He doesn't really like the crate anyway, so I guess I will try it, after his next meal tonite.
The breeder of our dog said that she has her dogs have their meals in their crate, so to get them to like being crated, but she shows her dogs, and I don't expect to be showing this handsome little guy, but I just don't have the heart to put a puppy in his crate for his meals. I guess I am an ole softy.
THe crate should not be used as a punishment. If he is not comfortable in the crate, your first order of business should be to get him comfortable in the crate, before using the crate for potty training.
Crates are very important for many reasons. Most dogs learn to like their crates, it is pretty much the only space in the whole world that is THEIRS alone, that no one else bothers with. This gives them a great sense of security, which is very important if you ever travel with him or need to board him somewhere; he will be much more comfortable, even though traveling is uncomfortable for most dogs. If he ever gets hurt or needs surgery, he will have to be on "crate rest," and you do NOT want that to be the first time he has had to be comfortable in a crate, that would be extremely stressful.
Plus, of course, crates are very helpful when potty training. Most puppies will not potty in their crates (especially if you feed them in there!), so you can put him in the crate and know that he's not going to have an accident in the house. This will help teach him bladder control - you can't just "go" whenever you feel like you need to, you have to hold it sometimes - as well as provide you with a "babysitter" for when you cannot supervise him as closely as you need to. Every time he potties in the house, he is practicing that bad behavior and it will become a habit. Every time he potties outside, he is practicing that good behavior and IT will become a habit. If he potties inside, that's one less time you can reward him for pottying outside.
Dogs learn, too, that on nice days when it's comfortable to go outside, he should only potty outside; but on rainy or uncomfortable days, it's ok to potty inside. So even if you go a long time without an accident in the house, every time it rains you are going to have a mess to clean up, if you don't get serious about the problem as soon as possible!
