Forgive me if I go off on a slightly different tangent than the answer you expect, but being crated doesn't
have to be torture for the dog.
First of all, be positive about the crate. Dogs easily pick up on human emotions and know if you think something is good or bad, and recognize when you are insecure about things. Change your attitude about the crate. Don't think of it as a temporary torture device your dog has to endure to accomplish something (here: not having accidents in the house). Think of it as just another dog bed that she can learn to enjoy, her own little room she can retreat to when she feels like it. Later on this can come in extremely handy, for example if you ever want to take her along when travelling, or if she has to stay at a vet's office for some reason. Would you rather have your dog think of a crate as a nice, comfy place to take a nap, or be stressed out about having to be confined?
There are many things you can do to make the crate a more enjoyable place, such as for example
* feeding all meals inside (first with the door open, later on closed),
* giving an extra-special treat every time the dog is crated ("go to bed" was one of my dog's favorite commands when he was still crated routinely overnight, as it meant a piece of hot dog as a good night snack every time),
* offering something to distract the dog, like a bully stick or stuffed kong toy, which you
only give during crate time.
Some dogs need a little more work, and for them some "reverse psychology" tricks can help - such as putting a really yummy treat or a favorite toy inside and closing the crate door. Make sure the dog
knows that the item is in there. Let her scratch and try to get to it for a little while, just until a bit of frustration has built up. Then open the door and let the dog in and close it again right away.
It's also important to not force dogs who aren't accustomed to a crate to spend fairly long periods in it right away. Of course any dog who isn't used to confinement (for whatever reason) will hate being put in a crate when everything surrounding it has a negative connotation - "i'm being confined", "i'm separated from my people", "i feel lonely", "each time i'm put in the crate all the fun ends", and so on.
Once your dog is reliable in the house, there is no immediate need to still use the crate, but it's still a good iea to keep the dog used to it. I stopped crating my dog overnight with the door closed when he was 18 months old, but there are still many situations when it comes in handy. For example Quigley knows that whenever his soft-sided folding crate comes out, something fun is going to happen - we are going on a road trip, or to a dog event, or camping etc., but most importantly
he gets to go too!
