An Update on Our Swiss Dackels

Dackel: German for Dachshund, or "like the hot dog" as people on the street comment often about the boys.

It's been right at a week since the boys arrived in Switzerland from Texas.  They flew United via Chicago to Zurich.  I don't get the feeling they were huge fans of flying.  Tanner was horse when he arrived- I'm assuming from all the barking he did in transit.  We were extremely happy with their care when with the transport company.

Reunited!

We were relieved to have them here, even though it does mean that I have to get up earlier to take them out (in the cold right now) and typically must make additional trips outside before actually leaving the apartment to do what I need to do.  I think the boys made it feel complete, like we were actually home here and everyone had arrived safely.

The Adjustment:
As each day goes on the boys seem to adjust a little more to their new life.  They did not let us out of their sight for the first few days.  The apartment is not that big, but if I went into the bedroom or kitchen, I always had the boys right there behind me; I guess just to make sure that I wasn't going anywhere. Toby has found a spot on the couch where he can watch both the living room and kitchen, just in case BK and I are not in the same place.

We did have one pretty big issue the first couple of days, and are still working on it.  Toby seems to have been traumatized by the fact that he had to ride in a crate for a long trip on the airplane, then until delivery.  They did get to get out and have walks, water and food, but I'm sure that's the longest they've had to be in the crate AND not had us come home to greet them.  When he and Tanner get in their crate (we brought from Texas) Tanner is fine and snuggles right up, but Toby yelps as soon as I leave the room.  Yikes in an apartment where you're trying to be considerate of the fact that others live around you! Yesterday he was down to only barking for a minute or so; hopefully he will continue to figure out that, yes, we are going to come back to him.

Toby likes to look out the window

Transitioning from a doggie dog and yard has not been a problem.  They both do well on the leash, with the exception of Tanner's constant pulling forward.  Tanner does not appreciate that it is cold and has been raining lately.  He has learned not to fight the coat quite so much, and I have a new appreciation for the coats, as they keep the apartment from not smelling like wet dog all the time.

On nice days I try to take them on a lengthy walk- usually 30 minutes to an hour.  For dogs whose legs are approximately four inches long, that can be quite a long walk.   We always walk with BK to his tram stop in the morning, drop him off, then head in a different direction to eventually end up back at the apartment.  This morning I took them to a park/forest and we ended up walking for about 1.5 hours, which has pretty much sacked them out since we got back.

The other thing we're working on, and it is a serious work in progress, is not barking at everyone and every other dog on the street.  They've actually improved in the week they've been here, but we still have a ways to go.  We also haven't really let them off the leash in parks yet.  I'm usually outnumbered, so we'll wait for BK on that one.

How Tanner prefers to spend his time

This afternoon we're headed to our first vet appointment over here and will be riding the tram to get there.  This should be interesting, especially considering that it's raining, which Tanner will absolutely love.  I'm thinking about putting him in my bag, then I only have to deal with corralling Toby.  I'll have to let you know how it goes.  Wish us luck!