By Janette from Rockford, IL
The crate needs to be a place where she wants to be and where she feels at home, not a place she only goes at night. I would keep the crate door open during the day so she can go in and out at will and take daytime naps in there if she wants. You can encourage this at first by letting her see you place an occasional treat in there. If she has toys she especially likes, I would put them away and only keep one in her crate at a time, changing them out every day or 2, along with a couple of regular toys. I would lay special treats in her crate to 'surprise' her a couple of times a day. You can buy rubber toys that you fill with peanut butter, and dogs love them, they will chew on them for a long time trying to get the peanut butter out. Maybe the first night or 2 you could put that in her crate before you close it for the night.
I hate to point out the obvious, but sometimes you have to. Take it and clean it out really well and wash the bedding. Perhaps the pup had an accident in there! There is something about it making the pup unhappy.
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My 6 month old puppy hates his crate. He cries every night when we put him in it. He has gotten better though. He now only cries for 5-10 minutes (as opposed to an hour).