My dogs HATED their crate - so I got rid of it fast. I've never heard of a Yorkie or Maltese who actually hated their crate as much as my 2 dogs - even the breeder I got them from was completely surprised. They are too spolied! Anyway, what I do is leave the bedroom and bathroom door closed during the day. I have a baby gate up to block them from going into the living room because Katie likes to poop on my couch!! I allow them to have free run of the kitchen, dining room and hallway. I have a HUGE bed and tons of toys in the kitchen, in their own private little spot. I also leave out dry food and water during the day. In the summer, I leave the air conditioner on low (in the kitchen) so that they don't get over-heated in the house all day.
Now, there are lots of options out there for assistance while you're not home. My boss has a nanny come to her house everyday for 1 hour to take her dog for a walk and play with her. That is a bit expensive for me, so what I do is either have my mom babysit them - I drop them off at her house in the morning before going to work - or I have my cousin, Robert, come over my house and hang out w/ my dogs for an hour or so. I don't have someone come over EVERY SINGLE day because I want my dogs to be comfortable being left alone. But on vey hot and humid days I do because I am always worried about hypoglycemia (especially because Katie is only 2.6 lbs).
I hope this helps a bit! Good luck and don't worry - everything will work out just fine!
