How do you keep your dog safe in the car?

[cavalicious]

I'm still holding Ollie on the limited car trips we go on

Is there any way of attathing his harness to the seatbelt or something?

Also, those wonderful lookouts are a bit out of budget right now!

[Karlin]

Oh gosh, for your safety, his safety, and that of all other passengers, please do not hold him; this is SO dangerous. He would not stand a chance even in a slow collision (even at 25 mph he would be hurled into the seatback or dashboard at speeds around 100mph; if you are sitting in front and an airbag opened, he would be killed instantly, and you could sustain very serious injury from having him flattened into your abdomen or chest from the force of an airbag -- remember they will kill babies and toddlers [that is why children are not supposed to ever be in the front passenger seat any longer] so will easily do the same to a small dog). If he were thrown out of your lap, as is likely, and through the car, he could easily break the neck of passengers if he hit them. So you are right to be looking at better options!

Get him into a right-sized crate (eg not too big or too small) that is seatbelted through the handle down to the seat, or a specially designed harness that clips to a seatbelt. There are several designs on the market but the best (and only one actually tested for safety) is: www.ruffrider.com

[Barbara Nixon]

I use a harness, designed for car journeys, not an ordinary walking harness (though it can be used for that), when taking one dog and on short journeys. Longer distance, I use a crate.

[Bruce H]

A crate is the safest. You can get a crate that is just big enough to lay down in. We have found that when we crate our dogs in the car, all they do is sleep anyway.

Sometimes you have to get creative. We put two dogs together in a crate when they all travel together with us. Last year When Kris and I went for a week to Duluth for the dog show and heart clinic we brought 10 of our 12 dogs. The hardest part was securing all the crates and our gear so they wouldn't take off in an accident. There were also crates in front of these that we accessed from the side doors.

[murphy's mum]

I use a car harness. Murphy normally travels in the back, but if it's just me in the car, he can sit in the front, as I turn off the passenger air bag.

[Sunna]

I use crates in the back of the car. I have two, and put Fjalar & Mirra together in one, Molder in another They feel just very comfortable and sleep all the time.

[Ste]

I use crates (cat carriers), it's a bit of a squeeze getting 3 of them onto the back seat but it's great peace of mind knowing that they're saftely contained, also if we do crash there's less chance of the dogs getting out into the road.

[mishmosh]

I use a RAC car harness.

My car isn't big enough for a crate.

[cavalicious]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll go with the car harness, a car-sized crate will be a bit expencive at the moment.

He used to go in the cat cage in the first month of 2 when he used to go in the car a lot to the vet and puppy school. His only been held by me (with leash and puppia) twice because h got too big for the cat one.

Thanks agian

Edited to add: Car sized sounds funny! I meant a crate that will fit in the car!!!! Not his bedtime one (too big) and not the cat one (too small)

[Karlin]

Sometimes you have to get creative.

That certainly is creative use of space! That's one packed car!

The point of the dogs not geting loose if there was a crash is important and a good argument for crates. Also, many rescue services (police, fire, ambulance) actually have a specific policy that says they will NOT rescue a dog that is not crated as it is a major bite risk for them. So that's a consideration, too.

I know we tend to think it will never be us but I know of quite a few stories where people had dogs in crates that survived an impact where a dog in a harness might not -- especially harnesses that give dogs quite a bit of lead space. For a large dog that doesn't matter so much but for a small dog that leaves too much length so they will still be catapulted into the dash or the seatback.

BTW I have read a good suggestion in the past to write your vet's name/number in permanent marker on crates as well as your name and number, and write if the dog needs any special meds.

I actually keep a few crates taken in half and stacked in the trunk/boot and a cuple of car harnesses in the glove compartment (has anyone ever put a glove in a glove compartment? ). For that matter I keep a lead or two and a few collars there too, as you never know when you'll need one for a stray or a rescue.