How to Crate Train a Beagle Puppy

It's imperative that the dog only associates the crate with good things. Never use the crate as a place of imprisonment and put the puppy there when he's naughty.

Once the pup learns to go into the crate, it's all to easy to forget about rewarding him. Do remember to occasionally hide a goodie in the crate so that it remains an exciting and intriguing place to be.

If the puppy cries and you let him out of the crate, he has learned that crying gets what he wants. Next time, he will cry louder and longer until he gets your attention and you do his bidding. Be prepared to ignore whining and crying, and even to avoid entering the room when he's making a noise. You want him to learn that quiet behavior is rewarded, not noise.

Following on a theme, only open the door when puppy is quiet, so he learns that silence (not howling) gets what he wants. If necessary, wait for a break in the barks before responding. Most dogs will pause for a brief time, even in the midst of a barking session, in order to listen to see if anyone has heard. Take advantage of this brief lull to enter or let him out (hence rewarding the silence).

Don't abuse crate confinement by leaving the dog inside for hours and hours. As a rule of thumb, four hours is the longest an adult dog should be confined without a break during the day, and less for puppies.

Until now, you have been getting puppy used to going into the crate and building a strong link between the place and pleasant things. Now it's time to start closing the crate door, so that the dog is confined inside. This obviously removes the dog's ability to leave when he wants, and so it's crucial that once again you build strong positive associations with being in the closed crate. This is done by only shutting the door for a few seconds at first, and praising the pup when he's calm. Over time, you gradually extend the how long you leave the door closed until he is content to curl up and sleep for hours if necessary.

Feed your puppy in the crate. Whilst he is eating, quietly shut the crate door. Leave it shut for just a few seconds and open it again. The puppy may well be so preoccupied with eating that he doesn't take any notice. Slowly extend the amount of time the door is closed before you open it again. If the puppy finishes eating, the praise his calm behavior and then open the door.

With the puppy in the crate, if he remains calm with the door closed, give him lots of praise. Stay beside the crate for extra reassurance for the youngster. Then open the crate and make a big fuss of him. Gradually build up the time to a few minutes, where the pup is in the crate before releasing him.

Once the pup is quiet for several minutes in the crate, take a step away, pause, step back and let him out (provided he's quiet). Over the next few sessions, take more steps away until you are on the other side of the room but still in the dog's sight. Each time your return, praise his calm behavior and let him out for a fuss.

When you are able to cross the room without the pup kicking off, then step outside the room and out of his eyeline. Be very careful only to re-enter the room when he is quiet. Remember, responding to a cry teaches him that crying gets what he wants. Go over to the crate, praise him and set him free

When all goes well, your next aim is to leave he room and stay gone for a few minutes before returning. The same principles apply of only entering when puppy is quiet and only letting him out when calm, then give him lots of praise.

The best way to crate train a puppy is slowly! You want the puppy to 'discover' the crate and make a link with it being a great place to be. You can't do this quickly or force the pace, because the whole idea is for the crate to be a den... a safe place for puppy. Once the pup views the crate as somewhere he will go voluntarily, then you are on course for a happy dog.

Once crate trained your beagle may spend several hours at a time in his den, for example at night or when you go out. (Beagles can do a lot of damage in a short space of time!) Make sure the crate is comfortable by providing a soft, warm bed for him to snuggle down in. Place the crate in a quiet corner but in a room where he can see what's going on, such as a living room. You don't want the pup to feel left out of family life! Place a small bowl of water in the crate, so that pup cant have a drink should he feel the need.

Scatter tasty treats in the crate. A few at a time is fine, and preferably when the puppy isn't watching, so the goodies appear as if by magic. Do this regularly over the course of the day. If you're worried about the puppy's weight, then use some of his mealtime kibble - he'll love that just as much. Encourage the Beagle to use his nose to sniff out this wonderful tidbits, and praise him when he goes towards the crate or inside it. Once he finds the treats, tell him how clever he is and give another treat to reinforce the message.

Put your dog's favorite teddy or tug toy in the crate. Encourage him to go in and find the toy, and then reward him with a game. Again, do this whenever you want to play with the pup, so that he associates the crate with spending time with you.

Another great way to get him used to the crate is to feed him his meals inside. At first, always leave the door open, so that he doesn't feel trapped. As he starts anticipating mealtimes and running to the crate, you can start to close the door while he's eating, for just a few seconds and then open it again before he asks to be let out.

This first stage of crate training can take a day or two, or several weeks - depending on the puppy's temperament. Keep practicing these exercises until going into the crate is second nature for the dog and he's happy to go in.