Thwarting a box break

Not quite kissy face

Here's the set up. I keep them separated by two doors most of the day. (I do have a life and there are chores to do.) Several times each day-- four so far today-- they have visitation. By that I mean play time, and by that I mean play fighting time. This is allowed only in one or two rooms where there's nothing breakable. I stop the play several times, wrap my arms and legs around her, and wait, and wait and wait until she calms down. When she has, play resumes. After the final STOP, she goes into her box. He typically mills around, and depending on what I'm doing, settles in by her door.

My thinking is that they are eventually going to be together in the whole house and so she needs to learn how to settle down with him. 

Just now I'd left them long enough to get a drink of water. I returned just in time to see...

(She forgot to make her bed today.)

Rocky pulling up the lower latch. I am not kidding! The lower latch was at the open position, although he hadn't yet slid it to the left. Probably just coincidence. But it's not a complicated mechanism and he's a smart dog. 

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Look at the size of that dog. This crate is supposed to hold a 120 pound dog. Lord, I hope it never does.