Houdini hound

We're not sure if this is a consequence of Belle's "current condition" but we are very sure that in recent days she's become quite adept at escaping from her cage.

As she's still a puppy, Belle sleeps in her cage overnight and goes in there when we leave her home alone. It's quite her favourite place and she gets anxious when the door's closed and she's left on the outside. The cage apparently "provides territorial reassurance" and limits the area she has to guard when we're out and about.

Unfortunately, she's learnt how to break out of her confines by either flexing the door sufficiently that it bursts open or by forcing herself out through one of the corners. Either route must be very uncomfortable for her, particularly the latter.

Once out, and on her own, she immediately feels responsible for looking after the whole of the downstairs and it seems she finds this very stressful (as well as very exciting). Even more unfortunately, she manages to calm herself by jumping up on the settee and eating huge chunks out of the arm rest, scattering fabric, foam and hardboard all over the living room. After four episodes she's managed to make a whole big enough for a football to comfortably pass through, or indeed a significant part of me as it's at my end of the couch. :-|

I suppose we should think ourselves lucky that this is the only bit of furniture she's taken to "modifying". We've attempted to spoil her fun with the liberal use of cable ties (on the cage!) and, hopefully, this has put an end to her destruction. I'd weld the thing up if we didn't have to fold it down once in a while for transporting.