May 18, 2011
Almost every day my 6 month old Britany escapes from her crate when we are at work. What can I do?
Full Question:
We adopted a 6-9 month old Brittany and have had her for approx. 2 months. We have done a lot of work with her and she and our 3 cats can now co-exist rather well. Our main concern is that she literally hates being crated when we leave the house. She is never left in her crate more than 7 hrs. while we are at work/school. She seems to find some way to escape and then ultimately chews something up while before we get home at least two days out of the five. What can we do? 
Ed's Answer:
If this were my dog I would drill some holes near the door of the crate (assuming you are using a plastic airline crate). Then run a wire through the holes and the door of the crate so the dog can not open it no matter how hard she tries. If its a metal crate then use 2 snaps on the ends of leashes to clip the crate door closed.
If the dog is very vocal and will not quiet down leave the TV or a radio on. If it continues get one of the Tri Tronics Bark Limiters - use the lower shock settings if necessary, (but there is a video that comes with the limiter to show how to use it). This will eliminate the screaming in the crate and the dog will be forced to lay quietly. Do not give in to the pup when you initially put the collar on. When it barks and gets a shock and screams it must learn on its own to get a grip and calm down - that’s what these collars do, they calm the dogs.
Go to the butcher and get the dog soup bones. Let the dog chew on the bones during the day. Give it something to do when it’s awake. But dogs of this age sleep a lot when given the opportunity.
I would also recommend that you begin obedience training the dog. It’s the correct age. This does 2 things: it promotes handler interaction in a positive way with the pet, it also teaches the dog manners. They learn right from wrong and this transcends into their normal lives in other ways. Read what I have to say about obedience training.
If the dog is very vocal and will not quiet down leave the TV or a radio on. If it continues get one of the Tri Tronics Bark Limiters - use the lower shock settings if necessary, (but there is a video that comes with the limiter to show how to use it). This will eliminate the screaming in the crate and the dog will be forced to lay quietly. Do not give in to the pup when you initially put the collar on. When it barks and gets a shock and screams it must learn on its own to get a grip and calm down - that’s what these collars do, they calm the dogs.
Go to the butcher and get the dog soup bones. Let the dog chew on the bones during the day. Give it something to do when it’s awake. But dogs of this age sleep a lot when given the opportunity.
I would also recommend that you begin obedience training the dog. It’s the correct age. This does 2 things: it promotes handler interaction in a positive way with the pet, it also teaches the dog manners. They learn right from wrong and this transcends into their normal lives in other ways. Read what I have to say about obedience training.
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