Should you cover a crate when dog is in it?
Usually, it is not necessary to cover the crate. It depends on
the situation.
If the dog is not expected to sleep, leave the cover off so that
he can see whats going on around the crate, like if it is a puppy
being crate trained.
If the dog is expected to sleep, but his surroundings are
distracting, a cover may be useful to block out disturbances.
If the rest of the household is calm (for example, at night), a
cover is not usually necessary, but if the dog is being noisy and
refuses to be quiet, a cover may be useful to calm him/her
down.
However, it would be best to use this as only a temporary
solution. Ideally, the dog should be taught that noisiness in the
crate is not an acceptable behaviour.