Car Behaviour ..... How to Retrain.

[Cicero's Mummy]

Luckily, so far, every doggie I have ever owned (okay just one) was small enough to fit in a small petflys carrier, which can be buckled into the car seat and stays pretty well... but my friends with larger dogs recommend both the pet lookout (with harness attachment) and just the plain old harness attachment that goes on a seat belt (which is properly secured keep the dog in place and do not tangle).

After seeing a link that showed what can happen in a crash if your dog was not strapped in, I vowed NEVER to let my dog run loose in the car. (that sherpanet thing looks like it would be comfy and work nicely for short trips). Also, if you have airbags you may want to think twice about the dog sitting on the passengers lap. And I never recommend the dog be sitting on the drivers lap, both because of airbags and just too plain distracting and hazardous!

I think there may be a link around here somewhere, if I can find it I will post it. The video shows two Crash Test Dummy Dogs - one restrained, one not- in the event of a crash. The poor unrestrained doggie gets completely tossed, while the other one (who could possibly still get minor injuries) was still in his general seating area with less tossing.

[Zippy]

I *do* like the Stow & Go .... checked it out online and it states that it's good up to 19 lbs.

Mary Alice is just under 18 lbs.

We cannot tell if she's been spayed, supposedly was but there is no visible incision.

Do the girls gain weight after the op??

Willow and Cedar look very content in their car beds...especially Willow! ;D

Thanks again for the links, photos and information.

It's very much appreciated.

[Joanne M]

I do not use a car seat. For awhile I was using a harness/hook that I slid over the seat-belt and attached to Tucker's collar or harness. It was not long enough, he was getting strangled by it. I only let Tucker in the back seat. I drive a small car, a Toyota Corolla that has high bucket seats, and very foamy head rests. The seats are in the most furthest back position as I'm tall and have long legs, even if I stop short Tucker does not get tossed around because there is almost no room to go in the back seat. I still worry about the possibility of an accident, but no car-seats I've looked at seemed as safe to me as the back seat with nothing. I do not let him sit in the front seat, it's too dangerous, as Cathy said he could get under the brake or gas pedal if he slipped off the seat, there is also too much room in the front seat between the seat and the dashboard / windshield. I also only remove Tucker from the car from the back passenger side. I keep the child safety locks on at all times when Tucker is in the car because he can and has operated the power window buttons on his own.

[Cicero's Mummy]

Here is the link that I talked about in above post:

http://www.immioutdoors.com/petbuckle/sledtest.htm

The video shows a car crash test on a sled with two "dog test dummies" one restrained and one not. It shows it from a variety of angles. The restrained dog still gets tossed around, but he stays in his seating area and at least he doesn't go through the windshield (poor test dummy doggie).


IMO, I would buckle my 3 year old in, right? Why not my Furkid as well.... lol!

We have a "lookout" booster seat for our little one that you can attach the harness to.

[Moviedust]

I *do* like the Stow & Go .... checked it out online and it states that it's good up to 19 lbs.

Mary Alice is just under 18 lbs.

We cannot tell if she's been spayed, supposedly was but there is no visible incision.

Do the girls gain weight after the op??

Willow and Cedar look very content in their car beds...especially Willow! ;D

Thanks again for the links, photos and information.

It's very much appreciated.

No, spaying does not cause a dog to gain weight. Diet and exercise controls body fat in dogs, just like in humans.

Is Zippy's 18 lbs appropriate for her frame? In otherwords, would it be healthy for her to lose weight?

You can purchase a seatbelt harness that attaches the dog straight to human seatbelt. They are more appropriate for larger dogs, in my opinion. But the Look Out Bench in Cathy's post is good up to 70 lbs. It would raise Zippy to the window AND keep the dog fur off the car apolstery, which is always a plus.

[Karlin]

I was wondering if she can be re-trained to just sit pretty in the back seat, with or without a seat or seatbelt.

Please, please do not even consider anything this dangerous for her or for you and any passengers in the car (without a belt or crate, that is). A dog would be unlikely to survive an impact if it hit the back seat and a collision at just 25mph would throw her at minimum 25mph straight into the back of the seat in front of her, most likely breaking her neck. At any higher speed, she is likely to be hurled airborne at which point she could break YOUR neck. Also many emergency services will not even try to rescue a dog that is not crated from any kind of car accident. Some have specific rules against this. This too is a reason for crating.

She needs either to be trained to use a seatbelt harness specially designed for dogs and approved as safe (not all are -- go for the best one you can buy) or to travel in a crate. Most dogs are BETTER in a crate with a dark sheet over it as this is a very calming environment. I transport a lot of cavaliers for rescue and almost all will settle before long in a crate where they CANNOT see out, for a long journey. It is the movement of scenery past the car that actually makes most dogs anxious and sick.

Training to travel in a car takes time and patience. You can start by rewarding her just for sitting quietly in her harness on the back seat. Progress to driving around the block, then up to longer trips. But for long trips I much prefer crates, as some dogs can get tangled, sometimes painfully, in some types of seatbelt harnesses (I've used a few) and a crate just makes the whole travel thing much easier and less prone to problems.

If you search this board for other discussion on car transport you will see much discussion about what to use.

[Zippy]

Hi Karlin,

I do use the crate but she just hates it.
Mary Alice gets very frantic in the crate, either in the house or car.

I don't know what it is that upsets her but I totally agree that she shouldn't be loose in the car.

It's hard to drive with a howler in the back but that's how we go to the vets.

I am taking her on short rides but she flips out in the crate.

Hopefully, someday she'll settle..... ;D

[Zippy]

Update.......

We took Mary Alice to be microchipped today.

She stayed quiet in the crate til the car stopped!!

The vet is about a 10-15 minute drive.......we're thrilled!!

Good going, Mary Alice!!

[Cathy Moon]

Mary Alice, you go girl!

[gocamping]

Great job Mary Alice. Here is a picture of Libby in her seat. We got this at Target. It's on rollers. It hooks to her collar. She can see out and if necessary we can even close the top. It is made to travel on planes too.