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When it comes to dog training you’re probably thinking of hours spent in the hot sun, complex training methods, and endless frustration as the dog simply refuses to obey your commands. But what if I were to tell you about a simple method that requires no commands and taps into the way your dog behaves naturally?

What if I were to add that this method requires minimal effort and lays the groundwork for your other training? What if I added that this method makes potty training a breeze, and helps banish separation anxiety? Would you be interested? Of course, you would!

The method I’m referring to is, of course, crate training, and in case you’re not familiar with the concept, here’s a brief explanation.

Crate training involves teaching your dog to remain calmly in a crate, which is basically a plastic, wooden or wire enclosure, an indoor kennel, if you will. The reason this method is so powerful, and so easy to teach, is that it simulates natural canine behavior.

A wolf in the wild will naturally seek out a warm, safe den or burrow to hole up in. All the crate is doing is giving your dog the opportunity to mimic this behavior.

You’ll want to start with this from the first day you bring your new puppy home. This means you should buy the crate before getting your pup, but before you rush off to the pet store there are some important details you should be aware of.

For a puppy, I’d recommend an enclosed, plastic crate to start off with. You should ensure that the crate is big enough to accommodate the dog’s full-grown size. That is, unless you want to replace the crate every few weeks as your puppy grows.

However, although you’ll want to buy a full sized crate, you need to ensure that it has an adjustable back panel. This is the most important detail when buying a crate, because unless you’re able to restrict the space within the crate, it will be virtually useless as a housetraining tool.

Place the crate in your bedroom, awaiting the puppy’s arrival. Put in a nice soft towel, rather than a blanket, as this will absorb any “spills”. Also put in a toy or two and, if you can get it, a strip of blanket with the mothers scent on it.

Introduce the pup to the crate right away. Don’t force him into it, but rather coax him in using a treat or two. Once he’s familiar with the crate, adjust the back panel, so that you give him just enough space to lie down and turn around.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is cruel, because it isn’t. In fact, it’s vital for house training the puppy. A dog will never urinate or defecate where it sleeps, so by restricting the puppy’s space he learns from a very early age to “hold it in”. It is a extremely effective, and relatively stress-free form of house training.

When putting your pup in the crate it is best to always remove his dog collar. Even with the best designed dog crates there is always the danger of a collar becoming snagged, and the pup could hurt or even strangle himself, so be very careful.

You should also not leave the pup in the crate for extended periods. At first this should be only twenty minutes to half an hour, but you can increase this as the pup matures and his bladder control improves.

If you do this right the pup will go to his crate out of choice, and soon it will be his favorite place in the world.

One of the first details you’ll have to take care of with your pup is a name. If you’re struggling for good dog names, I’d recommend Puppy Names HQ. This site has 1000s of great male dog names and female dog names to choose from.