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We first purchased a steel wire crate with the plastic floor pan for easy cleaning. Storm ripped apart the floor pan, and bent the door so badly that it would not close. So we went and bought a plastic crate, that seemed more "den" like. The lock was broken within a day or so. I now use bungee chords to hold it tightly shut. This worked for about 3 months. But today, he pulled the door inward, and ate both bungee chords. Im out of ideas. Maybe I should try building a wooden crate? Although Im sure he will chew right thru the wood in no time at all.

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Have you conditioned Storm to stay in the crate, like did you help to make it a 'fun' place that he enjoys being in?

 

There is a company, unfortunately I can't seem to think of the name of it, that makes crates with metal pans. If you try searching for it, I'm sure you would be able to find it online.

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Have you conditioned Storm to stay in the crate, like did you help to make it a 'fun' place that he enjoys being in?

 

There is a company, unfortunately I can't seem to think of the name of it, that makes crates with metal pans. If you try searching for it, I'm sure you would be able to find it online.

 

Yes, he loves his crate. He spends so much time in there even when we dont lock him up. If we go to get our car keys or shoes on, he runs upstairs and into his crate.

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That's very odd... I wonder what could be the reason that he hates being in there when it is shut. If I were you, I would not get a wood crate... I can just picture lots of splinters in the gums and stomach problems from all the wood, and lots of headaches because of those.

 

Does he do it only when you're away? When does he become destructive with the crates? What is your reason to crating him with the doors closed? Does your dog need to be crated or would he do alright to be out?

 

You could just have a Houdini dog... I have one at home like that who no matter what we do with her pen (in the barn), she escapes. Apparently her dad is the exact same way, both escape artists.

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When you find he has escaped or tried to escape, what does he look like? Are his pupils dilated? has he damaged his teeth or mouth on the crate? is he wet like he's drooled on himself?

 

A videotape may be in order. You need to figure out if this is a paniced pup, or a naughty one.

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We had a similar problem with our oldest dog years ago. We nor our Vet ever did get it figured out and we tried everything. We decided to eliminate the crate and build him a nest in a safe place but with no doors. This worked and we also found that he was fine with the crate if the door was opened. However, this defeats the purpose for the crate. We no longer use anything with him and he has never chosen a space for himself. He does not seem to have an urge for a den and he refuses to be locked up. We can leave him alone for a day and he does nothing, he touches nothing and he does not bark. If that is what he wants to do, fine.

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Since he appears to like and chose the crate as long as you are in the house, is this problem only happening when you are not in the house? If so, is it a case of separation anxiety (use the search function to check out multiple threads on this topic), which would need to be treated for the anxiety first, rather than it being a crate issue?

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Since he appears to like and chose the crate as long as you are in the house, is this problem only happening when you are not in the house? If so, is it a case of separation anxiety (use the search function to check out multiple threads on this topic), which would need to be treated for the anxiety first, rather than it being a crate issue?

 

Yes, i have searched the separation anxiety threads before, and am 99% sure this is the case with Storm. He needs to be with us 24/7 or he gets worried. Ill set up a video camera this week, and post some footage. We never crate him when we are home. We used to let him have the run of the house for about 2 months, until he ripped down two sets of blinds, opened the window, and jumped outside.

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...until he ripped down two sets of blinds, opened the window, and jumped outside.

 

Yep... this sounds like a Houdini dog. An especially talented one as well.

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Are you doing anything to deal with the separation anxiety?

 

Well last week he spent the week at SuperDogs Central for some boarding. He loves the other dogs, and its pretty much the only time he forgets about us. Especially when at the off leash dog park. Other than that, giving him lots of treats, and trying to make the crate a peacefull place.

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You don't have a crating problem, you have an anxiety problem. Putting him in an indestructible crate is not going to fix the problem. You'll just end up with a panicked dog with broken teeth.

 

If I were you I'd address the problem and not the symptom. If Storm has separation anxiety, he's in a lot of distress.

 

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/sep-anxiety.pdf

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Poke went through 3 crates until we got him on anxiety medicine. He was on meds for two weeks straight, then only when needed for the next month. He no longer panics and is not destructive in the crate. Try making it so he thinks you leave and see what he does. I could hear Poke panic as soon as he heard the front door shut. If I were you I would talk to my vet before investing in any more crates. JMO.

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We had the same problem with Kato (not a BC). What finally worked was the wire crate and about 70 heavy duty zip ties! For a while we actually zip tied the door shut as well and we would have to cut off the zip ties to let him out. We went to Home Depot and got a large piece of sheet metal to put under the crate to protect the rug.

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We never crate him when we are home.

 

This is part of the problem. If you have read all the threads on separation anxiety, then you already know that you need to crate him for gradually increasing periods of time when you are not going anywhere before you crate him and leave for initially very short periods of time. This should be combined with an overall protocol for addressing the separation anxiety. If he is responsible enough not to damage things, you may be able to avoid the problem by leaving him loose. If not, you need to address the separation anxiety, not just buy a sturdier crate.

 

Lisa

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This is part of the problem. If you have read all the threads on separation anxiety, then you already know that you need to crate him for gradually increasing periods of time when you are not going anywhere before you crate him and leave for initially very short periods of time. This should be combined with an overall protocol for addressing the separation anxiety. If he is responsible enough not to damage things, you may be able to avoid the problem by leaving him loose. If not, you need to address the separation anxiety, not just buy a sturdier crate.

 

We didn't trust Kato out of the crate. Along with the zip ties, we did put him in his crate for short periods of time when we were home. We fed him in his crate. I climbed into the crate with him sometimes and just hung out with him. I left treats in his crate for him to find when he wasn't locked in his crate. We used anti-anxiety meds from the vet for about 4 months. I web cammed him and if he started to really freak out I went home to give him a break from the crate. He is fine now and happily goes into his crate. We have taken off the zip ties as well and haven't had any problems.

 

Oh, we also consulted a behaviorist and took an obedience class with Kato. The class seemed to help him build some confidence.

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I've had a the same problem with one of my girlfriend's dogs years ago. We bought a metal wire-type crate to keep him in during the day because he was a little to destructive when left out. He made short work of the first crate. We got home, and he was standing outside the demolished crate. So we figured, we'd buy a sturdier crate, which he destroyed. We went through four crates before we realized that the root of the problem was separation anxiety (which we should have realized earlier).

 

If the dog is fine in a crate and is crate trained and still destroys it when you're gone, it may be separation anxiety. My girlfriend at the time and I broke up before the problem was solved 100% but I hear he's doing much better. I forget exactly what she's doing to correct the anxiety but it's not with drugs.

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We used anti-anxiety meds from the vet for about 4 months. I web cammed him and if he started to really freak out I went home to give him a break from the crate... Oh, we also consulted a behaviorist and took an obedience class with Kato.

 

I think these are the pertinent things that you did -- not simply securing the crate, but getting at the root cause of the problem.

 

Dealing with separation anxiety takes heavy behavior modification, desensitizing the dog to departures, and leaving many many times for very short periods (what the dog can tolerate -- this may be as little as 30 seconds to begin with) so that he learns that it is possible to be alone without panicking. Gradually, you build up the length of the absences as his tolerance goes up. Ideally, and most effectively, the dog is never alone for longer than he can take during this process, otherwise you end up undoing your progress. Unfortunately, most people with jobs cannot do this on a schedule that works for the dog, which is where anti-anxiety meds can be a real godsend by keeping the dog from panicking even if he is alone for longer periods of time, allowing owners to work with a realistic desensitization schedule.

 

Solo had severe separation anxiety when I got him. I was lucky enough to have a flexible schedule and the ability to take him most places with me (I was in grad school at the time) but I can tell you it was extremely difficult and very disruptive to my lifestyle and studies. That said, a combo of heavy duty behavior mod, anti-anxiety meds, and concomitant crate training (when I got him he could not tolerate being crated) got us through it. He didn't like being alone, but eventually he learned to deal with it and when I added another dog it became a problem of his past entirely. (I am not recommending getting a second dog just to cure SA, as it doesn't always work and is a bad idea if you don't want a second dog to begin with. But I do think dogs benefit from same-species company.) Solo is also a master of breaking out of crates if he feels it's necessary, so I do feel for the OP, but I also know that reinforcing the crate is not the answer. If you don't address the root cause, it's only going to get worse. There's no easy fix for this, but it is fixable with time, compassion, and effort.

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Melanie's points are excellent. She has a lot of valuable advice and I can say that her advice has helped me with both Poke's and Ceana's issues.

 

****When I mentioned the meds I should have also mentioned that it is also going to take a lot of work. The meds are not a magic bullet, you are still going to have to work on behavior.*****

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