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?

Hi Jeanette...I used a crate for Tara when she was little co's she was a chewer...We went out one day left her in her crate with a frozen Kong..When we got back she met us at the door, the crate was still closed latches in place...kong empty..Still to this day I do not know how she got out of it....Unless one of the other opened it, let her out, then closed it again!!!!