The Dog Behavior Institute Blog
Comfy Car Crating: A resource roundup
Here at DBI, we are preparing for our summer workshop at the Canine Center at Hessian Hill in upstate New York. During this workshop, many dogs will be spending time in the car while they wait for other dogs to finish their turns or while we’re doing human-only exercises. Some people are already familiar with how to do this safely and comfortably, but car crating is brand new for other people (including us!). Here are some resources and tips we have gathered from a range of sources about safe and comfortable car crating.
The Mythical Brewery Dog
In your mind you can picture the whole evening: When you get home from work, you’ll call out “Bravo, let’s go to the Beer Garden!” When you arrive at the brewery, he’ll be the perfect gentleman, trotting alongside you (he doesn’t pull on leash) to the table where your friends await your arrival. Bravo will be thrilled to greet everyone and will have a little wiggle in his step as he does so. He’ll jump ever so politely with just his front two paws a few inches off the ground, but your friends won’t mind - they’ll be happy to see him too…
Here’s the thing: I’m not 100% sure that Bravo exists in real life. Let me describe why I think Bravo might not exist and why it matters.