Duke broke out of his crate

[my2boys]

I'm afraid that I am creating a monster! Duke escaped out of his crate twice today and it is now completely destroyed! This a.m., I took Duke for a walk, brought him home, put him in his crate and took Baron out for his walk. When I got back, Duke had bent the area between the door and the top of his crate and got out. I spent time trying to bend it back and get it together, but when I came back from grocery shopping, he was out again! The top rails on the crate now need welding! The first time I thought he escaped because he was alone, but the second time Baron was right next to him in his crate. They both have special bones for their crates and have been crate trained since day one.
I have their crates in the basement and I play the radio when they are crated. I just don't know what to do with him tonight. Should I have him sleep in my room, put him in the crate the way it is (the door will shut, but he can just squeeze through the top)? This boy is so different from Baron!

[lilabet]

Some of my dogs have to be crated when i'm not home and at night, but the crates are in the house where I am most of the time. Maybe he feels isolated in the basement. Also, what I do with some of my crates is put metal clips (like the kind that are on leashes) on all the corners to boost the strength of the crates. You can get them at hardware stores. I also put clips on the latches of some. Or you could try putting him in a very large airline crate. Is he sometimes crated when you are home or just when you go out or at night?

[my2boys]

I like the clip idea. I don't think he could get those off. The dogs are crated when we will be gone for a while; work, shopping etc. The two of them are together almost all of the time (different crates of course) but I need to work with Duke, so they are seperated when I take them for walks. When we are home, the dogs are with us. There was nothing unusual today.

[dogsbydoug]

I used heavy duty wire ties to keep an expert escape artist in her crate - three along each side on the top, two across each end at the top, and two along each edge. I also used two bolt snaps to keep the door latched.

[spidey]

What kind of crate are you using?

[my2boys]

It is a wire crate. I think the brand is "Precision" or something like that. I don't really think that I can fix it, so I'll probably have to get another one.

[lilabet]

You might want to think about getting the crates out of the basement and into the living area and have the dogs go in them for short periods while you are home. Put a toy, bone, chewie, etc. and let him out when he is being quiet. Don't make a fuss or a big deal of it when you leave or return. Praise and reward him calmly when he is being calm. Try to ignore any fussing, bad behavior.

[buddysdad]

crates for your pets , thats all i here they cant be well trained if u lock them up so much.

[my2boys]

Buddysdad,
I crate my dogs for their safety, not their behavior. I'm sorry, but I don't think criticism is helpful to my question. And please forgive me if I've misunderstood what you are trying to say.

[GypsysMom]

Originally Posted by buddysdad

crates for your pets , thats all i here they cant be well trained if u lock them up so much.

My dogs are crated when I cant watch them and when im away from home and also asleep. people that dont believe in crates do not have an open mind. my older dogs have free roam at times Gypsy is 9 months and she has always been crated, she is the best behaved dogs (obedience wise) that I have owned at that age, and critisism is not a polite way to handle a question A SIMPLE question at that from another poster

[Forum Staff]

Originally Posted by buddysdad

crates for your pets , thats all i here they cant be well trained if u lock them up so much.

Originally Posted by my2boys

Buddysdad,
I crate my dogs for their safety, not their behavior. I'm sorry, but I don't think criticism is helpful to my question. And please forgive me if I've misunderstood what you are trying to say.

Originally Posted by GypsysMom

My dogs are crated when I cant watch them and when im away from home and also asleep. people that dont believe in crates do not have an open mind. my older dogs have free roam at times Gypsy is 9 months and she has always been crated, she is the best behaved dogs (obedience wise) that I have owned at that age, and critisism is not a polite way to handle a question A SIMPLE question at that from another poster

This situation as been addressed. It's time we bring this thread back on topic.

Thank You

[Ayoka]

If you buy a new crate you might try the airline style such as the ones made by petmate..they may hold up better. Even though the door is metal it is held in by a different mechanism.

The only thing you may find is they can be a bit pricey.

[buddysdad]

i think crates are good in certain ways, example toilet training and when needed but to think sleeping, when your at work ,it adds up to more hours in a cage than out which in my opinion isnt a great idea.

[my2boys]

Yeah, I do feel kind of guilty having them in there for long hours, but then I'd feel guilty if they hurt themselves when they were alone. It's kind of like daycare for kids! The metal clips have worked very well to keep the bars/wires together that he broke through, so I'll do that until I can get another crate. $$ is an issue - always.

[GypsysMom]

I had the airline type crate, Gypsy didnt seem to like it as well as the wire one, I even noticed she chewed a portion on the top corner, so im not sure if they are indestructable, I also put xtra clips on my cages especially Choppers becuase his crate door opens easy Not sure where you bought your crate but I paid $58 for mine and it was the largest they had I bought it at a feed an grain store and it folds flat