Any dog owners? (crate training question)

Continue to use the crate! It is the HUMANE thing to do. It is also the smart thing to do. I have crate trained three dogs...all of them loved their crates especially AFTER they were trained. It is their home, their refuse from the house activity.
Also, buy books about puppy training. I can tell you having a dog all my life that dogs behavior is transparent to their environment. If they love their environment you will have a happy dog. If your home environment is tense and chaotic you will see this exhibited in your dog's bad (aggressive) behavior.
In your case, just getting a crate sounds like you have taken the time to take your puppy training seriously. BTW, one of my dogs was so attached to her crate we had to leave the bottom tray for her for a month after we packed up the crate....

 

My family has been using crate training for ~ 20 years with good results.

It is not amazing that your puppy didn't eliminate in the crate. Dogs instinctively don't eliminate in their dens which is what your crate replicates.

Couple of tips:

Put the crate in a low travel area of the house and cover it with blanket on all sides except the door. This makes it more "den like" and gives the puppy a sense of security.

Feed the puppy in the crate, this lets the puppy associate the crate with positive things.

For the first couple of days, play fetch with the puppy by throwing a toy into the crate and praising the puppy when it goes in

Don't let your guard down as the puppy grows. Keep it in the crate anytime you are out of the house or go to bed until it is at least a year old. At 6 to 9 months you will feel the dog is doing well and be tempted to leave it out of the crate. When you do this the dog with destroy something.

Don't let it on furniture or sleep on your lap unless you intend to allow this behavior its entire life.

As you train your puppy keep your commands consistent and simple. Use a firm "NO" for when your dog does something you don't like. A dog is not a person and you will only confuse it if you try to talk to it like a human. A dog doesn't understand; Oh, please don't do that, I'm so disappointed in you, why don't you ever listen, etc.

 

Our dog loves to be in the kennel. It is their safe place/den. If we ever try to go in the car without putting her in it she is nervous and crying. The secret is to start when they are pups and never let them travel any other way.

 

Good luck with the crate training! I agree with the comments above and have always crate trained my dogs. Then last February we got Walter, our dachshund, we were strong the first night. The second night we put the crate in the bed hoping to calm him and the third night we gave in completely and he has slept in the bed every night since. He sleeps under the covers as does every dachshund that we know of Anyway, congratulations on your dachshund puppy. They are wonderful, loving dogs. Walter makes us smile everytime we look at him. He's quite a comedian.

 

Crate training can be tough at night... the crying really gets on your nerves. But persevere, and you'll have a great puppy. Let them out at night, and expect to be washing your sheets in the morning.

All the suggestions about getting them to like the crate here are great. You don't want them to be scared of the crate. You don't want them thinking you're leaving every time they go in there. And when you do leave, you definitely want them feeling comfortable you're coming back. It can help to spend some time putting them in the crate, leave for a few minutes, then come back and reward them. Do this repeatedly, slowly lengthening the time you're away to help them get used to it and know you're always coming back.

A final note, a dogs love of their crate varies greatly by dog. My family has 4 dogs right now. Two of them are sisters we got together 6 years ago. One of them loves the crate and will go in it just to take a nap while everyone's still home. The other abhors the crate and will even try to hide from you if she thinks you're going to put her in it. My 4 year old is more or less neutral on the crate, but won't go in it unless you tell him to. Then the 2 year old loves the crate to a certain degree - doesn't spend any time in there when he doesn't have to, but if he thinks you're leaving he runs over there without having to be told. All 4 of them were more or less trained the same way.

So, don't be surprised if your dog doesn't love his crate, it's normal

 

Woohoo, a dog convert in our midst! They are great companions.

Here is a terrific on line forum (uses the same software, so you can find your way around easily!) where you can share your love, post photos and pictures etc.

Pet Talk at Pet of the Day.com

Oops, is it legal to mention another forum? Well, it is not a competitor.

There is a forum for dogs, another for cats, and one for pets = horses, fish, reptiles, birds, small mammals etc. And a place in "OTHER" at the bottom for introductions.

I haven't had a puppy in over 25 years, so won't address your specific question. Once house trained, I don't use a crate. I have 3 dogs and 11 house cats. Hope to see you on Pet Talk!

 

My SO and I got a beagle puppy (9 mos.) from the nearby shelter and have put him in the crate every night since he has come home. We also crate him whenever we need to run out and he is not able to come along. We always give him treats when putting him into the crate, even when it is only for a short while. He now knows that the crate is his "space" and has even been known to hide treats and toys in his crate. Also, whenever he is feeling sleepy or wants some alone time, he will instinctively enter the crate on his own.

As a side note, we have also required our beagle to "sit" every time he receives anything from either of us. Our having enforced this behavior benefits us two-fold, our puppy has learned that sitting is a positive thing and will now sit on his own when he wants something, not jump.

Enjoy your new puppy and let us know how everything works out.

 

What everyone said. The crate gives your puppy a sense of security; it is his safe place. It's also your security that you won't be cleaning up poop and pee in the morning so you can get a good night's sleep too. Crate training is excellent for house training.

My dog eventually slept in his crate with the door open and would nap there during the day. That was in his first year.

I do let him sleep on the bed now. Many people disagree with this, but I'm not home during the day so night time is part of our time together. It's our bonding, pack time. Also.....he keeps me warm at night; he's my furry hot water bottle.

 

My parents crate trained all of us. There were 12 children and they had used the idea from training their coon dogs(prized ones no less). It was a great thing and taught us all to keep to our own spots and not bother any elses belongings in the house. We all had our own special area once we outgrew the crates.