Brodie has a blanket in his crate with him. When we first got him he was not allowed to have anything other than a toy in his crate. We found out the hard way that chew proof beds are not always Rottie-proof beds
. He didn't seem to mind just having the plastic crate tray to lie on. He does tend to go into his crate more frequently for naps since he's had a blanket put in there though.
You could always try taking the bed out of the crate and seeing what he does. He may just be getting to hot lying on the bed.
Jaime