I can't crate my dog. He has a coniption because he thinks that we're going to leave him there. He's an extremely mellow dog, but very very smart.
My Logan got worse in a crate too. Some people at competitions crated their dogs between events and they'd come out fresh. Mine went in stressed and came out bananas ;~D He was much better off if I found a quiet corner where he could settle down and sit with me. High maintenance is what I called it ;~D