Everyone deserves a private place of their own, especially dogs.

When used correctly, crates provide safe havens for dogs of all ages, whether they're hard-working adult canines that just need a place to unwind or excitable puppies who still haven't figured out that chewing on electrical wires isn't such a good idea.

"For people who crate-train their puppy, it's the most effective tool you can imagine," says dog trainer Peg Dawson Harrington. "It's a management tool that lasts trough the life of your dog."

Harrington, owner of The Happy Hound in Nashville, Tenn., and many trainers and veterinarians believe crates are helpful in a variety of ways, from house-breaking to keeping the pup out of the way workers or visitors are coming in and out of open doors. But, she cautions, crates should never be overused.

"If your dog is in the crate all day, and you come home and give it dinner and then pop it back in the crate while you go out with friends, that's not a relationship."

Harrington says crates are not always effective for dogs with separation anxiety and should never be used as a form of punishment. Instead, dogs should be rewarded with treats and affection when they use their crates. This creates a positive association and allows dogs to view their crates as happy places they can call their own.

GO AT DOG'S PACE

Dogs are less likely to resist crates if they're allowed to get used to them slowly. Harrington recommends leaving dogs in their crates for only a few seconds with the door open the first time they're used. From there, the time can gradually be increased.

"You don't want to move any faster than your dog can handle," Harrington says. "You'll get a lot further if you work frequently in very small increments."

Slowly and gradually was how college student Martha Freeman introduced Buddy, her beagle-hound mix, to his crate. Freeman and her husband, Kirk, also of Nashville, got Buddy when he was 4-months-old and immediately started crate training him.

"It was five seconds, give him a treat. Ten seconds, give him a treat. Then we worked up to leaving the room," says Freeman, who has trained Buddy to associate good things with his crate.

"If we get dressed and put our shoes on, he ends up just sitting in there waiting for us. He gets a really good treat every time he gets in there." Freeman says.

Adam Goldfarb, issues specialist for the Humane Society of the United States, agrees that training and positive reinforcement are the keys to a good crate experience.

"The crate needs to be a positive place for a dog," he explains. "A problem can be when all of a sudden a dog is expected to sit in a crate for eight or nine hours when they've never really been crate trained. People don't crate train but still expect the dog to use it."

If a dog just doesn't like the crate, no matter how many treats or hugs are used to change his mind, Goldfarb recommends exploring other options, such as indoor exercise pens or safety gates.

"There are people who are claustrophobic, so it wouldn't surprise me if there are animals who are the same way."

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

"The more time you invest in house-training, the more enjoyment you'll get from your dog," says veterinarian Rodney Balthrop of Memphis, Tenn. Balthrop suggests buying a crate that will be big enough for the puppy when it becomes an adult and then inserting a divider so the puppy doesn't have room to relieve himself in one end of the crate and sleep in the other end.

"You're relying on the puppy's natural instinct to avoid urinating and defecating in the area where he sleeps," Balthrop says.

He also advises owners to make sure their puppy has access to water at all times and is taken outside as often as possible, especially after eating.

Balthrop reinforces the notion that "the crate should always be your dog's special place. It should never be used as a form of punishment or when you're angry with your dog. You can get frustrated with puppies, but you want to use positive reinforcement."