TOTALY aggree with lots of excersize! Remember excersizing your dog doesnt necessarily mean play fetch or run lots....take a nice steady paced walk, maybe a couple times a day for like half hour or so, trust me im sure you'll notice a change!! I personally dont like the metal cages, sometimes they can jiggle the latch and get out or get like a foot caught in between the bars..i really like the crate, you can get them at wal-mart, their alot cheaper there then like petco or petsmart! It's just a travel crate, but big enough to stand, lye down and turn around! cainan isnt a big fan of them, in the middle of the night and in the morning i always here him trying to dig his way out and chew on the metal door...but he's safe from hurting himself and possibly breaking out! i've never heard of a dog getting out of one of those...unless the door isnt latched all the way or the screws the hold the bottom and top together are on tightly! but anyways, good luck!!