Your dog’s associations with the crate should all be positive. Be patient in teaching him to accept the crate and never use it for punishment. Be careful that you don’t force the puppy into the crate when you first introduce it.

Give Your Brittany a Reason to Like the Crate
Most puppies like food, so you can use a tasty treat to entice him inside the first time. If he isn’t food motivated, try a toy. Show him the treat or toy, let him sniff it, then tease him with it until he follows it inside the crate (at least part of the way) before giving it to him. Once he is fully inside, praise him for his cleverness and let him come out whenever he wishes. Do this five or six times and make it a game until he begins to associate his crate with the treat and will go in without delay. Stop and play with him for a while and then repeat the whole procedure a few more times.

Next Step: Close The Door
After taking the pup outside to potty and, when you are sure he is empty, play the crate game with him again, but close the door, and stay nearby. If he cries or whines, talk to him softy or wiggle your fingers at him through the crate door. Stay where he can see you, but DO NOT open the door until the puppy has calmed and the whining has stopped. This usually takes about 10 minutes. Don’t yell at him, but don’t let him out of the crate until he has been quiet for at least a few seconds. Your goal at this time is to be calm but firm. Remember that you are training him and if you give in to his cries, he is actually training you! He may even fall asleep and, if he does, just let him stay inside the crate until he wakes up naturally. As soon as he awakens, take him back outside to go potty!

How to Survive Puppy's First Night At Home
Assuming that you have been able to do the above steps during the day, the puppy should already be somewhat comfortable with the crate. If not, here's what to do the first night: Play with the puppy till he’s tired and make sure he has eliminated outside. Place the crate near your bed. Put your weary puppy in the crate (or entice him in with a treat), then matter-of-factly go to bed and turn out the lights. If the puppy whines, ignore him or talk softly to him until he falls asleep.

He will usually be asleep within a few minutes but he could be one that doesn’t give up easily so it could be as long as an hour or two. (Sorry!) You can also try bribing him with a toy to hold his interest and take his mind off crying. Unless you are very lucky, you will probably lose some sleep the first night or two. But DO NOT open the door to let him out until he has slept for a reasonable period of time (ideally about four hours.)

A young puppy is physically unable to go more than about four hours without needing to eliminate, so be prepared to get up at least once during the night. As soon as he whines after waking up, be ready to take him outside! Put on your robe and slippers, then open the crate door and scoop him out. To prevent accidents on the way outside, always carry him to his potty area. After he has eliminated, praise him, bring him back inside and immediately put him back in his crate. He may try the whining act again, but you should react just as before – calmly but firmly. After a couple of nights of this, the puppy will adapt to the routine and you can catch up on your much needed sleep.

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