Do you use a car harness?

[Deborah Brown]

I had tried one years ago with Charlie but he got all tangled up in it and I gave up.  My puppy, Penny, is somewhat of a menace in the car so I decided she really needed to be secured.

I purchased the Kurgo harness and thought I had it sized properly for her. She got in the car, was tethered and we took off for a 20 minute ride to her agility class. I was impressed that she seemed rather quiet and subdued. YAY! It's really working wonders! Well, when we arrived I found out that she had chewed through one of the chest straps. All that quiet time was because she was busy destroying the harness. 

So now I have to decide if I want to try again. Maybe if the chest straps were tighter against her body, she wouldn't have been able to get hold of it? Any ideas? This is what she was wearing: 

 

http://www.kurgostore.com/dog-harnesses/enhanced-strength-tru-fit-s...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I do!

When Spud was younger I often turned around in the car to find the Easy Walk Harness, The Gentle Leader, and leashes, chewed. UGH.  Spud is not a chewer either.  This was really expensive.

I had another harness strap break when I put the brakes on in the car. Spud came flying forward.

I dont remember who it was but several years ago a young doodle was in a car and the husband put on the brakes, The dog came flying forward.  They thought nothing of it until they got home.  This young pup broke the hip right out of the socket :(  

Even with some setbacks, I encourage you to use one.  Each passing year improvements are being made to have a safe alternative to dog travel.  With all my problems I went to Dawn Ross.  She calmed me down and set me up right.  I was pretty upset and frustrated.

Contact Dawn and tell her what is going on. I promise you, she will help  :)

At the time, I asked Dawn to join DK and help us out.  Here is her DK page too.http://www.doodlekisses.com/profile/DawnRoss

[Deborah Brown]

I sent a message to Dawn.  I will let everyone know what she recommends for dedicated chewers.

[Deborah Brown]

I've been corresponding with Dawn at Pet Auto Safety.  It seems there is no perfect restraint for avid chewers.  Her response is below which includes a link to an advice page about harness chewing.

Unfortunately, I am not aware of any chew proof harnesses. I imagine that finding the right safe material that dogs can't chew through is near impossible. I do, however, have some tips that might help, including using a chew deterrent spray - http://www.petautosafetyblog.com/pet-auto-travel-safety/671-tips-to...

The ClickIt has a broad chest piece and wider straps that might be more difficult for a dog to chew all the way through, but not impossible. And they can probably still chew through the ClickIt's side straps with ease. The Bergan has a broader chest and wider straps too, but again, the tether strap can be easy to chew through. Same with the AllSafe. I'm sorry I don't have a better answer for you.  I don't currently carry this brand, but the Allsafe looks like it has a wider chest piece, and it rated just below the ClickIt in safety. The straps around the chest just behind the dog's front legs look about the same in thickness as the ClickIt and Bergan, though.

[a.k.a. Rodney]

I got this neet thing...(IMO), it works great for us...it's simply a car seat buckle that you can fasten to a harness or whatever you choose. It's pretty universal for all cars..my DerbyDoodle has always just plopped down in any car & stays there so she's kind of easy to work with on this. It gives her some short movement on the seat but is really safely connected in a car and won't fall or fly all over in case of an accident. I did get a harness from the same people but really just use this...I think the product was from Kurgo. I have had GREAT success with TABASCO sauce..dabbed, sprinkled or dropped on anything I don't want chewed...it's gotten to the point I just show her the big red bottle & she knows to leave stuff alone!!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

just show the big red bottle- lol! these doods are too smart! 

[Deborah Brown]

It seems hat Penny chewing through the Kurgo harness is the best thing that could have happened.  Now that I've researched car harnesses a bit more, I know that the Kurgo would not have kept her safe in an accident.  Those skinny straps would just have snapped.

I ended up buying the Allsafe harness.  It is more expensive but so much sturdier.  The straps are the quality of an auto seat belt, not a cheap leash.  She actually seems to like it and is not trying to destroy it.  It is a bit tricky to get on.  The dog steps into it and then you pull it over the head.  It's like dressing a toddler.  It has an attachment tether that can give a dog some room to move around.  I am tightening it as far as it will go because in testing the dog was able to fly off the seat a good distance.  Again, that defeats the purpose of the restraint.

Now I just need two more for when all the dogs ride together.