Escaping from crate!

[Amelie]

I really can't believe this myself. We got Willow and Kai home on Saturday (pics coming, I promise!). Everything is going really well.

Here is the weird thing - we put both puppies (12 weeks today) in their crates to rest this morning after a long play session. I was in my office working and in comes Kai after about 20 minutes. My husband kept saying that he was SURE he latched the crate (Precision Pro wire crate). We wrote it off to maybe he didn't pay attention to getting it latched all the way, etc.

We had to leave this afternoon for about 2 hours. Both puppies went into the crates and the latches were inspected closely by both of us. When we walked in, Kai met us at the door! Fortunately, nothing was destroyed - just one small potty accident was the only damage that I could find.

What the heck is going on? What the heck should we do? Has this happened to anyone else?

We don't want to put anything around the latch that he might chew on. We thought of facing the crate door to the wall tonight.

Any advice? I think what makes me the saddest about this whole thing is that he was doing well in the crate at the breeder's house and his crying duration was less and less each time here. Now he has learned that giving up and settling down in the crate is apparently for idiots, as you CAN get out if you just keep trying. Again, I have never heard of such a thing. Any help is appreciated.

[Chealsie508]

With Oakley ( Midwest wore crate-2 door) I had to double masterlock and use zip ties on the sides so he couldn't fold it while inside to escape. NO JOKE! Once he even escaped both locks and zip ties by chewing through all the ties… He has finally stopped with all crate antics and now is the best boy I could ever have hoped for when it comes to the crate. If you don't think your pup will be that determined then my suggestion is a carabiner clip

[krunzer]

I would go and find a carabiner to put on the door. Make sure that if he does get the door unlatched though that he can't get his head stuck in there choke or something though. You can get carabiners that are lockable and ones that just clip. If you have a local climbing store you can find them there. Good luck with the great crate escape!

[Chealsie508]

And you can find them anywhere you'd get keys made…home depot, lowes... Just don't get the thin cheapos... It should have some sturdiness so as not to break once he unlatches the latch and then tries to force the door open..should work unless you have an "Oakley"... Then you'll need to get locks!

[Anubis's Mommy]

Uh oh here it goes! Anubis does that…wiggles the latches on his wire crate open and forces the door open. I use C Clamps you can get at walmart. Keeps him in! I tried the clips from a climbing store he managed to break them. C Clambs you use a screw and it screws closed. They work great!

[lvoss]

We use ex-pen clips on the doors of the wire crates. Also, be sure you have heavy gauge wire with good welds, L'Ox just busts the welds and squeezes out the hole he makes. He is only crated in the very heavy, made when people still made stuff to last forever, MidWest crate that I picked up at a lure trial for $20.

[renaultf1]

Of my 4, I have one that can pretty much open an sort of crate latch except the kind on Kennel Aire crates - so Liyah either goes in a Kennel Aire or I put a carabiner on the door if using a regular crate. When Liyah was a puppy, she would not only open her own crate and let herself out, but she would open the other two crates and let out her friends, Ruby & Brando.

[lisastewart]

Its a basenji thing, many of mine have been able to open crates, Tempest broke a front bar completely out of her midwest metal crate a few months ago.

[Amelie]

Thanks for all of the tips! We are going to try a carabiner tonight and ratchet up if we need to. I spoke with the breeder last night and she said that one of her dogs not only escapes from his crate, but lets everyone else out for a party if she doesn't use a carabiner.

Who are these people that say basenjis are dumb? Let's put them in a crate and see them get out when they are 12 weeks old.

[Kipawa]

@Amelie:

I spoke with the breeder last night and she said that one of her dogs not only escapes from his crate, but lets everyone else out for a party if she doesn't use a carabiner.

Who are these people that say basenjis are dumb? Let's put them in a crate and see them get out when they are 12 weeks old.

This is all proof that basenjis are definitely not dumb! That is so funny about one of the breeder's basenjis letting the others out. "Come on everyone, party time. THEY are gone"! You had me laughing out loud! We use carabiners. We have them on our parrots' cages and do use one on Kipawa's crate. I agree with Krunzer - you have to really make sure that there is no room AT ALL for either Kai or Willow to get out. A tiny bit of space can become a huge hazard.

[nkjvcjs]

The only thing I have found that will hold Corin is a Kennel-Aire Commander crate, because it has 1 inch squares on all 6 sides. The new Kennel-Aires have larger sqaures on the bottom, and he has figured out how to slide the tray out and get out the bottom of the crate.