crate training

[spencersmom]

I have a 4.5 month old male papillion. He is my first small dog. I keep hearing about crate training but everytime i put him in there he pees and cries and claws. Should i be pushing? Do I need him crate trained? Any suggestions would be great.
:)

[Carol]

My cocker spaniel was 5 when I got her last year. She is crate trained. Some people assume the crate is for punishment or just to keep the puppy out of your hair.
The crate is the pups bed and haven. I rarely close the door on Casey because I rarely leave her alone but she will go in and out of that thing many times a day. She thinks of it as a bed.
Try introducing your puppy to it with a favorite toy in there with it. Leave the door open and see if it will go in and out. Don't make it traumatic.
Your puppy sounds small so hope the crate is not too big for it.
Casey does not sleep in her crate at night because she prefers the foot of my bed. But she loves her crate during the day. Oops, almost forgot. The crate is always in a position for her to see me or at least in the same room as me this makes a big difference with young puppies also. Cockers are famous for separation anxiety. Casey is much better now after 6 months. She no longer sings for the neighbours when I leave her alone.
Good Luck with crate training. Make it a pleasant experience for the puppy. If it is housetrained, you do not want it reverting to soiling in the house. Puppy needs to feel safe in there not traumatized.
There are lots of books and info on the internet about crate training.