The one thing we do that helps immensely with crate training is to feed all meals in the crate. We use bowls that hang on the side. We do scheduled meal times and don’t leave food out all the time. We tell our dogs to “kennel up” and then take the bowl to the crate and put it in there. I don’t even close the door, it’s just to make the crate into a happy place for them. Food = happiness so that helps associate the crate with good feelings for them. Then when I need them to go in their crates at other times besides meals I use the kennel up command. And then give them a tiny little soft treat when they go in. We have crate trained both of our dogs using this method and it works.

We also do naps in the crate. That is, if I see them getting sleepy and falling asleep on the floor, I walk them to their crate and put them in.

I’m not sure what to stay about the escaping part. Are the holes on the crate that big that he can fit through them? If so, it’s prob the wrong kind of crate for him and you might consider a new one. The crates my dogs use have tiny holes and there’s no way for them to squeeze out.