Ok we have one major pain in the a$$ dog and it is one of the shorthairs.  Can't put him in a wire crate as he bends the wires and gets out. So went to a plastic crate - bounced the crate around the room until he knocked out the screws. Tied the crate together with zip ties - bounced crate over to bed - pulled blankets through the very small holes and bounced crate back and popped door off - of course I am amazed at how smart he is then today - he actually grab the door handle, turned it, open the door and let himself out.  He does not stay in the yard so major major problem!!!

Anyone else with a dog that thinks and solve problems? We had a mastiff once that was the same way - I swear Homer is Albert reincarnated.

That was a great story! They certainly keep you on your toes!!!

If I still worked at the vet clinic I could take him with me to work (which I know would make the situation worse) I could put him in the kennel but I only have one run hotwired and the 2 boys in that run pick on him - not mean or anything just like to pick on him since he is smaller both in stature and pecking order. I may still bring him tomorrow unless Bryan rigs up something today (he is home with posion ivy around his eye). Just put a crate somewhere in the back of the office.

But I admit I was laughing my butt off

All my friends say I am the only that would be impressed with all this because the dog is smart ROFLMAO.

 THAT IS TOO FUNNY Ruger does the exact same thing!!! He will go into the bathroom take out a few pieces of paper, lay them on the floor & then go upstairs & do the same thing in the upstairs bath! When we come home & say " Who did this???" he will sit with his head hung down until I say ' I still love you ,even if you are naughty" then he gets all wiggly like I knew you wouldn't stay mad! Must be a GSP thing. Its so funny that all the thing that I thought were unique to Ruger everyone else's gsp's do too

Oh yea, & Rugers Mom used to climb out of a 6 ft. high kennel. We had to put chicken wire on the top. She would then unlock the door so we had to put a hook on it. Then she figured out that if she pushed hard enough she could get out of the bottom of the chain link so we had to wire the thing to the bars! These dogs ARE just to smart! 

we ended up having to take two crates and weld them together. Our biggest problem is when we are not home he lets himself out of the house and out of the yard. Do not want to come home to finding him smashed on the road.  He defintley keeps us on our toes and he is a very very smart dog - too smart for his own good!!!!

That's awesome! I thought I was the only one with a Houdini at home. Only my male is like that though. Usually gets much worse when his female is in heat. I ended up having to cement the pen into the ground and put electric fence around the top. He can clear his 6 ft kennel easily.

Here's a couple for you. I came home from work on day to find him in the female's kennel. Of course she was in season. I went over and asked my neighbor if he had gotten out and if he had put him in the pen with her. He didn't. Well with a closer look I found that he got off his harness, went through the chain link pen, jumped up on the roof and chewed through the top and got in with her.

Another time (this july) we put him in his crate, in the box of my truck with a topper, in the cooled garage. Guess what! I had been gone not even an hour and he was loose in the yard! I was in awe. He bent the bars of the kennel and blew the door off, he bit the bars of the topper and opened the door, then he dug under the garage door! The only good thing was that he hadn't had time to figure out how to get my female! These dogs are incredibly smart, too smart sometimes!!

I must be crazy , but what is screaming out to me from all of your responses is . GSP, HIGH ENERGY MOST ATHLETIC BREED!!!! They need execise first before all else.  If you exercise at minimal young GSP one hour and half in morning and one and one half in evening for a young GSP to 5 years old, then they will stay nicely in house without destroying every thing. But the owner of a GSP must make a life commitment to exercise and train without crate in the vocabulary. That is why many GSP's end up in rescues. Many people donot realize how much time and dedication it takes to properly exercise, train and the need each GSP needs pattern of exercise, feeding , training and many cannot be left a whole 8 hours work schedule. When I first adopted Rocky, he was a none stop energized bunny out of control!!!  I immediately started him running 1 and 1/half hour program AM and PM. Rocky transformed immediately into a calm GSP knowing he had set times to run off steam and times to be calm. Four year later Rocky is still on that program and has not detroyed anything uncrated in our house.  As another example of how HIGH ENERGY GSP's are. I could take our Chese/Lab Snickers around a 2 mile block walk and she was done for the day. She was content to just lay in our front yard the rest of the day. I took Rocky at 12 months around that same 2 mile block and when Rocky got home, Rocky would tell me " I am just warmed up, now lets play ball toss for the next 2 hours" and that is just what I did with him.  Now Rocky at 5 1/2 yrs is at 45 minutes ball toss AM and PM and 2 mile walk. So he has calmed down from 1 years old when we first adopted him from GSP RESCUE.  So my  unwanted advice to GSP Crate owners. Run the pants off your GSP for at least an hour and half before crating him or her for the day while you are at work.  GOOD NEWS you will be in the best health shape of your life and no need to join a health club and you have you GSP to thank for  Go for it 

ok

all of our dogs are crated trained and feed in crates - when it is feeding time they can not get in their crates fast enough.

our dogs are exercised we have been dog owners for over 15 years and know what is needed. We live out in the country with lots of exercise room and with bird training.  In all of our years of dogs we have had 3 smart ones 2 were mastiffs and 1 is a gsp.  Maybe I am reading the tone of the 2 post wrong which I hope I am.

our problem isn't just the crate He OPENS ALL of our doors - he is NOT destructive he just doesn't believe in closed doors or fence boundaries.

our gsps are 5,3,2 and almost 2 I don't think Homer will be ending up in rescue just because he is smarter then us.

I just thought his antics were funny and wanted to share them