Crate Training
When you bring your pup home and if he balks at the crate, don't fight him. His crate is his "safe place", his little den. It is never used as a punishment.
If you did not use the crate to bring him home, have it set up and ready for him. Let him sniff the towel you used on his mother, then place it in the crate. If he follows it in, leave the door open. Let him come and go at will until he seems relaxed. If I have an untrained pup, I tie the door open with a bungee cord until it's time for bed. Then I close the door, latch it, and go to bed. Depending on how your puppy was raised, he may settle down and that will be the end of it till morning. Naturally, that only happens in a perfect world. He may fuss or cry but should settle down. If he doesn't, after a half hour, check on him. A heating pad placed under the crate to one side (be careful not to let the crate sit on the cord; thread it through the wires) and windup clock can help him relax. Hot water bottles are ok but turn cold after a while and if puppy chews on it in the morning you will have a mess when you get up.
When you do get up your first job is to get puppy out of his crate and carry him outside. Don't wait and don't stop to clean anything up. After he has done his business, praise him as always, and then you can clean up his crate if needed.
Think of your puppy as a new baby in the house, which he is. His crate is his
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