Crate trauma question

Hi all!! Our 7 month old puppy, Cosmo - has been crate trained since very early on. He's done really well and has never had any fear of it. It must be said, however, (just in case it's important) that this is the first time I have ever crate-trained a dog.

So today... we took a trip to my mother's house. I did the usual thing and took him out to potty before his crate. The crate is in its usual place in the kitchen. Nothing out of the ordinary. We were gone for about three and a half hours... And he has stayed quite happily in the crate for a maximum of four several times before while we were out.

However, when we came home today... He met us at the back door!!!!!!

The crate was totally ransacked... The door was still locked at the top - but somehow he had gotten the bottom latch undone and bent a lot of the crate and the door in getting out. All I can say is it looked like it took a lot of really violent effort to get out of that crate... So something obviously freaked him out pretty badly??

Judge was inside as usual with him as well... He stays uncrated but gated in the kitchen -- and usually sleeps somewhere next to Cosmo's crate. Also -- one of the interior kitchen doors was open... so uh.. one of the dogs opened that door?? I'm really confused.

My question (I know.. long intro) is... If something has truly freaked Cosmo out in his crate... or if the process of escaping from his crate has upset him... What are the chances that I'm going to have some crate problems with him from now on? And is there anything I need to do specifically to ease him back into cratedness? Should I just start crate training from day one again?

Help! Thanks. :)

Thanks!!

There was a thunderstorm the other day, I was at work and Nelly was at home in her crate. She wasn't able to get the door open but I could see, she worked on it. What I do : I always feed her in it, leaving the door open. When I leave in the morning I give her a cookie in the crate and leave a Kong , that I filled with peanut butter and left in the freezer a couple of hours before. Works like a charm :D

I think I'll do the peanut butter Kong thing!! I haven't actually gotten either of the dogs a Kong yet.... Though I keep hearing fantastic things about them. It's about time I do it -- they'd love it.

You know hubby and I are beginning to wonder whether or not someone tried to break in today... :eek:

You know hubby and I are beginning to wonder whether or not someone tried to break in today... :eek:

Same thing happen to me, I came home one day , she was out of her crate, crate door was open , so was the door between the kitchen and solarium. I suspected Monsieur le chat....and then burglars but nothing was stolen. Guess they got pretty bummed out to see the stuff I own :laughing: Kidding, but I'm still wondering what happened that day. :confused:

Poor Cosmo. I think I'd start from scratch and get a kong. Just focus on making the crate a happy place for a while and hopefully Cosmo will get used to it again.

When my girl Shadow was young she used to stay home alone frequently with no problems. Then one day (we were away for two days but my son was home with her as he lived there too) she was alone for two hours and something snapped - she destroyed the walls and floors and finally got out of the house and was waiting outside. She had unlocked and opened the sliding glass door. That was 9 years ago and she still suffers from extreme separation anxiety. But we often wonder what made her snap and we are convinced that somebody tried to break into the house. There was no other logical explanation for what triggered her total meltdown.

So all that said, I think I would try to start over again with Cosmo. Hopefully he'll forget about the bad thing that caused his meltdown. Good luck!

Poor Cosmo. I think I'd start from scratch and get a kong. Just focus on making the crate a happy place for a while and hopefully Cosmo will get used to it again.

Thanks DD! That's exactly what we're going to do. We have ordered a couple of kongs and they are on their way. In the meantime we're making the crate yummy-treat-and-fluffy-blanket central. He's back to going in to eat or get toys... but he's still skiddish and not wanting to stay very long (constantly looks over his shoulder to make sure no one is closing that door)... But we're trying to ease him into being comfortable again.

We have ordered a couple of kongs and they are on their way.

Good luck, it really did work for Nelly, when she got the message that when I leave for work she has to go in her crate, she would run away from me , even when I let her out again , right before I leave, she wouldn't come back in , I had to try to coax her with the leash in my hand (that was the only way I could get her back in) but now , she runs to her crate ! :laughing: