Many people see dogs being locked in crates as inhumane and cruel. They just don't understand why dogs should be kept under lock. But to an experienced dog owner, crate training is essential for every dog out there. Done the right way, it keeps the dog secure, safe and at ease. It is also one of the smartest way to potty train your dog.

Getting the Right Crate Size - An ideal dog training crate should be large enough to allow your dog to stretch out without hitting his head and allow him to be able to turn around easily. The crate is too big if your dog can relieve himself in one corner and move to play and sleep in another. If your puppy is still young and not fully grown, try to block off certain section of the crate with cardboard or wooden boards.

Critical Crate Training Rules - You must introduce the crate slowly to your dog when you begin crate training. Crate him in short intervals, about 10 minutes, and gradually increase the duration over time. All dogs need some time to get used to staying in the crate. Never crate him for more than 30 minutes or longer the first time you put him into the crate.

It is not recommended to left a pup in a crate for long hours. Your puppy should have the chance to exercise and urinate before being crated. Dogs are clean creatures and do not wish to dirty the space near their personal sleeping areas. However, he might be forced to relieve himself if you cruelly lock him in for longer than he can hold it in.

A rule of thumb to gauge how long your puppy should be in his crate is to add an hour to his age in months. For example, a puppy who is two months old must not be left in a crate in excess of three hours.

It's normal for dogs to kick up a fuss, bark and moan while in the crate. If any of these things happen when he is in the crate, do not give him any attention! Yes! Do not even look in his direction.

Dogs are intelligent animals. Don't let him know that he'll get your attention when he kicks up a fuss. Simply ignore him. Reward your dog with a little treat or praises only when you find him behaving well in the crate.

If it's a young puppy whom you've just introduce the crate to, maybe you can offer him a treat in the crate to calm him down. Whatever you do, don't let him out of the crate at that very moment.

If you notice that your dog displays hyper active behavior as compared to before, you might be crating him for too long. If your dog starts to chew on himself, let him out immediately and consult a trainer or behaviorist.

Below are some suggestions and tips to aid you in crate training your puppy:

1. To make it easier for your pup to accept his crate, play with him there, or spent time near the crate doing whatever you like, reading or playing video games while he is busy playing with his new toy. If he is there all by himself, he begins to associate the area with isolation and may resist being there at all.

2. Begin crate training at dinnertime. Give him his food, one piece at a time, by throwing bits of kibble in to the crate and making him search for it. This is one of the many ways that you can do to make crate training fun for him.

3. If you pick up his toys, place them in the crate, so that when he returns he can play with them. To surprise him, you can even hide a biscuit in the crate – that's fun!

4. Don't crate him for longer than he can hold the urge to eliminate or defecate. If you are gone for long periods each day, you should consider a larger confinement area such as an exercise pen or a small room.

5. The best place to place the crate would be where your puppy can see the environment and family members, hear and smell you, the owner.

6. Do not punish your dog in his crate, it will backfire. Your pup will tend to enjoy his stay in the crate more readily if you can make him associate crate stay with a time for fun. The crate is suppose to be your dog's natural den where he feels safe and comfortable, not where he'll be punish and associate it with "bad things".

7. Crate training is not a long term solution to keeping your dog safe without supervision. Pups must not be left in crates alone for long period of time. Your training duration will be affected greatly if you crate him for too long and he urinate in the crate.

To conclude, crate training is a very valuable and useful obedience training lesson. The main benefits are to provide the owner with a peace of mind knowing that the dog is safe, reduce unwanted destructive behaviors in the house and make it easier to travel during short term confinement, whenever the owner requires it,

security, safety, reduce potentially destructive behaviors, add to the ease of traveling and protection for short term confinement, whenever the owner needs it. It is one important lesson all puppies should learn from day one.