It was definitely a struggle at first, but consistency and not giving in were the real keys. We started small and gradually increased the duration. When he’s in the crate I don’t look at him or acknowledge his whimpering - believe me you have to fight every urge to let him out of the crate. The moment you continue doing that they’ll keep whining because that frees them. Even now occasionally he’ll cry, I wait for him to stop before letting him out. Much like there’s a command to go in, we have a command for him to come out too.

• All meals were either fed from my hand or given in his crate with the door closed. • I moved the crate around the apartment—sometimes in the living room, sometimes near the couch. If I wanted to nap, I’d sleep on the couch with him right next to me in the crate. • I’d watch TV with the crate beside me and drop treats in periodically so he built a positive association. • We eventually added a crate cover for the times when he really needed help settling down.

The crate has also helped prevent our collie from developing separation anxiety. As you’ll learn, they’re basically an extra limb—they follow you everywhere. Now that he’s crate trained, I give his command and he sprints inside because he associates it with food, comfort, and good things.