Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:51 pm Post subject: Help with an escape artist

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I don't know what to post this under so I'll start here.

I received this e-mail and I'm sure someone must have had this problem-Any suggestions as to what we can tell her to help her?
I will tell her to sign up for this forum so she can read any suggestions on her own. Thanks, Blanche

A young friend needs help with her male greyhound. He is an escape artist, escaping from airplane crate and wire crate, muzzle and collar. She sounds extremely frustrated. When he gets out, he wets on the floor and destroys things.

I have very few suggestions: tighten the muzzle, use a cup inside the muzzle, use a bungy cord on the crate door. What else??? I am afraid she will give up if too many more of these episodes happen. She doesn't want to give up her dog, but she can't keep him if she can't keep him crated, because he destroys things.

Help!
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Blanche
Mom to Sport, Sherry and Pepper (the parrot)
Freebird (at the Bridge)

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Blanche

Maddie was an escape artist too. I have never flown with her so I don'tknow if she would escape from the airplane crate, but I am almost sure she would as she has "escaped" from both the wire and plastic crates. She would howl and cry when you put her in the crate. She hated it and still does except hen she is at the vet in a big run. Is it possible that he has SA? Because it sounds to me like he may it. I took a leap of faith and stopped crating her, baby gated and closed doors to rooms that I did not want her in. Used comfort Zone and also as a last resort and talking to our vet we put her on medication for a few months (I can't remember the name of it but I think it started with a C) I also took her to doggie day camp a day or 2 a week to "wear her out" and also socialize her. We had wetting episodes as well but it was due to her having UTIs. Has she tried a harness with this guy? tell her not to give up, he will get better with patience love and time. Have her contact me if she needs help.

Amy and the escape artist aka Maddie

Thanks Amy
I'll pass your reply on to Christine -I've asked her to join the forum and then she can catch them herself.
Trader was returned after about 6 mos. because he was not cat safe- the only reason the original owner gave. He was very quiet in his crate, never tore up anything-was an all around good dog at the kennel.
Actually an airline crate is the same thing as the plastic crate. The stuff you probably used was Calmiclone (?sp). It was suggested she try Benadryl-I don't know if it would be about the same.
Thanks for the reply-and hopefully she will sign on and get some more help.

Is it safe to run the muzzle strap through the collar so it can't be removed?
I'd be worried a bit about safety/choking if the dog was muzzled.
Our Gracie (Dusty Lady) gave us 3 exhausting months of he** when we first got her. She didn't escape her crate but nearly injured herself in her thrashing.
Clomicalm worked a miracle for Gracie. Is doesn't start working immediately so giving Benadryl until the Clomicalm starts working may help. She only needed it for 3 months.
We also use the Canine Lullabies CD to help Oliver during thunderstorms. But I also play it most days when I leave for work and the dogs don't give me as rowdy a greeting upon my return (and that's a good thing).
Go to

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and watch the video of it calming kennel dogs.
You might want to try the Rescue Remedy drops. They are available at health food stores, GNC, some drugstores. There is no overdose level. The instructions may say give just a few drops but for a very anxious Oliver I have given him 2-3 dropper-fulls of it. He'll even go to the place I keep it and "ask" for it when a storm is coming.

I think that was the name of it. It helped settle Maddie in her new environment. Maddie was only at the kennel for 6 days. The first day she was there was when I came up to see all the dogs and then the next Friday I picked her up. Chewing crates , door knobs chewing moulding and coming home to seeing blood on the carpet was not fun, it was very scary for me. However, I checked her mouth and she was not bleeding and I did not see any cuts etc. That was when I decided not to crate her and close off the house. The medicine was the last resort and it worked. We used it for about 2 months and what a difference. People that have not seen her in a while comment on how well behaved she is (little do they know- just kidding) she is a great dog and is now a Therapy Dog and Keith and Cash have gotten us interested in lure coursing - especially after I saw her at the hound dash at the kennel (Blanche- you met Maddie - she was the winner being that she was clocked at 44mph in the dash) . Tell her to hang in there it takes love and patience.

Amy and Maddie

Blanche,

Do you know any of the following:
-How much exercise the dog gets and when (ie before he's left alone?) A tired dog is a good dog. Has she tried wearing the dog out right before he crates him?

-SA training? Has his owner done all the prerequiste alone training? I usually find people aren't patient enough with alone traing and think it takes affect faster than it does. They expect a couple of times of coming and going will train the dog, when in fact it may take days/weeks.

-Is baby gating an option? Some GHs just don't dig crates.

-Kongs: Does she give a kong stuffed with treats when he leaves? It sometimes helps give the dog something to do.

-Does the dog urinate anyother times in the house... does a UTI need to be ruled out?

I think there was a good article posted on

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regarding Separation Anxiety. If I find it, I'll post it here.

Here's a great post regarding SA. I am still looking for that article. Until then check out this:

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Here is an article on Home Alone Greyhounds that might give you some ideas.

Simple And Effective Solutions To Negative Behavior Problems Of "Home Alone" Greyhounds

With today's hectic lifestyle, most Greyhound owners who are working are severely time-crunched and suffer from severe pangs of guilt when they have to leave their Greyhounds alone at home for hours. Most Greyhounds suffer, in varying degrees, from social isolation and separation anxiety syndrome. Of course, you can't quit your job and make plans to stay home with your dog, but with proper planning coupled with preventative training and confinement, you can make those unavoidable periods of social isolation much less stressful for your beloved Greyhound.

Separation from its owner for long hours results in acute stress for your dog, which then manifests itself in destructive behaviors, hyper activity and excessive barking. You must note here, that in the process of domestication, you're dealing with one of the most social species in the animal kingdom. Dogs are essentially pack animals and hate to live alone.

"Home alone" Greyhounds usually bark, dig and chew (all in EXCESS!!!) in their attempts to regain access to the pack or to relieve their discomfort.

• Is your Greyhound driving your neighbors crazy by barking continuously?
• Has your Greyhound dug up your entire yard?
• Has your Greyhound chewed up every furniture in the house?
• Are you at your wit's end trying to deal with your Greyhound's negative and destructive behavior?

If you've answered a big YES to all the above questions, read on to learn how you can minimize separation anxiety effectively in “home alone" Greyhounds.

There are the four simple steps that you need to follow in an attempt to teach your Greyhound that it need not be frightened or anxious when you’re not around:

1) Identify the cause of anxious feelings in your dog,
2) Reassure your dog in anxiety-provoking situations,
3) Develop a proper plan for coping with such situations, and
4) Evaluate the success of your plan and strategies in a regular manner.

a) Teach your Greyhound to “sit” “relax” and “stay” on command as early as possible. Do the exercises in various rooms of the house and in the yard. Give out praise effusively and chew treats liberally. This will help in reducing anxiety in your Greyhound and in increasing his confidence.

b) Try “Graduated Exposure”. This is no rocket science. Let your dog play with his favorite toys in a room while you’re around. After a while, walk out of the room closing the door behind you without any fanfare. Return a few minutes later and praise your dog and give him a treat. Repeat this exercise over days, gradually increasing the time that you’re away.

c) Next comes “Contingency Management”. Your Greyhound associates certain actions like putting on shoes or picking up the keys with your leaving. You can desensitize him to these clues by repeating them frequently in the course of the day when you don’t have to go out. You can even teach him new cues that let him know that you're always coming back and help disassociate his
learned, destructive behavior from your absence. Do something different from your normal routine - turn on the radio or television, or give your dog some toys that are designed to keep him busy while you're away.

d) Try to make your departures less emotional and arrivals less dramatic by leaving and returning quietly and quickly. Upon returning, walk in calmly and do not greet your dog for some time. These subdued arrivals and departures will make the separation less pronounced.

Remember, punishing your dog will NOT fix the problem--it will only aggravate the situation further. Once your Greyhound learns to associate your absence and return with punishment, his anxiety will increase.

Ideally you should spend at least a week gradually easing your dog into a new level of reassurance and self-confidence. Eventually he will realize that you won’t abandon him and that will calm him down and make him a well-adjusted pet to be proud of.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this article. Do let me know you have any comments

Nancy Richards,President
Greyhound Training Institute

Ok, so let's see where to start...

I'm the one with the infamous boy. My apologies for taking so long to post.

He seems to be fine in the mornings when I leave for work (after a brief morning walk). If I have a short day, he's fine in his crate all day. When I have longer days (only 2 days a week soon to change to all short days), I come home during lunch to let him out of his crate, walk him, let him stretch and use the bathroom. When it comes time for me to leave to go back to work, he starts showing attitude. I have to butt-scoop him into his crate and on occasion, I'll hear him start to bark before I ever make it to my car. His most recent break out was Monday after lunch.

I appreciate all of the feedback that I've received.

I try to exercise him as much as I can. I know sometimes this doesn't always happen, but I try to take him on 2 short walks (morning and evening) and one longer walk (usually mid-day). I have not been giving him a kong or any kind of treat in his crate since I need to keep him muzzled. His muzzle will have to stay on him until he stops trying to chew on and break out of his crate.

It is possible that I didn't spend enough time making sure he was adjusted to his crate. As a side note here, I do still feed him in his crate, but with the door open so he can exit when he's done. This weekend, I think I'll try treats in his crate and work on crating him more frequently so that hopefully he becomes more comfortable with being crated during the day and the muzzle can come off soon.

There has been a lot of information and questions posted before this reply, so I hope I have answered or clarified most of them. Again, thanks for the feedback. I'm always open for suggestions...

Christina

Try losing the crate, sounds to Me like He doesn't like it.
I have three Greys and they have never been crated and never will be.
We've left them for hours on end and have never had a problem.
At the track the dogs are crated and I understand why but these are retired racers it's time to let them out of jail. Just My opinion take it for what it's worth.

Gary

Crating can be a controversial issue and ultimately everyone makes their own decision. I've had dogs all my life and didn't always crate. When I was young I had a friend who crated her show dogs and originally I felt "sorry for them". The more time I spent with her and her dogs, I realized they were very happy and crating was just part of their routine. When I got my first weimaraner puppy, the crate became my friend. Crating was excellent for her and for her breed in general. Her crate was her place and for many years she slept in it at night with the door open. I crated my first greyhound (adopted in '93) briefly because it was required by the group I adopted from but I didn't keep it up. He loved his crate by the way, I just chose not to continue to do it. I regretted this later for some of the reasons listed below.

In my experience, over these many years with dogs, having a dog you can crate is a wonderful thing in many instances. Here are just a few of the advantages I've learned:

- reinforces a dog's natural instinct to keep his "den" clean so it makes potty training easy
- it keeps them safe and quiet if they ever have an injury, illness, or surgery that requires complete rest
- it's reassuring and calming for some dogs with separation anxiety or fear of thunder storms
- it can be a lifesaver if you have repair people or construction people coming in and out of your house or people visiting that that don't know how to go in and out of a door without letting a dog escape
- it can provide a safe haven for your dog from annoying children visiting your home or if visitors bring a dog with them that annoys your dog
- a folding crate is wonderful for traveling with a dog that has a hard time settling down in a new place or if you want to take your dog with you when you visit relatives or friends that don't have indoor dogs
- it can keep a chewer or anxious dog safe from electrical wiring, ingestion of non-edibles and various common household hazards

I feel crating should never be used as punishment or as a means of continuous confinement for a dog, but used correctly can be a wonderful tool for those of us who share our lives with dogs.

Well said, Cynthia.

Amen, to Cynthia.

Some dogs need/like it and some dont.
It can be your best friend to keep your dog safe.
I love my folding traveling crates when I travel so I know my babies are safe when I am out to dinner or at the beach.
I am welcome at my mothers house with my dogs and their crates.
I crate the ones that need it to keep them out of trouble and the ones that dont need it like it so I keep their door open and they come and go as they please.
Good luck

Maddie hates the crate and has escaped from both the wire and the plastic crate- now I close the doors to all rooms (bathroom doors and my "office" included as she liked to go through garbage cans) - she usually is sleeping on my bed (which is fine with me as I put a blanket over it) I guess she feels safe in"our room" (aka my bedroom)

if it is possible try taking him to doggie day camp for a day or two a week to wear him out. I have been through what you are going through and it takes some time. Hang in there.

Amy and Maddie