Crate training

[WhereTheFuckIsWonderWoman]

We've just taken in a four month old puppy who, in her previous home (which was with her sister) she had a crate in which she slept. We were told that this was always available to them when they wanted to go in and out.

We didn't use a crate for our last dog, so the whole thing is quite new to me. However, I feel like I have a good enough understanding of how and why they are used and was happy to get one for this puppy. We have a large kitchen and so, to avoid her feeling overwhelmed from day one, we bought one before we collected her. We brought her bed and a teddy from her previous home so that she had the familiar smells and they went in the crate from the off.

BUT... she doesn't seem to like being in there. We have a sofa in the kitchen which is where she would far rather sleep and she has never gone into her crate voluntarily. She's had three nights with us so far and each time we've had to put her in there rather than have her go in willingly and it doesn't really sit right with me.

What advice would you give us? I don't particularly want to leave her loose in the kitchen while she's still so tiny.

TIA

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Can you puppy proof the kitchen or barricade it into the area with the sofa? I've never used a crate, and with the most recent puppy we started the brain work and training early and the destruction was minimal (a few years on and I can't think of anything she destroyed except her toys, a roll of kitchen towel and any food she could find. Oh, and she chewed a corner of the back door mat.) I can see that crates have their uses, but I don't think they're essential.