Instructions
Put the crate in a heavily trafficked room, such as the family room or kitchen. Put a dog bed or a towel in the crate.
Throw treats into the crate to encourage your dog to enter. Before you can feed him meals in the crate, he needs to be comfortable entering. Place a treat at the door of the crate and slowly place additional treats further and further inside until your dog will enter all the way. Never force him to enter the crate. You might also try tossing in a toy or dog bone. Be patient. Your dog might walk in right away, or it might take him several days to walk all the way into the crate.
Feed your dog his meals next to the crate at first. This will help him associate the crate with meal time, which is a positive time.
Place his food dish inside the crate to feed him. Don't put it all the way in if he seems reluctant to enter or seems to get anxious. Every time he eats a meal, push the food dish a little further inside the crate until your dog is all the way inside.
Close the crate door while your dog eats once he's eating his meals completely inside. At first, let him out as soon as he's done with his food.
Keep the door closed for a minute or two once he's done eating. Increase this time period slowly each time you feed your dog. Eventually, leave him in the crate for about 10 minutes after he's done with his food.
Let your dog out if he starts to whine. It's possible that you increased the time he's left in the crate after eating too quickly. For his next meal, let him out a little earlier. If he still whines, then you need to leave him in the crate until he stops. Letting him out every time he whines will reinforce this behavior.
Move on to the next steps in crate training: crating your dog for short periods of time when you're home, crating him when you leave your house and crating him at night.
How to Crate Train Your Dog by Feeding His Meals in the Crate
The idea behind crate training is to create a safe, secure and relaxing place for your dog. His crate should never be used as a punishment. The main use for the crate training technique is house-training your dog, not punishing him. Feeding your dog is an essential aspect of proper crate training. If you practice correct crate training, you'll have a well-trained, happy dog that doesn't chew up your house or make a mess on the carpets while you're gone.