old(er) dog, new behavior

Question
Hi!
I have a seven year-old dog (half Lhasa, half Maltese) who has been more or less happy to sleep in his crate since he got used to it as a baby. Recently, though, he has begun to object to it. He tries to walk out of it when I put him in for the night, and then he cries and sometimes even howls. At first I tried to ignore him, but ignoring him made no impact and might have even begun to turn his new pattern into a habit. Now I try to tell him 'no bark!' in a low voice; sometimes, when I'm really upset about it, I squirt him with water. I've tried leaving a nightlight on, and a radio, but he didn't like it. I hate that this has happened, and I don't know what to do. Is he suddenly upset about his crate? Is the summer weather affecting his comfort level? Is he too tired to go to sleep quietly by the time the sun goes down?
He's had some back problems, earlier in his life, so I'm very concerned that he gets good rest at night. I'd appreciate any advice! I've got to figure this out, for both our sakes :)
Thank you so much for your help.
Amy

Answer
Hi Amy,

Something (I don't know what, and you might never know) has caused your dog to suddenly object to being crated. It could have been a loud noise that scared him while being crated, or some other negative experience that he now associates with being crated.

You're right not to give into your dog's whims, because having a crate trained dog is a good thing.

Your dog might just need a refresher course on crate training.

Start from square one, as you did when your dog was a puppy. Make the crate a pleasant experience. With the crate door open, start giving your dog treats in the crate, feeding some meals in there, and generally making it positive and pleasant place to be. Don't overdo the length of time your dog is in a crate, at this point. Just keep it light and upbeat. Make the crate a fun and happy place to be.
The length of time to continue work on positive conditioning to the crate with the door open will vary, it's based on how your dog feels about the crate. Take it slowly, perhaps a week or two of this "happy crate time" conditioning.

As your dog gets completely happy about the crate with the door open, start closing the door briefly with the same pleasant things going on. Put on some music, and talk in a happy tone of voice. Build the time gradually, staying in the room. Next, start leaving the room for short periods. Then gradually lengthen the periods of time you are gone.
Eventually you'll be up to the time periods you need.
It's important that you only let him out of the crate when he's quiet, even if it's a brief moment of quietness.

If you dog absolutely resists being crated, short of calling in a dog behaviorist, I don't know what else to try. I think if you take the time to recondition your dog, he will learn to stay in his crate again. You can always contain him in a small area of the house with the use child-gates, but knowing what turned your dog against the crate will remain a mystery.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti