How old is he and what is his day like - how much time is spent on exercise, interactive play, walking, interacting with you as a companion and training? Before we know that, it will be hard to help much. Could you share what his day is like as to amount of time.
Dogs usually respond very well to crates if they are slowly desensitized to them and made to feel it is their own little cozy den. Not crating him might force you to give him up, so you might reconsider that. There is nothing cruel about crating a dog if they don't stay in them for long, long hours. In the wild, dogs often crawl into small spaces to sleep and stay safe - find their own little den. So they are very comfortable in them once they become accustomed to them.
__________________  Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |