Advantages of crate training
Crate training is great for nighttime. What makes playpens great during the day (that puppies have space to run around and play) can make them frustrating at night. If you want to sleep but your puppy takes lap after lap in his exercise pen, you will not be amused!
Crates provide a small and confined space for your pup. If you put him in a crate at night, there is not much else to do other than sleep. Crate training often helps even very young puppies sleep through the night very quickly and even discourages them from waking you up to pee.
In addition to the help with sleeping at night, crate training comes in handy later in your dog’s life. If you plan to attend any dog sports events such as agility in the future, your dog will need to stay in a crate while waiting his turn at the show.
Should your dog ever have to stay at a veterinary clinic overnight, he will also need to be crated there. Never having been crated before could add considerably to his stress and anxiety.
Crating is also the safest way to transport dogs in a car.
While playpens are mostly used at home, being crate-trained will be useful for your dog in a variety of different situations throughout his life!