Coming home
The crate as a den, not a cage
If it meets the crate on travel day, it will hate it. If it is already its corner in the sitting room, the car is only a den that moves.
The crate is not for “putting the puppy away” when it is a nuisance. It is for giving it an edge. Dachshunds love edges: a den, a blanket, the space under the table. An open crate in the sitting room, with a blanket, becomes that edge. Later, in the car, it is the same smell. Anyone who only brings it out for the journey teaches the puppy that the box predicts something bad.
- 01
Open, indoors, from the start
Door off or fixed open. Water bowl outside. Nobody who shuts it as a trick.
- 02
It goes in on its own, you praise low
You do not shove. A toy or a cloth of its own, inside. You wait.
- 03
Closing comes later, for a moment
One minute, you in sight. Then two. The long journey is the sum of these rehearsals, not the first exam.
A den is chosen. A cage is endured. A dachshund knows the difference at the first click of the latch.
Written by LA BANDA BASSOTTO, dachshund breeder in Lodi (Lombardy, Italy), ENCI/FCI kennel affix Villa Quattro Zampe.
These pages are born from daily life with our dogs. For their health, your veterinarian remains the dearest and truest voice.
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