I know what you mean about the crying. They figure out all too quickly how to make us feel like the meanest people who ever made them do something they didn't want to do. I can't speak to crate training, though, I've never used a crate.
Huskies do like the company of other dogs. If you think about what they were bred to do it only makes sense. Even if you would rather not deal with two big dogs, one of the terrier breeds is usually a good companion with a large dog. They're tough enough to hold their own with a big dog and they love to play. We've got a big and small(?) dog mix here, Shiva, our Fila puppy, at 5 1/2 months old and 95 pounds, dwarfs our small dog, Bimmer, a German Shepherd/wolf mix. But he's still the boss and she knows it! It's hard to get anything done though, because I enjoy watching them so much.
Enjoy the site, it's great and there are plenty of good animal people here.