When we first brought Hugo home as a puppy, crate training was recommended by his breeder. But we weren’t convinced. The idea of putting our dog in a crate didn’t feel right, and we weren’t sure it was something we’d ever fully commit to.
We eventually introduced a crate, but we didn’t set it up as his own space. Hugo had multiple beds around the house, and the crate was just another option, not somewhere he chose to rest.
One day, after destroying a bed, all that remained was a long, cylinder cushion. Almost by accident, it fit perfectly around the inside of his crate. From that moment on, something changed. Hugo began using his crate as his primary place to rest, choosing it over every other bed.
That was the insight: it wasn’t the crate itself that mattered, but the feeling inside it.
The problem was, the cushion wasn’t designed for real life. It couldn’t be washed, the filling broke down quickly, and it wasn’t built to last. When we realised we needed to replace it, we couldn’t find anything that offered the same structure, comfort, and durability.
