We use a similar method for crate training our dogs. When we put them to bed at night, we let them out to run around and finish any necessary dog chores, and then put them in their beds. Tootsie runs right into her crate, and I lift Chipper up and put him into his bed, since his crate sits on top of Tootsie's crate.
When we put them in the crate, then I take a half of a hot dog and break it into small peices and feed that to them, and they look forward to this little treat each night.
When we first got Tootsie, she had never been in a crate, and she did not want to go in there and sleep. Once she discovered that she would get a treat after she went in, she decided that she loves her little bed.
Since the door to the crate is open all day, she will often just go in her ccrate when she wantss to lay down and take a nap, all on her own.
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