My black lab would go crazy and mess all over the house because she was so distraught when left alone. We got her a crate and put a blanket over the top and one side and gave her treats when she went in. She got very comfortable in it and thinks of it as her den. Now whenever we're ready to go out she either goes in there by herself and waits for us to close the door or will go in if we say 'house'. We always give her a treat when she does either of those, and is very good in there while we're away. We made it a game and gave her lots of praise, started leaving her only for short periods and worked our way up to 8 hours or so. In the beginning we didn't put blankets or pads in the crate in case she chewed them out of stress, and nothing she could choke on. I leave a 'Kong' chew toy in there now in case she gets bored, but I think she sleeps most of the time.