The crate is meant to be your puppy's’comfort zone, or safe place. You want to get your puppy comfortable with his/her crate before starting to "crate train" . One of the best ways to do this is to put the crate in his/her playpen or "safe place" and leave the door open. Put a washable item such as a towel or bed down for comfort. You can put a toy inside to encourage the puppy to enter the crate. Leaving the door open allows the puppy to go in and out of the crate as they please. The puppy will gain confidence and security in his/her crate.Crates come in all different sizes; you will want to get the proper size for your puppy. Crates come with a divider that is meant to down size the crate to properly fit your growing puppy. You need to allow enough space for your puppy to stand up, lie down, and be comfortable. Too much space will allow the puppy to make a mistake in the crate. Once your puppy is comfortable with the crate you can start shutting the door at night when you go to bed. For the first few nights it is normal for your puppy to cry while in his/her crate. You do not want to let them out when they are crying or they will pick up the behavior and cry to get out. Remember they are puppies and probably need to go bathroom in the early morning. For the first week, you must take the puppy out every 2-3 hours and you will want to pick your puppy up out of the crate and take him/her straight outside. This will teach your puppy to go right outside when exiting the crate. If you do not do this, more than likely your puppy will use the bathroom right when stepping out.Always give positive praises to your puppy when using the bathroom in the correct place. Remember puppy’s do make mistakes and it “IS UP TO YOU” to take your puppy and teach it where to properly use the bathroom. If you catch your puppy in the act, quickly take the puppy to the correct bathroom spot and praise when finished. If you do not catch the puppy in the act, do not discipline, it has already forgotten what it has done.

DO'S
- Always remember to supervise your puppy. If you cannot supervise, put the puppy in his/her crate, playpen, or safe place.

- Put a comfortable, washable, towel or bed in the crate with your puppy.

- Get your puppy comfortable with his/her crate by leaving door open throughout the day in his/her safe place. Leave a toy inside.

- Take your puppy to the spot where you want it to go to the bathroom EVERY time they exit their crate. No matter how long he/she was in there.

DONT'S
- Do not put collars or harnesses in crate with the puppy as it can cause a choking hazard.

- Do not put food and water in crate with puppy, the crate is to teach your puppy to not use the bathroom in their bed.

- Do not use your crate for punishment.