5-month-old puppy suddenly refusing daytime crate naps. Is this o normal phase or did we mess up?

Hi everyone, Sorry in advance if my English isn’t perfect, it’s not my first language.

I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed and I’d really appreciate some outside perspective.

We have a 5-month-old puppy. We’ve had him since 9 weeks, and we’ve been crate training from the start, including enforced naps. Until recently, things were going really well.

He sleeps perfectly overnight in the crate (from around 9:30–10:30 pm until 8–9 am, no potty breaks), and he’s totally comfortable with it at night. That part hasn’t changed at all. Well sometimes he doesn't want to go in, but at night he is more easy to move in and sleep.

The issue is daytime naps. Over the last couple of weeks, he’s started to refuse the crate during the day. He doesn’t want to go in, and sometimes he barks or cries for 30–40 minutes and won’t settle unless we let him out. Before this, he would nap in the crate with no problem.

Lately, he’s been: napping outside the crate (in our studio while we work or in a puppy room, separate from the crate)

sometimes settling fine on his own in the kitchen with us or the studio

sometimes clearly overtired but still refusing the crate

We also have 3 senior cats, so management is important, and that’s why the crate has been such a big part of our routine.

I’m worried that by letting him out when he barks, we’ve accidentally taught him that barking = freedom, but I also don’t want to turn the crate into something he hates.

Another thing: he knows how to relax in our studio, but in the living room he gets very overstimulated (especially when we’re on the couch watching TV) and struggles to settle calmly.

Our goal long-term is to keep the crate positive and eventually move it into our bedroom at night once the cats are more comfortable.

So I guess I’m asking: Is this kind of daytime crate refusal normal at this age?

Should we reduce enforced naps and allow more naps outside the crate?

How do people balance crate use with cats in the house? And how do you teach “calm behaviour” in specific rooms like the living room?

I really care about doing this right, but emotionally it’s been hard and I’m scared of making mistakes.

If the breed is important he is a mixed breed between mountain Berness and golden retriever

Any advice or similar experiences would mean a lot. Thanks ❤️