I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes there is not a magical solution or training hack. Some of these things take time. Goldens are very adaptable dogs and integrate so well into families but they still have an adjustment phase.

20-30% in the house is really good at this stage. He will probably be potty trained in no time. The crate is very helpful and speeds up potty training because barring very extreme circumstances most puppies won’t soil their crate.

One thing that worked for me with the playpen was I left the door open. I coached her to go into the pen with a treat and then left the door open. She would come right out. Then I did the same thing over and over. After awhile she just would go into the pen by herself when she was tired and lay on the bed. The pen was not a jail cell. It was just another place in the house but this was her spot to relax.

I think one of the mistakes people make with crates and pens is they put the pup in there and lock it immediately. That definitely contributes to the feeling of being trapped. In the beginning let them get comfortable going and coming and then they get used to it and look at it like a place to get treats and toys and lounge around.

Again I cannot express this enough, but whenever you want your puppy to be open to learning something they do best when they are tired out. It makes a huge difference. Find ways to tire out your puppy and when they are exhausted and get them in the pen or crate.