Crate issue

Question
15 month Eng Springer Spaniel, inside dog who has been spayed suddenly is not happy going into her crate, especially at night.  Up until recently she has been content at night to curl up and go to sleep, last few nights have been filled with barking and panting.  The first night (because in the past she had barked once or twice when she had to go outside) I got up, let her out and she did her business.  The barking continued for quite some time.   Night two - the barking started, and after a while (during a time when she was NOT barking) I let her out and she pooped.  But the barking and restless behavior continued for hours.

Her crate is appropriately sized, she is mainly out of it during the day.  She seems content enough in the crate when I have put her in it when I do errands, but the night behavior is really different for her.  Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you.

Answer
What kind of crate are you using? Could she have perhaps hurt herself somehow while in there? If it's a wire crate, maybe she got her foot stuck between the bars or something, and she now associates going in the crate at night with being hurt. Maybe try covering the crate with a towel or blanket so it seems more den-like (if it's a wire crate), and see if it helps.

When was she spayed? Maybe she is associating that with >>her<< crate now.

I would probably try to ignore it for a while and see if she gets better, before I really worried myself with trying to solve the problem. Could you leave the door to the crate open at night?