will be fine inside for up to about three hours.
If you have to leave a young pup alone for an entire day and an outdoor
area isn't available, try taking the door off the crate and putting pup and
crate inside an exercise pen or a gated safe room. This way it can go in
and out of the crate and still have the freedom to move around.