# escaping from crate



## philip (Mar 27, 2011)

hi. iam new to this forum, I've got a problem with a 17wk old vizsla i only got him a few days ago, he is a really loving dog. i got a 42" crate to train him in, while iam in the room he goes in fine i encouraged him to go in to start with small treats and i left the door open. as soon as i leave the room he follows me every where even when i go up the stairs to the bathroom he sits at the bottom of the stairs and barks and howls. i had to go out today only for half a hour so i put him in the crate with a hide chew fastened the door and left, as soon as i locked the door he started howling but i left him, i came back home about 20 Min's later and i could hear him barking i got in the house and he had escaped from the crate. i go back to work tomorrow but will be back at dinner to let him out he will have walk in the morning before i leave as anyone got any advise


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Hi, welcome to the forum, & Congrats on your new pup! If you leave the crate door open, your V pup is not going to stay in there unless he's sick or too exhausted to move  He is going to want to be with you. How he got out is a mystery, but make sure the crate is locked. Sometimes the lock latch does not fully catch ( depending on the lock type you have). When you go to work, I would get up much earlier & spend quality time w/ your pup & getting him lots of play/exercise. I would also suggest trying very hard to find someone to let your pup out during the day & let him stretch his legs. IMO, leaving a puppy in a crate from morning until dinner (if I understand correctly) is way too long--especially for a young puppy you just got & may not be comfortable/used to the crate. Dog daycare is another option. It would not be fair to your puppy to leave him that long. Just my 2 cents. Also, be prepared to devote most all your time outside of work to exercise, train, build a relationship w/ your puppy if he has to be alone all day. Good luck& Congrats!


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

i agree with kellygh. Spend alot of time in the morning with your pup. Try to tired him out so that he is okay in the crate while you are gone. I also think that leaving him alone all day is not a great idea. They usually can not hold it that long. We were told an hour for every month they are is the usual. Holley is 9 months old and I still go home at lunch to take her out for a bit. We have adjusted the time that I go home at lunch to work on having her hold it a little longer each month. 
As for the escaping from the crate, that is a mystery to me if the latch is completely closed. Some dogs can figure out latch systems though. 
Good luck to you.


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

A little determination and a strong body can go a long ways...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I22f3jpnXX8

Not my Vizsla, but I remembered this video.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

If you have the same type of latch as in the video above; he shouldn't be able to get out. Notice that the lower crate latch was NOT closed. Based on his actions so far he sounds like a typical Vizsla!  Read all of the other puppy posts on here and you will have your answers!


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## philip (Mar 27, 2011)

thanks everyone, 
i do get up early walk him on the lead then when i reach the open fields let him of the lead for a run. iam in the uk so when i say dinner i mean lunch time so i try not to leave him to long also i usually manage to get back home mid afternoon to let him out to the toilet and then iam home about 5.30. i have now figured is escape method, but the problem is as soon as iam out of is sight he starts barking and howling i have taken some time of work to try to sort it.
cheers from the uk


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

The best thing for the barking and howling is to ignore it. I would leave a Nylabone and maybe a Kong with cheese or peanut butter in the crate so he starts to like being in there. At least until he finishes the treat.  You can also hide biscuts in there for him to find. The worst thing for him is being locked up with nothing to do. :-\


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Sorry for the misunderstanding  That's great that you are able to visit with him during the day. Ideal for the 2 of you. I agree that ignoring, even though it can be very difficult, is the best thing. Some good toys for him will help. If you give into the howling & barking, it will be like rewarding the screaming kid with the candy bar. It will only serve to reinforce the unwanted behavior. I hope you don't have neighbors living above, below, or adjacent who might get really annoyed while your pup sorts out his new surroundings. Good Luck & post a pic!


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## philip (Mar 27, 2011)

hi everyone,
kellygh you are dead right about the neighbours ive been round to apologise to the ones next door and explained about him being a puppy they have 12wk old baby so i guess they will have there own issues. i tried a kong stuffing it with all sorts of treats and peanut butter but he gets so worked up he wont touch anything in the crate his chest and legs get soaked with drool he starts howling seconds after i close the back door to be honest its scary when you come back and see him hes even managed to bend 2 of the metal bars on the crate and lost a tooth i do move the crate into my bedroom at bedtime then hes ok its just leaving him during the day he just wont let you out of his sight i have just about tried everything that ive read or been advised at the moment i am off work so i can spend as much time as poss with him and just keep trying short periods with the crate like very short i can now see where velcro dog came from i will post a pic


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Philip--I feel your pain & don't have good suggestions. Our mini-dachshund, Moxie, has a similar reaction to what your describing. Ironically, Moxie did not start going bezerk until she was about 2.5 yrs old. None the less, we have not been able to change, rehabilitate, or otherwise find a crate solution; therefore, we gate off the kitchen. The only thing I can figure is the small confinement freaks her out. The difference between Moxie & your pup may be that your guy is not housebroken & prone to puppy destruction ;D We confine Moxie, because she has a skin issue that sometimes bleeds. When she is crated, she too sweats, froths at the mouth, and otherwise looks like she ran a marathon with all the panting. She's exhausted & destroys any bedding in the crate. One day I came home, and there was blood on the walls & floor around the crate  She had been thrashing around so much, she gave herself a nose bleed. It was awful. Do you have a small space or room that you can gate off? A laundry room? Some place that isn't as confined as a crate, but it needs to be free of things your pup can chew up. How close to being housebroken is he? You don't want your pup to injure himself nor do you want to indulge; however, what you are describing is more than "I just prefer to be out of my crate" kind of thing.


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

I know this may sound stupid but have you tried putting on a nature sound machine or music? Music didn't work for us with Holley but Dan's dad found that crickets worked for Holley. We left her there for about an hour while we got our taxes done and she wouldn't stop barking until he put that on. He said there wasn't another peep from her. They also have a plug in at Petco or Petsmart that releases a pheramone that is supposed to calm. It is called D.A.P. You can also buy it as a collar. I haven't tried this method. Good luck to you.


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## philip (Mar 27, 2011)

hi everyone,
thanks for all the help, yes i have tried the music thing i leave the radio on bbc radio2 its a good combo of decent music and speech male and female. he just seems to start barking and howling instantly so nothing seems to work and it makes him almost neurotic and it seems to rub off on me and starts to stress me i have spoken to his breeder by phone tonight but she doesnt really have any different answers to you guys thanks for all the help.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

One of the other threads had a few posts that mentioned lying on the floor in front of the crate for a while until the pup settled. I can't remember where I saw that, but I hope one of the original posters will reply to this thread with any other details they might have.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

You got a dog that hasn't been properly trained up until now! This is your time to teach him how to act. When you are there, he must spend time in the crate. At first with you in the room and then with you out of the room. Start with 2 minutes out and 10 in. Then 4 minutes out and 10 in. You get the picture. At night he gets to sleep in the crate in your room. The next night 8 feet from your bed in his crate. The next night in the hallway...the next in the hall with your door closed. Within a week he will be trained. You will lose sleep at first but then it gets better. ;D


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## clover (Jul 5, 2010)

I was going to put this in a separate post since I was curious if anyone had heard of it, but it might do more good here: http://www.thundershirt.com/

I don't think it should replace training but it might be an option for really anxious dogs. I have not used it but I have spoken to several people who have used it and apparently it really does work. I assume that using it for crate training would help the dog to associate the crate with the calm feelings created by the Thundershirt.


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## Lukesmama (Jan 3, 2011)

We used to sit in front of the crate until Luke settled. Specifically until he laid down, completely (even his head), and then gave him a few minutes until saw him sigh (as if he has given up and accepted the situation)


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