[Zumie05]

Oh boy. So you need to start from the very beginning with crate training your puppy. Of course he hates it in there right now especially if you are forcing him in every time with a struggle! He thinks its a doggy prison.

First step is to feed all meals inside the crate. Get the dog used to going in and out of it all by himself. Forcing him in is only going to create negative associations with the crate.

After he is comfortable going in and out on his own to get meals, go ahead and start periodically tossing in treats for him to randomly find throughout the day.

Once puppy is really comfortable with just stepping inside, then you can start working on keeping him in there for longer periods. Several times throughout the day when he goes in to grab a treat you may have tossed in, close the door and leave his sight for a little (start with maybe 10 seconds and gradually work up to 30 mins). Absolutely ignore all whining, barking, and knocking around. Do not let him out until you hear quiet.

I understand this may not be possible to do exactly, as you have to crate him while you are at work and won't have time to do this gradually. My remedy for this was to create a bag full of CRATE ONLY TOYS! The bag consists of a kong that I will stuff with peanut butter or some wet dog food mixed with treats and kibble (my puppy's favorite!), bully sticks, a bone, and two toys. All of these things are toys/treats/chews that he does not EVER get anywhere else unless he is inside of his crate. Every time I put him in there at night or when I leave for work or to run errands he gets his stuffed kong plus another crate only toy. Each crate time he is guaranteed his kong, but gets variety and never knows what the second special toy/treat will be!

I also crated my puppy at night. It took him a good week to stop whining and howling in there, and two weeks to feel totally comfortable being left in there alone for several hours. All you have to do is absolutely ignore any whining and tantrums while at the same time have the crate be a fun and positive place where special things happen.

I hope this helps. Just be patient and your pup will soon love his crate.

PS - If he is peeing in there, it is likely too large for him OR he doesn't care about resting in his own messes. Feeding in there and creating a positive association with the crate will help that go away if the crate is the correct size.