Okay, I had some success with standing with my back to him at the cage door. He laid down after a few minutes and I let him out. I didn't mark the behavior, though - didn't have a treat in hand. He got excited once he got out because he loves to run around the house.

I tried redirecting him from the leash so he wouldn't bite it. No luck. I could redirect sometimes and he would carry the toy for a bit, but eventually he would drop it and just run beside me on the walk with the leash in his mouth, tugging. I could tug on the toy, but it just wasn't valuable enough to him. I'll have to get a higher value toy - something with peanut butter in it maybe. Do the Orbees have a place for peanut butter in them? Are there some toys that don't need food put in them that are high value? I guess that's specific to the dog's preference.

I would say that for this kind of thing marking is not neccesary. It wont hurt to use markers, but this kind of thing has been trained for years without them. Its just about showing the dog what will be succsessful and how to get what he wants.

What he wants is to get out of the crate, what you want is for him to be calm. So he only comes out of the crate when he is calm. Simple as that.

It sounds like turning your back is working well. Keep at that for now. Eventualy you wont have to.

No need to use markers at all

Remember he is just a little guy with an extremely short attention span. What I do with my Cody, (who is always excited about something) is this. When I go to let him out of his crate, if he begins to scratch at the latch or go crazy I immediately remove my hand and turn around again. This takes many reps but works after awhile. If you can see he is having a hard time, try to end on a positive note and make the training short. That is why I sat down near the crate, or stood near the crate. I would move quickly to let Cody out when he was good. ( I always gave him the marker when he was quiet. I do the same for going outside. They all have to sit at the door. But Cody, always excited sometimes likes me to hurry or whatevery his little dog mind is thinking. As I reach for the door nob if he comes off the sit and sneeks forward or jumps at me, I immediately drop my hand and turn around. He hates this. He has learned if he wants to go outside soon, the best thing is to sit quietly.
I think your pup will catch on, just be consistent and remember he is just young. Do short training sessions. Try to end on a positive note.
When I trained my pups in the crate ( I have three) I only did it for the most 5 minutes at a time. I would do it in the morning, noon, and night. I acted like it was fun and it was a game. I made a huge deal about how wonderful they were when they obeyed. It took awhile but they caught on. Once your pups figures out what you want, you will be amazed how quick it will respond. Remember they do not speak our language and you are basically using sign language to communicate. (body language and positive reinforcement.)
Don't give up, you will achieve your goal with persistence and understanding your dog. In fact soon you will really enjoy figuring out how to get your message across. How long have you had your pup? I always remember what I've learned on this site. Develop and establish your relationship with the little pup first, let him understand all good things come from you. I wish I would have learned that a long time ago. I didn't know that principal when I got my other dogs. What I have learned here has made a great difference in how I handle my pups now.
Maybe you could put some horrible tasting stuff on his leash, like bitter apple. make sure whatever you use is not toxic. The toy that is of the highest value is the one your pups loves the most. Play with it and find out. Then use it to your advantage.
Sharon

Crate games are great, but if all you are looking for is to have the dog not act all silly they are not really neccessary.

Whats your problem with me the last few days, Ana? I feel like you have been making a hobby of picking me apart.

If you are all on your marker training Michael Ellis seminar high, good for you. I think its all wonderful, and I use a lot of things I have learned from his videos and marker training with my own dog. Its a good way to train for sure.

But not everyone HAS to add a whole bunch of extra steps to solve every single little problem. Markers for an excited puppy in a crate are absolutely optional, and if the extra steps are confusing to the OP he doesn't need them.

Lauren, I think you are putting way too much into it. Why do you take it personally if somebody has a different opinion on a specific topic?

I posted a link to a video of Cindy playing Crate Games with her pet Corgy because IMO the Crate games videos would be of great help to the OP. Here is the rest of Crate Games:

Session 1
Session 2

Great videos, Ana. Thanks for the post. I'll definitely be watching them myself to help with crate training.

 Quote: brian carman

Oh, by the way, when I mark his behavior and give him a treat, as soon as he sees my body move in any way toward opening the cage or to do anything else, he gets excited. So, if I'm using treats to calm him down, it seems like it's going to foster excitement.

Your looking at two different things here.
#1 You want the dog to sit and wait.
#2 You want the dog to sit and wait.....with distraction. "as soon as he sees my body move in any way."

The mark and reward with food is great advice. You now have to sloooowly add distractions.
If the dog gets up when you move, just give a "nope" and start the waiting again. Move a hand but don't attempt to open the gate. Add to that as the dog understands.
He'll get it if your both familiar with marker training.

I'll add that you mark and reward as soon as the dog sits. Don't try to put it all together as one.
Once you've marked it doesn't matter if the dog moves. he's done as you requested. THEN add movement, etc.