Is your dog this confident?

Not sure this fella has had any dog training advice but I think he's laughing at that bull - or is it just a horny cow? Mmm, nuf said.

Posted via email from John's posterous

Dog Training Advice - Puppy Crate Training

To humans, a dog crate is a cage where your puppy can safely stay, preventing any possible "puppy destruction" when you're away from home. But a crate is much different for a dog or puppy.

When puppy crate training is successful a pup thinks of his crate as a safe haven, a place to escape to when he needs some quiet time away from crowds or kids. Far from being cruel confinement, puppies consider their crates to be their homes.
Before we get to specifics, there are some general rules about puppy crate training.

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  Prevent potentially disastrous problems by always taking your puppy's collar off before he enters the crate.
  
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  Unless it's overnight, make sure he's not in the crate more than four or five hours at a time.
  
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  Don't punish him if your puppy has an "accident" in his crate. Just clean it thoroughly and move on. It's your fault, not his.
  
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  Remember that a puppy that's crated may need some additional exercise to compensate for the time he's confined.
  
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  Never let him out because he's whining, crying or barking. That just rewards him for bad behavior.
  

Now for some specific dog training advice. First off, pick the right size. You want a crate he can grow into, but not one that's too large. The crate should be comfy and cozy, so add a cuddly blanket or your pup's favorite bed. A heavy wide-based bowl of water and a couple of toys to keep your puppy busy will make it perfect.
The goal of puppy crate training is for your puppy to love it, so never do anything that makes him associate his crate with punishment. These puppy crate training techniques will teach your pup to adore his new little home.
Put some treats in the crate, but leave the gate open. Let your pup enter and snap them up, but don't close the gate. He'll soon get used to being inside without feeling "trapped." The next step is to let your pup see you put a couple of toys inside, then shut the gate. If he's like most puppies, once he sees those toys he'll want you to let him in. Do it and give him a lot of praise.
When he's comfortable with being inside, close the gate and give him a treat through one of the openings. At first keep it closed for just a few seconds, but gradually increase the length of time. If he gets distressed you might be increasing the duration too fast. If the crate's in your bedroom an overnight stay can be his first long period locked inside.
You can also teach your puppy to enter his crate on command. Just pick a short phrase and say it every time he goes in. "Go to crate" or "go inside" seem to work well. Repeating that phrase whenever he enters the crate will teach him to associate the phrase with the act, but giving him a treat as he goes in helps too.
Over time and with practice your puppy will come to love and feel secure in his crate. Puppy crate training requires patience, persistence, attention and affection, but in time his crate will become your puppy's own little home.