We still have rough days, but Boomer had calmed down a lot on most of the ... undesirable traits. Being able to be outside has really helped! But our big hurdle right now is his "contraband" items. If he gets something he knows he shouldn't, like the kitchen towel, getting it back is difficult. That is the only time he shows any aggression, so we're definitely working to get that better trained. Otherwise he is the most loving pup! If anyone else has advice for this, I'd love to hear!
Jordan, we still use the crate btw. We got a very large size crate though, so he isn't growing out of it - he isn't even opened up to the whole thing yet, and he is on the bigger side of the litter, so you can imagine the size we got. We're planning to let him out overnight with us before we venture into the day alone, but aren't ready for that yet - maybe towards the end of the summer, but we aren't sure yet. He's very active outside the crate, and only really lays down to rest if he's inside the crate, so it's best for him right now too so that he gets his rest. I'm sure he'd rather not be in it sometimes, but he does go to it on his own for bed, so part of him prefers it too. He knows it is his sleeping place :).