Here is what I heard. We have a dog loving nieghbor, who knowes A LOT about dogs, and caring, traning, and much more. She said that whenever you are not FULLY playing with the dog, crate him. I do that, and, at 8 weeks, is already potty trained! I play with him a lot, and I'd say he is only in the crate at max 2 and a half hours a day. My nieghbor also said that the crate is like a den to him, and it's a comfort to him. My pup runs in there when I vacum, or when ever somthing loud happens.