Help with crate training!!

Hi there, I need some advice, I have a 10week old puppy named Gerrard. And I am finding it impossible to crate train him. Every time he goes in his crate I make a fuss.. Tell him he's a good boy and I reward him with a treat. I can close the door and he is fine with lots of praise.. But on a night he will not stop howling and barking when I put I'm in his crate. I don't know what to do.. This is the first time I have owned a staffy my other dog have had no problem with their crates. Any advice will be much appreciated.. I want him to get the knack of it whilst he is young. Thank you in advance, Sarah

Remember how young he is...any kind of training will take lots of time and patience. The howling and barking is attention seeking, if you go to him when he does this, he's getting his own way. Could you put the crate in your bedroom to start and eventually move the crate furthur out of the room over time. Staffs are very affectionate and crave human interaction so he's probs a little worried that he cant see you when he's awake. Have you tried putting a blanket over the crate to calm him down and maybe put an old jumper with your scent (unwashed) as a comfort. A stuffed kong will keep him occupied whilst he's awake.

Good Luck

Darcy was crate trained straight away, from 8 weeks. She cried for about 4 nights and has been fine ever since, it sounds like your trying to make it as fun as possible, we put a pair of pj bottoms of mine as a pillow on the 4th night with a ticking clock and she settled straight away, keep at it, he is still very much a baby and he'll get there.

Sometimes making too much fuss isn't a good thing, though he is still very young. Vinnie was crate trained from day one and cried for about 2 nights then settled very well. Perhaps try popping him in there throughout the day for 5 mins and pop outside, then let him out. Slowly but surely he will get there just be patient. 

Thank you for your replies, I am going to buy a smaller crate today for the bedroom and try that tonight. I have a large crate big ebough for him when he's older but it has a divider in as thats what the vet advised. I will try the pj trick and see if he settles. :-) any advice on food? I am feeding him bakers puppy dry food at the moment but I've heard with staffies they can react different to foods.. I don't know if that's true? X

Here is a list of dry food recommendations , bakers really is a rubbish food.
http://staffy-bull-terrier.com/dry_food
James well beloved puppy & wainwrights puppy, are good mid priced foods a lot of our members feed or have fed this.

When you change food it's best to do it over a week or so starting with adding a little of the new food, then gradually increasing the amount until there is less of the old food until its all the new food. Hope this helps.

The first mistake you have made is making a fuss. Making a fuss of a puppy is like giving a human child a bouncy castle and saying they can't go on it. Making a fuss of pup means its time to play, then you put them in a crate! So firstly, only put him in the crate when he has had his play time or walkies and has started to calm down again - he will then realise that the crate = sleepy times. Don't make any fuss of putting him in, don't hardly look at him. Most important when he howls or cries don't tell him quiet or talk or look at him cause any attention means that crying has worked! Give it all time

As for bakers