# Escape artist



## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

Oreo has learned that if he jumps on his crate, he can get out of the expen by jumping on the crate then jumping over the expen fence.

Has anyone have a solution to this?


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

We just use a baby gate in the kitchen doorway and Ceylon jumped over it last time he was put in there. I shouldn't have been surprised - he can jump about 33" onto my tall bed from a standstill, and he even figured out that if he gets a running start, he can jump onto the neighbor's flowerbeds and from there get into the window that she always leaves open for her cat - but, he knows he is not supposed to jump out. Sigh.

If you are home when Oreo jumps out, you can start training him not to. Of course, they don't remember very well when we aren't there to remind them, so if you are not home... hmmm.

Maybe put something on top of his crate? How tall is your expen?


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

I believe it's 24 inches tall.

Will putting up some cardboard higher then the pen around where his crate is help?

Putting someing ontop of his crate is a good idea.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

Is the expen large enough so that if you put the crate in the middle, he cannot reach the baby gate from it? It is not safe for him to land on the floor from the hight of the baby gate. You really need to discourage it. You may even need to take the crate out of the ex-pen.

My sister-in-law's miniature poodle mix doesn't jump over a baby gate or ex-pen - she actually climbs up and over. it was amazing to watch her do that. It may be how she escaped from her original home and was picked up as a stray, ending up in the animal shelter where my S-I-L found and adopted her.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Tillie jumped over her x-pen at 3 1/2 months old ... we just skipped the x-pen after that and would put her in her crate when we needed to leave, but I was able to be home with her 90% of the time to help with potty training, etc...


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Wow, you guys have smart Havs! My guys don't really attempt to escape. There was a time when Scudder was a puppy, I could see him trying to figure out how to get out of him x pen. He jumped on top of the crate in an attempt to then jump over the x pen, but I quickly moved his crated to the middle of the pen!


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## Momo means Peach (Jun 7, 2011)

My granddog, a Chihuahua mix, is an escape artist. She makes one corner of the expen into a point and then jumps onto the point and out. Since I heard about that, I do not put Momo and her into an expen and leave them. I don't want her teaching Momo how to escape. :suspicious:


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Brody doesn't try to jump out of his ex-pen. He has accidentally jumped up onto the top of his crate in there and was very please with his "look mom, I'm up high" look, but he didn't try to get out. 

He has, however, managed to open his wire crate door by sliding the bolt from the inside. I have to make sure I slide that bolt as far over as it goes, sometimes it catches and doesn't so I have to watch for it.


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## inlovewithhav (Feb 18, 2011)

I also have an escape artist but not a jumper. Kipper can figure out how to get out of anything, a closed latched cage, an expen that hasn't been connected, a baby gate (yeah we don't even use those anymore). I have cought him staring at the door handle with a look on his face that said "I know mom uses that to open this thing, I wonder if I can do it too?"... LOL


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## Momo means Peach (Jun 7, 2011)

inlovewithhav said:


> I also have an escape artist but not a jumper. Kipper can figure out how to get out of anything, a closed latched cage, an expen that hasn't been connected, a baby gate (yeah we don't even use those anymore). I have cought him staring at the door handle with a look on his face that said "I know mom uses that to open this thing, I wonder if I can do it too?"... LOL


LOL! Smart Kipper!


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

Kipper is smart haha

This was our colution...

One side fo the expen is againts a wall so we moved the crate to the wall so he can;t jump out


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

Just an update on the little stinker.

Today's a big day that Oreo can goto doggie daycare. I planned to have him go half day so left him at home for the morning.

I was expecting world war 3 of poo and pee all over the place now that we have given him free run of the kitchen.

So I get home..not a peep. no barking no whining and I was like 'good stuff'. I open the front door and the little stinker came running to greet me. How the heck did he get out of the kitchen when we have baby gates blocking the doorways????? I'm going to assume that he can now climb/jump over a 24 inch baby gate.

Lucky for me he only chewed up a styrofoam cranberry thing-a-bob that my wife used to decorate the house with during x-mas. Only a little pee on our bamboo mat and other then that, all is safe.

Dang, what do I do now? Get taller baby gates?


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

if you really want to keep him in, yes, higher baby gates, or a crate. We got a crate because at 4 months TIllie was jumping over the 24 inch x-pens... LOL


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

Thanks Tammy.

Crating is sorta out of the question as we have a tennant living in the basement and the barking and whining would drive him nuts.

I really wish I could crate him though.

BTW, when people say 'crate' do they mean the steel wired crates? Oreo doesn't have one of those, he's been living in his pet taxi plastic crate so far.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

he barks and cries in a crate but not in the x-pen?

I prefer the metal wire crates so she can see all around.. BUT we have it in our room with the back and sides covered with a towel... LOL she seems cozy in there but it took months of a little bit of crating at a time to get her there without suffering much seperation anxiety.

hmmmm, what about buying or MAKING a 'roof' for the x-pen? maybe out of some mesh netting or something?? just a thought...?


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## tootle (Jun 19, 2007)

Wow, that's a high jumper  You should do agility!! Haven't tried it with dogs, but I do work with children who sometimes can scale a baby gate. You can put one gate above another gate in a doorway to increase the height.


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

Hey Tammy,

He'll bark and whine if he in his crate or if he's in his ex-pen.

We had to give him more room and removed the expen because he kept stepping in his poo and making poo paw marks all over the floor (we have a vinyle mat).

I have another story..this was picking him up from doggy daycare yesterday.

Well, they kept Oreo in a separate puppy area away from the adult dogs. The day care person told me he squeezed through the fence to get out.

What am I going to do with him?!?! hehe


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Mine are also escape artist's Maddie climbs over X pins and she actually hurt herself. After that I rigged up an area that they couldn't get out . My boy friend has always said we live in a kennel. I used furniture and a very large painting to block a 8 foot area  It worked! Now for some reason they will stay behind gates when we aren't home . Maddie will still get threw if she is trying to follow me to the other areas of the house. I think if I was to start all over again I would get a large wire crate like about 4' by 4' and just deal with the crying.


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