# Crate escape artist!



## paulmitchsarah (Jun 16, 2010)

I have posted before about my newly adopted male pit. He has seperation anxiety.. if let alone in the house he tears up the doors and windows.. So i got a metal crate for him.. he easily walked right in it. He definatly had trained to be in one before. the first few times leaving him in there everything was fine.. i'd come home and he would be sitting in there waiting for me.. Then 2 days ago i left for about 3 hours.. come home to see the usual destruction he does and him outside of his crate! It took me 5 minuets to figure out how he got out! He somehow unhooked the top from one of the sides!? and literally with all my might i can stretch the 2 sides apart maybe 5 inches?? the poor thing squeezed out of there somehow?!!? he's got scrapes on his legs and what not. I feel terrible and i don't know what to do now. He must me crated since i cant have him destroying my house anymore.

I have been told to maybe try one of those plastic airline crates? im afraid that would be easier for him to get out of though? Should i zip tie the top of the metal crate to the sides since i know thats where he gets out??

help?! ideas?!

here's a picture of what the crate looked like and where he excaped from..


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

You can try zip tying it closed, or you can trust the heavy plastic airline crates. You can make sure they're secure by zip tying them but they already come with little bolts that you screw down into the sides and on front and back. Good luck, and keep us posted.


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## kodiakgirl (May 9, 2009)

I had a crate similar to this, and had to zip-tie the top as well. My guy wouldn't escape though, luckily. He would lean on the sides and make the top pop off and fall into the crate. Just get some heavy-duty zip ties, those should do the trick.


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## mattytang (Jun 21, 2010)

lol my dog does the same thing when you zip tie it dont let him watch. evil was in the cage when i did it watching left for a couple hrs came home and he was out! he nipped all the zip ties off lol. so i did it when he wasnt looking and it worked out great.


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

I don't know if this is a good idea, especially under long term usage, but would some medication in the form of a sedative help till he realizes he doesn't have to be anxious anymore? I'm just throwing out an idea, I don't know.


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## paulmitchsarah (Jun 16, 2010)

I'm going to try the airline plastic crate first.. then if that doesnt stop him i'll try the zip ties on the seams of the metal crate. He's going to the vet in 2 weeks and i planned on talking to them about the possibility of anxiety meds. It makes me so sad that he gets that panic-y when i leave.


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

paulmitchsarah said:


> I'm going to try the airline plastic crate first.. then if that doesnt stop him i'll try the zip ties on the seams of the metal crate. He's going to the vet in 2 weeks and i planned on talking to them about the possibility of anxiety meds. It makes me so sad that he gets that panic-y when i leave.


It's horrible, isn't it? I mean we have this huge world out there that we interact with, and to them WE are their world. Think about it for a second, it's a lot of responsibility and power to possess. It's also the reason I couldn't wait to bust open the back door when I got home from work to see their arses!


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## noodlesgranny (May 31, 2010)

My daughter-in-law has both for her dogs. I like the airline ones better because if your dog has to be in the crate for any length of time, I would think it would be more comfortable to sit on that smooth airline crate rather than that open-squared wire bottoms on the other type of crate. But hey that's just my opinion.


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## Rudy4747 (Nov 29, 2009)

My big old dog tears crates to pieces to get out of them. It is ridiculous.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Wire crates are death traps for a dog like yours if you look at your last thread there was good info on crate options. Try a plastic crate but my guess is he is going to chew out of it. There are all metal crates that he can't get out of you can look around on prices and also look n craigs list or ebay and you might find a good deal on one.
Aluminum Dog Crates: Prodogz Schutzhund Equipment


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## Pitbull Rescue Mom (Sep 6, 2010)

Delete this message


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Again like I said you need a hard plastic crate not the wire ones. The wire crates are deadly to dogs who try and get out. If they have a collar on the collar can get stuck and they strangle. They can get their head stuck and still strangle to death. I have even heard of a dog who bent the wire and cut a major artery and bled out.
Go with a hard side crate, that is the next step and make sure it is a well made crate like a vari kennel.
If you do still gets out of that they do make solid panel metal crates they are expensive but the dog has no way of getting out. They run about $300-$500 so try a regular hard side first.


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## LadyRampage (Apr 11, 2009)

The plastic crate my still be an options... I've known a few dogs that seem to do sooo much better being inside a crate they can't see everything in. There is the possiblity that he may chew thru a plastic crate though. Have you tried covering the crate? Sometimes keeping the crate dark works wonders. Zip ties are a must with crate escape artists!!!

Try covering then making your usual leaving noises, but stay to keep an eye on what happens..


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