One would have to question the build quality of the crate, it is either very poor or the dog is incredible strong. Was the cage sold as suitable for that dog, if so I think I would be having a word or two with whoever supplied it. The damage it could have done the dog does not bear thinking about.

Other wise I would agree with SB this needs taking slowly and carefully, dogs do love their cages but an adult dog will need a longer time to become accustomed than would a puppy. Rush it and the dog will feel trapped and panic which is what seems to have happened.

Its bought in a shop called Harald Nyborg. They sell everything.. from drills to bikes...

I have actually heard of (and seen pics of) a labrador in the USA, doing the same thing, to an expenssive crate. This cost about £40

Bella IS very very strong.. She turned 2 years old in may ( to answer an earlier question) She weighs about 33 kg..

As Kamille just told me.... Bella likes being in the crate, it's the part about leaving the house Kamille has to train...

I'm going down there tonight for dinner, so we will make a plan (schedule) of how to do this...

Any input is gladly received

Think you will need to start with opening & shutting the door and walking straight back in, then opening the door going out and shutting it then reopen and walk back in. Then take 5 paces away and going back then 10 and so on until your friend can go for 5 then 10 minutes. Take each set slowly, and never more than one step a day but I would put the dog in the cage and go to the door open and shut it without going out and return and praise as many times a day as you can, the same with the next stage, as the length of time you are leaving her the less the number of exercises a day will be needed. Don't rush, if you have a failure go right back to the beginning and start again. Above all do not forget the praise if the dog has behaved as required, that way she will learn to wait and enjoy the homecoming even more, if she misbehaves then ignore her letting her out in silence and ignore any efforts on her part to placate you.

Thank you Jackie, I've highlighted and printed your post out, and will take it to Kamille tonight..

Hi J, I can't really add to the other advice you've been given to pass on to Kamille. Bella must have gone absolutely mental to cause that damage - I assume Kamille will be buying a new crate now and not attempting to repair that one.

How does Bella normally respond out of a crate to Kamillie leaving the house? Is she destructive? (again, sorry if you've mentioned this or if I'm being stoopid )

Like others have said, it's a really slow process. When I got to the point where I was training Satch to be alone in the house, it was for literally minutes at a time - I'd open the windows so I could hear him, go and stand outside the house, listen for 30 seconds and if he was quiet go straight back in to him. Then I slowly increased the time away. Obviously it's easier training a puppy to the crate, if it's done right it's a pretty SB's right, dog's do somehow sense your presence in the house.

I bought our second crate from Ebay - there're a number of Ebay 'shops' which sell high-quality new, boxed crates. Ours is 48" and cost around £65, I think. I dunno if you've seen this pic, but it shows the kind of crate we've got (with metal tray):


(taken last June, but still big enough for him to stand up, turn around, stretch out etc.)

Becs

Just ppicked up this post I am not an expert but would have thought someone would have heard her trashing that cage. Good luck though in future J.

Hi Becs...

Well when Bella is left alone home, she goes on the kitchen counters. All doors to livingroom, 2 girls rooms and bedroom have to be locked, as she opens doors (all paint are scratched from doors), she takes things and destroy them.. The drop was that she OPENED a kitchen cupboard, with the garbagebag haning inside, and took out a dirty diaper of Isabella's and tore (sp?) it apart in the kitchen area. The hall and kitchen area is one room.... An L-shaped room.

In the beginning she had the livingroom when home alone, but she decided to dig for gold in the sofa... (which were borrowed)

Wot all this boils down to is separation anxiety..

Kamille has 2 daughters: Rebecca is 5 and Isabelle will turn 1 on monday. Rebecca has had cancer 3 times.. The last time was most of winter and spring last year. During this time, I had Bella... While Becca was treated, Kamille gave birth to Isabella, who also had cancer, and had to have her eye removed and have chemo (and later radiation)

I think this is where the damage was done.. Becca was very close to dying and Kamille just couldnt cope with having to give up on her dog aswell... Which I do understand..

This is just to give a bit of background, as I think that's needed aswell..

I'll print out your post aswell, and bring with me down now, as I'm going down there....

Ta Becs

Karen, Kamille stood outside the door for the first 5 minutes and no sound.. She did this in approx 20 minutes..

We are going to start from scratch...

J

J, I really feel for Kamille - she's not had it easy and I can understand her not wanting to part with Bella while her daughters were going through so much (not necessarily in Bella's best interests, but understandable IMO).

If Kamille wants to persist with the crate, she needs to be aware that it takes a long time. I can't exactly remember how long it took for Satch to get used to his crate in any situation (obviously there's a difference between a dog being comfortable with being in a crate while people are in the room and being ok with being left for a couple of hours while you're shopping). I think it porbably took a few weeks in all. But obviously Satch was 8 weeks old when I started crate training, so Kamille can expect it to take much longer as Bella's that much older. It's got to be done really slowly, with little baby steps in progress and much praise for the right behaviour. If I were Kamille I'd start again and train Bella as if she were a tiny puppy, but also bear in mind that Bella's accidentally learned a lot of bad behaviour. Kamille needs to encourage Bella to believe her crate is a place of safety, of treats and of comfort. She can try covering the crate with a blanket making it seem like a den which helps some dogs.

Out of interest, what did Kamille do when she found Bella had escaped?

I don't know if Kamille's already tried these, but there are other methods to assist separation anxiety - DAP diffusers (which release chemicals that mimic the scent of a lactating bitch and can calm stressed dogs), leaving the TV or radio on, not making a fuss when you leave or return, and darkening the room Bella's left in to mimic night and encourage sleep. If Bella's clingy, Kamille could always try leaving her with an unwashed piece of clothing Kamille's worn.

Hope some of this helps J

Becs

I am appaled ... I would be inclined to get in touch with the manufacturers of the crate, it looks very poor quality too me with badly welded joints. I have looked at some crates roundabout and have noticed the quality varies quite a lot. If it was purchased in this country I would state the trade descriptions act which says goods must be "suitable for the purpose for which they are intended" to me this crate was not and could have seriously damaged the dog or worse if a piece of steel had severed an artery..To me £40 does not seem a lot for a large crate and it may be made with low quality steel


Edited...compare the first crate with Becs crate..notice things like the gap at the bottom and the door closures ..it looks nowhere near the same quality to me as the one Becs has ...i'm afraid it's the old story of you get what you pay for...

J, Wish you guys well on the crate training - really glad you posted about it, it's good to see how the progress will come about.

Just a question regarding Bella and her playtime, how much stimulation does Bella get? how often is she left on her own? any games that present a real challenge to her? I might be wrong but it does sound like she's not getting enough mental challenges on top of not being crate trained. Has Kamille got the Ultimate GSD book edited by Sheila Rankin? (provided that her english is as good as yours), it really is fantastic.

Good old Bella, she'll get there in the end J with yours and Kamille's perseverance.

BTW I certainly aren't qualified to give advice but by reading loads of specific GSD books I certainly found it's helped understanding GSD's a bit better, it might help Kamille too?