While there has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding whether to crate train or not, crating essentially mimics a dog's natural instinct for den dwelling. Many people now agree that crate training can be a very effective and humane tool for training and setting a routine your dog, while also discouraging certain behaviors.

When used properly, crating will acclimate a dog to scheduled feeding and sleeping schedules; will prevent misbehaving and destructive behavior when people are not around; and can be used as part of a comprehensive housebreaking program.

Crate training a dog involves a series of steps and requires patience and perseverance. Here are some tips for effective crate training:

• The crate should be big enough for your dog to stand up, turn round and stretch out when lying down. Make sure there is room for growth if the dog is a puppy.
• Include a toy or chew bone to keep them occupied when awake, soft bedding to sleep on, and a drink of water.
• Initially keep the dog in the crate for five minutes, working up to 30 minutes. The door should be kept open and the dog should be supervised during this stage.
• Eventually the dog should use the crate voluntarily. When a dog reaches this stage, wait until he goes in for a sleep, then close the door. Stay in the room, and let him out as he starts to wake up.
• Next, leave the room for a few minutes but stay in the house, gradually increasing the time you are out of sight till you can put the dog into his crate when you leave the room.
• Never leave a dog in a crate for more than a couple of hours.
• Never use the crate for punishment!

Introducing the Crate

A crate is an excellent place for your pup to be when he can't be supervised, but never use the crate as punishment. Over time, he'll come to view his crate as "his" -- a safe place, his "den". A soft, cushy crate mat will make it even more desirable for puppies and dogs that do not chew.

Start your housebreaking program on a weekend or at a time when you have a light schedule for a few days. This will allow you to introduce the crate gradually before needing to shut him in for any extended period of time. You want your dog to have a positive association with his crate, so don't just shove him in there and close the door to see what happens.

Your dog can have toys or safe chew bones so he has something to keep him occupied while he's in there. Unless your vet recommends otherwise, he should not have water in his crate, since he'll not only have a full bladder, he'll splash around and make a mess.

Most dogs will acclimate to the crate fairly quickly. Start by feeding your dog treats in the crate with the door propped open. You can start out with the treat just inside the crate door, then, each time you feed him, move it back a bit until it's against the inside back wall of the crate and he has to step all the way inside the crate to get the treat.

After your dog eats a lots of treats in the crate with the door open, you're ready to start closing the crate door. Have some especially yummy treats for this part of the training. Quietly close the door behind your dog while he's eating. At this point, you don't need to latch the door, just hold it closed with your hand. When your dog turns around to find the gate closed, give him a single treat through the front gate and open the gate to let him out immediately so he learns that a closed door isn't scary and doesn't mean he's locked in there forever.
Repeat this step, gradually leaving the door closed longer and giving more treats before opening up. If this is going well, latch the door and step away from the crate for a moment before returning to give your dog his treat. Step away a little farther and a little longer between treats.
Once you're able to step away from the crate for 30 seconds between treats, you should be ready to try leaving your dog in his crate a bit longer. For this part of the training, you'll need something yummy that will take a while for him to eat or chew. This should be something other than his normal chew items like a pig ear from the pet store or a raw marrow bone from the butcher. A kong toy filled with something yummy is another good choice. Most dogs go crazy for a hollow toy stuffed with canned dog food... if you freeze it before giving it to him, it'll keep him busy for a nice, long time!
Some dogs are too busy thinking about how to get out of the crate to chew or eat their special bone or toy in the crate. If your dog ignores his bone in the crate, then tries to pick it up and bring it out with him, take it away from him and put it away until next time he goes into his crate. He can only have this special treat in the crate. After missing out on it a few times, he'll get the idea.
Gradually leave your dog in the crate for longer periods as he becomes comfortable. If you find that he engages in bratty behaviors like barking or trying to dig his way out of the crate, you may need to correct this before leaving him unattended in his crate.
Here is a site an excellent site on how to choose the right crate

Much of the above training advice is taken fromThe Housebreaking Bible. There are several complete articles about crate training in the getting started article index. You can also post specific questions to the forum and the trainers and/or community will respond with answers very quickly.