Training

Question
I have a 22 month old male golden.  He has been crate trained since we got him at 8 weeks.  Up until the past few weeks, getting him into the crate has been easy.  I put ice cubes or a treat in the crate and he runs in.  The crate has never been used as a punishment.  Now when I place the treats in the crate, he stares at me and sits down.  As I approach him, he runs the other way.  This is a new behavior with regards to the crate.  I have gone through the basic obedience classes with him several months ago.  Would you have any suggestions.  In additon, when he gets something in his mouth that he is not supposed to have, he runs the other direction and thinks that it is a game.  Any help you could give me would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer
I have a couple questions regarding this.  When he runs away, do you yell at him or when you catch him, grab him and drag him? (I do this sometimes and then they won't do what I want, it gets frustrating sometimes, but not the answer) Doing this will make him run from you.  Having treats in your pocket and giving him one, EVERY time he comes when you call, will help that, rather than being forceful.  When he comes to you, hold out the treat and he will drop whatever he has in his mouth.  Goldens are "Retrievers" they will "retrieve" whatever they think you need (or don't need).  Mine grab everything you'd rather they LEFT in the laundry!  

As far as his not wanting to get into his crate, some more questions.  Is his crate getting too small for him?  This may be one reason he doesn't want to go in there.  A larger crate might be helpful.  If it's not too small, is it a cage crate or plastic cargo crate?  Maybe he can't see out and what's going on if it's a plastic cargo crate.  Maybe a cage crate would be better.  Also, there is a possibility that he no longer needs his crate. At two years old, he should be able to "hold it" at night and may be able to sleep where he wants.  Can you leave him alone for any period of time, without him getting into stuff?  If you're not sure, then start by going outside for about 10-15 minutes, leaving him alone in the house.  Be sure you can watch him.  Then come back in and show him how much you "missed" him.  Then later go out a bit longer, and then longer, then longer, until you can leave him for a couple hours and feel comfortable with it.

If you want him to stay in his crate while you're being gone or sleeping, try keeping the door open and let him go in by himself when you're home.  The treat thing was a great idea but it's obviously over.  Or, maybe a more delicious treat, toss it in and say "kennel up".  When he gets in there, he's got the treat.  Gradually make the treat smaller and keep saying "kennel up" and eventually he should go in there when you say "kennel up" without the treat.  But always keep the door open, eventually he may feel comfortable enough to just go in when he wants to lay down.  I hope any of this will help you.  good luck