Do you seat belt your doggies or use a crate when riding with them in the car?

[Debbie, Brianna and Duncan]

If so, which seat belt type works the best for you..I have also heard that in a crate could keep them safe...anyone have information on this, Please share what you can on this..

Thanks

[Adina P]

Hi Debbie, I've been itching for this discussion because I am still not sure what the best car harness is. I know many have recommended the champion harness, but I've also heard that it takes forever to ship. But I have gone back and forth on the harnessing/not harnessing my dogs.

[Susan, Zeke. Lily & Jasper]

We recently took a 2400 mile trip with Zeke who was 6 months old at the time. We use a seat belt harness from Petsmart made by Aspen Pet Products. We hooked his leash around the headrest of the back seat and then to the harness. This worked great and allowed Zeke some freedom to move about but not too much. He tolerated the harness very well, but seemed glad to be free of it when we stopped for the night. For short trips around home I hook a short leash to his flat collar. ( the short leash is secured with the seat belt ) Included is a picture of Zeke ready to ride on our trip.

[Julie, Boomer, Milo & Casey]

Susan - can Zeke lay down with the harness on? 

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

I have a dog barrier in the back of my SUV, which prevents the dogs from flying forward in case of a sudden stop, or a collision. I have needed to hit the brakes hard once while they were in the back, and they both got pushed into the bar pretty hard; luckily without getting injured. I'm sure it was an uncomfortable experience for them, but if I hadn't had the barrier, we all might have gotten seriously hurt.

http://www.topoftheline-travel.com/suv-auto-dog-pet-barrier.html

[Joe R.]

For eveyday trips they're both in whatever harness they are wearing and then I tie off their individual leashes to the soulder part if the seat belt. I actually built a platforn that covers the back seat of my truck and Gus and Lilly each have an oval dog bed to lay in. It keeps them from wanting to roam around.

[23ght0c2zk1tt]

I don't know the brand - but it's a harness-type that has a loop on the back, that is made of seat-belt material. Just above that loop is a D-ring. The actual shoulder-belt gets fed through the loop and fastened. It allows Chapin to stand, sit or laydown, but not move from his spot. We fasten the leash to the D-ring when he's out of the truck.

He's worn it ever since the day we picked him up, it's adjustable and I think it will fit fine even when he's fully grown.

We are going on a long ride at Christmas, and are debating the crate vs harness, so this is a timely discussion!

[Debbie, Brianna and Duncan]

Thanks for sharing your info everyone. I really appreciate it. I am up against space limits within the auto. I have to make an area for two dog restraints and four car booster seats, so I am taking all the info in from your wonderful sharing and trying to descide....

Looking at the harnesses, I did see the canine zip line and found this interesting and good for front or back impact, but wonder how this would hold up to a side impact, may release too much tension then allowing dog to go farther

I will post what we descide to try....until then, well I am not driving anywhere soon and looking for a new car on top of best way to keep everyone safe. I will gladly take any recommendations for safe auto models.

[Doe Asombrado]

Hi Debbie:
Since the day recieved Winston, we've used a harness the seat-belt tether. I works great and its not uncomfortable for Winston from what I can tell. Our harness has a D-ring that we clip the tether to, then we clip the tether to a loop in the in the seat. I bought it at PetSmart and its not expensive. You'll have to buy the harness separate. Winston already uses a harness for training so it works out great. Here is the the tether: PetBuckle Kwik-Connect Tether.

[Brittany&Sami]

I will be having Sami in the car quite a bit and I have been looking for a good way to keep her safe. When I first saw the Harness/belt's that they have at PetSmart  they just didn't look that safe to me, but I am glad that I found this post I will have to look again. Sam is kind of restless at times in the car. I put her in the back seat and she'll lay or sit nicely at first but eventually will start roaming around and looking out the back windows, every now and then she will start to whine and three times (all after vet appointments) she has gotten sick, so it probably IS better to get a belt that will let her move around a little bit? I think I will also look around online..I really wish we had more independent pet shops in my area :P

[Robyn, Greg and Snickers]

We use the zip line harness (we got it at Krisers a local pet store) and it works great.  Before we settled on the zip line we had the harness that hooked on the seatbelt.  Snickers figured out if he pulled on the belt, took his head and slipped it out of the harness VOILA he was free!  We tried 2 harnesses that were seatbelt ones and both our little Houdini figured out how to get out of!  In fact the one we bought at PetSmart, put him in the car with it and before we left the parking lot he was out of it!  The zip line allows him to roam the back seat, which the other didn’t, we don’t let him stand he always has to be sitting, but it gives him movement at traffic lights. I don’t how well any harness withstands a crash (hate thinking about it) but I KNOW it has to be safer than letting them free or being like the mini-daschund I saw curled around the neck of its owner the other day, (the owner being the driver)  

[Jennifer and Jack]

Jack is small, under 13 pounds so not only is he seat belted in, he is in a booster seat so he can see out the window.  I got his booster seat from Pet Smart, That gets seat belted into the car just like a regular child's carseat would, then I have a harness that he wears that he is strapped into that then connected the harness strap in his carseat.

 

A lot of people on here just got this new harness that is red and everyone is really liking it. If I had a bigger dog I would for sure be using it.

 

This is what I have

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755199

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3975659

 

 

This is the one I see a lot of people are using..

 

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3832274&kee...

 

I wanted to add to this that, two weeks ago a lady in my town had her dog walker taking her dogs to the park. both dogs were sitting in the front seat, unrestrained. The lady got T boned, one dog was killed instantly and the other dog was thrown from the window. IT has been two weeks and they have not been able to find the other dog, HE has been on the news, people have been searching and searching for this dog. It was less then a mile from my house. It is so sad to me. The poor lady for sure lost one of her dogs and she doesn't know about the other which she said is the worst part for her.

 

[Robyn, Greg and Snickers]

That American Tourist one is the one he got out of before we left the
Parking lot.  We took it back and the person at Petsmart said it was tight enough he was just agile enough to free himself.  With the zip line one he doesn't even try because he is happy there is freedom.