As far as your crate being downstairs, our 2 Yorkies are crate trained for sleeping in it at night only. But we have the crates beside our bed. For several months I had to "sneak"/literally tippy toe or one of them would whine until I came back in...not so now as she knows I'll be right back. Whenever they whined I just said (in a soft baby tone voice), go back to sleep, I'm here...and they'd be quiet. I'd be willing to bet if you put the crate next to where you sleep after a few evenings of assuring her you're right there she'll sleep through the night.
Our first one I'd hang my hand over the bed and into the top opening of the crate and she'd go to sleep for the first few nights. Now ours go to bed at 8:30 and sleep in their crates until morning. They go and stare at their crates and bark to be put in around 8:30 every night (weird they have an internal clock - they even have this routine Carly gets in her bed first, I comb out Gracie and then she goes to bed). They have a routine and it works. Even the 10 week old puppies go to bed around the same time and sleep until morning (but they have access to a potty pad just outside their sleeping area - x pen,)
But when the alarm goes off they go off too all to be let out!
I didn't ever plan to have a 'routine' having always had large dogs before that sleep in the kitchen at night, go to bed when they want, never used crates...just turned out this way and it really works for us.
When you're gone: best thing we ever did was get our first Yorkie her own Yorkie. Thus two. (now five counting the puppies!)
Kendra |