Hey. Walker is 4 months old and crate trained. He "kennels up" when told and spends alot of his time during the day lounging in it and chewing stuff
The door comes off ours so that he can't accidentally shut himself out while playing. At night its next to the bed and closed. He does fine. When my husband works overnight I'll occasionally let him sleep with me. It's like a treat. He will probably remain crate trained when we're gone for short periods of time or sleeping since when we return to the states, he will need to be in the cargo area in a crate and i want him to feel 100% safe in there. I think its a pretty personal decision though and what works for some doesn't work for others.