Use a crate and don’t feel it is restraining or unfair. It is a very important piece of equipment. Getting used to a crate is a must. Start your puppy in the crate young. Use it as a getaway from everyday activity, a resting place. It is part of not being claustrophobic or suffering from separation anxiety. Just think of your dog having his first experience with a crate happening in a veterinarian’s clinic! This would be a real trauma. Or how about for a plane trip and no crate experience. I start to put the puppy in a crate for travel in the car, or at home when it is the end of a busy day. Make it positive and start young. Feed in the crate and don’t reinforce negative behavior. If the puppy is crying and digging at the crate door, and you open the door, this behavior will continue because you just reinforced that behavior. If the puppy is reluctant to go into the crate use food to coax the puppy to go in.