Crate problem

Question
Hi, I have a 1 year old male pit bull.  He is the sweetest dog you ever want to see, however, lately he has become horribly vicious when we put him in his crate to go to work in the morning.  He resembles a wolf biting the cage door.  It takes both my husband and I to close the door using our feet - we are afraid to put our hands down there.  I have noticed that he has become larger than the cage.  I am going to buy a larger one tomorrow - could this be the problem?  We adore our dog and would hate to have him bite us or something.  There must be something psychological going on.  Please help!!

Answer
Confining a dog to a crate, no matter how large (but especially one too small for him), for anything more than four hours at a time is inhumane.

What you're seeing is barrier aggression.  The dog is frantic and is learning to use aggression to control you.  His first "aggressive" response, toward the barrier itself (the cage door) is beginning to generalize to YOU.  The more he reacts in an aggressive manner to his confinement, and the more you visibly respond with fear and removal of your body parts, the more he is learning that using aggression works.  He might soon begin to use it outside the crate.  

You must find an alternative method of confinement.  Leaving him in the kitchen with a bowl of water and some special toys when you are gone is the humane alternative.  You must also have him NEUTERED ASAP if you have not already done this.  If you perceive the dog beginning to growl or use any aggressive response for any purpose at any time in the future, repost immediately.