# catching mouth in the crate



## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

OK, so the first time this happened, it seemed like a fluke, but again tonight, I have to wonder how often this will happen. 

After " dinner " Cullen went in the crate so I could shower and get some things done without him underfoot. When about to jump in the shower, I hear the most aweful screaming, and I already knew what was going on. I ran out to see Cullen with his mouth stuck in the crate bars. I couldn't open the door, because this time he has his mouth half stuck in the door and half in the area around the door. As I got him undone, he tried to bite me viciously, so I just backed up and waited, and then closed it and went about my shower. 

Is THIS normal? I really can't afford to switch crates or anything like that, so what can I do to try to avoid it? I mean, I thought about spraying his bitter apple type stuff, but that doesn't work.. we have already tried it on baseboards and such and he continues to chew...


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## Sambuca (Mar 13, 2010)

I haven't had my pup very long but this has not happened to me. I would rotate different chew toys for him when you put him the crate so that he doesn't get bored and start chewing on the bars.

Just my 2 cents.



VaBeachFamily said:


> OK, so the first time this happened, it seemed like a fluke, but again tonight, I have to wonder how often this will happen.
> 
> After " dinner " Cullen went in the crate so I could shower and get some things done without him underfoot. When about to jump in the shower, I hear the most aweful screaming, and I already knew what was going on. I ran out to see Cullen with his mouth stuck in the crate bars. I couldn't open the door, because this time he has his mouth half stuck in the door and half in the area around the door. As I got him undone, he tried to bite me viciously, so I just backed up and waited, and then closed it and went about my shower.
> 
> Is THIS normal? I really can't afford to switch crates or anything like that, so what can I do to try to avoid it? I mean, I thought about spraying his bitter apple type stuff, but that doesn't work.. we have already tried it on baseboards and such and he continues to chew...


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I agree with Sambuca. Your pup isn't randomly getting caught, he's trying to figure out how to escape, and can actually break teeth and/or get really hurt. 

I'd also make sure to get a kong full of treats, or even better a Purple Squirrel Dude (harder for our pups) and give that to him as a distraction when you have to crate him. Give that mouth a more productive job that chewing it's way out of the crate!


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## Josiebear (Oct 16, 2006)

Josie did this when i first introduced her to the crate. I never used those plastic crates ever again!!!...She wasn't bored, she just wanted OUT of her crate.

Once she had her bottom jaw stuck in the crate door the entire night that she pooped all over the crate due to stress. I felt so bad that she was that way until early morning ( 3ish) when i woke up to let her out. Poor thing.

I threw that plastic crate away, now she has the wired ones with no problems. Man did she hate crates!.

I did start giving her frozen stuffed kong.


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## Bama4us (Oct 24, 2009)

Does sound like he's trying to chew his way out. Not sure how I got so lucky, maybe it was the advice from this board, but Bear hasn't had any problems with his crate, (knock on wood)! He has chewed up a pillow and a stuffed crate type bed though. I had a good result with nyla-bones, or as others have suggesed, give him a treat toy to keep him occupied. You said it's happened twice, is it after dinner each time? Maybe he needs to go outside and that's his way of saying "please, I don't wanna mess my crate up".


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

when I have to crate him for a long period of time, he gets his PB filled Kong... And he will empty it.. after I have left... but initially when he is in the crate, especially if he knows we are home, is it howling, crying, trying to get out. Has nothing to do with the boredom...

Oh.. and it is a Wire Crate, I don't like plastics except for puppy traveling.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I only crate my dogs last thing as I'm leaving the house, so stops alot of the suffering if I am still wandering around getting ready to leave.

Do you put the kong with peanut butter in it 100% of the time when you crate?


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

The kong, No. Sometimes I crate for long periods ( not at once, with breaks) when I have long work days,and he would be FAT if he just ate PB the whole time. We rotate chew toys. He has normal Kong balls and such.. things that are too large to worry about choking and such.


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## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

I know its been a couple months but I'm bringing this thread back to life. 

Cash (14 wks) got his mouth stuck in his crate today. t's a Lifestages crate. Same story as above, EXCEPT, he wasn't even in the crate at the time. I heard him messing with it, but I didn't think anything of it. Sometimes he kind of pushes at the door and nudges it with his nose when he's not in it. About 2 minutes later he stared yelping and howling. He had gotten his mouth stuck in the bars.

It looks like he put his mouth in sideways, then turned his head so it wedged his jaw in there. It took me about 5 seconds to get him out...the whole time he's yelping away. I finally got him out and I felt so bad for him, he jumped up onto me so I sat on the floor with him for about 15 minutes. He was so scared he just buried his head in my lap and occasionally looked over at his crate with scared little puppy eyes. 

He's pretty timid about some stuff so I hope he isn't afraid of his crate now. I'm worried about him getting stuck in there while I'm gone because he's biting at it.


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