safety belts or crates?

[pizzi]

I was wondering how people travel distances with their dogs. My dog Pepe is crate trained but I have heard that there are seat belts so they can see out. Have any of you tried them?

[Carol]

My Cocker Spaniel Casey has a harness that is for use with the seatbelt in the car. Not everyone has a vehicle large enough for a crate. This harness is soft on the chest area and has a place on the back to thread the seatbelt through. It allows her to lie down on the seat and prevents her from becoming a missile in the event of a collision. They also have harnesses that are heavier and stronger looking for more muscular dogs. I will not allow Casey in a vehicle without this harness.

[PrettyPaws]

Harness suits us too. We often take Jovi to wales for the weekend and there isn't enough room for a crate.

[shell]

My little dog gets car sick if I use a crate for him. He's fine with the belt because he can still sit up and see all the action outside.

[PrettyPaws]

I forgot to mention, we stock some lovely soft harnesses which come with a free safety strap for cars.

http://www.prettypawsaccessories.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=67

[sheltie2007]

hi, have two sheltie's and have never used a crate or harness, dont like crates at all. we all travelled from scotland to london in car with two dogs on back seat. as soon as car starts moving both my boys lay down they even go to sleep there.

[colliecrazy]

My 6 do too . I have thought of investing in a tailgate for safety reasons tho.

[chrisjonesxx]

When driving with just one dog, I use a harness linked to the seat belt. The dog can get comfortable and is restrained in the event of a collision.

A few years ago, we relocated with five dogs and we put them all in a very large crate in the back of our estate car (don't know what 'estate' is in American). We than padded the sides with pillows and stuff, so that they would be harmed as little as possible in an impact. They slept all the way on a four hour journey - cuddled together and relaxed.

But I would not put a single dog in a crate - I fear it would be thrown about too much inside the crate if there was an accident.

[Wolfwalker]

The reason being that she used to travel in a harness but decided one trip to chew through it. It also cost me £400 for a new seat belt. :(

As I would not dream of traveling with a loose dog in the car for a couple of reasons. 1) a loose Giant Schnauzer would have the impact of a baby Elephant on the back of my head in a collision. 2) if a door or tailgate came open in an impact she would be free to run into the road, probably get run over, or cause another accident. So the crate is my only option. It is exactly the same as the one she sleeps in and is anchored to the load area of the car.

[dobetaztic]

i use both but i would never drive any where without one or the other, we should always think what happens to ourselves if we crash the same will hapen to our dogs, it is now illeagal for children and adulots not to be restrained any where in the car because it is deamed dangerous this should also be implyed for our animals. :(

[very_vizsla]

i think that dog seat belts are silly & i question how safe they are for the dog wearing it. i tend to use a crate when i'm driving with jersey.

[TrasiGator]

After being smacked in the back of the head with a pit bull durring a rear end collision - I realized how important a restraint for a dog in a car is. It bennifits the dog by keeping it somewhat anchored and not flying about the car in an accident. It also helps the owner by keeping the dog in a somewhat stationary position. Beef cant sneak into the front seat as I am driving and he won't hit the windshield again in the event that someone else hits my car. The harnesses work well, and if they fit well I think are the best option for travel.

[ErinMoore]

My two Shelties have done plenty of travelling by car and I've found that three key things make a difference to their comfort:

- Use a crate! My dogs have always loved their crates and quite happily go into them for naps and their meals so it makes sense that, when travelling, they feel most comfortabe in their crates. It really is the safest place for your dog (buckle the crate in using the seatbelt) and the other passengers in the car.

- Face the crate forward, not sideways. I've found that if I sit the crate sideways on the seat, my dogs are often sick. Similar to my own preference to ride facing forward, my dogs seem to prefer facing the direction they're going.

- Put a blanket or pad in the bottom of the crate. I've found that if my dogs don't have a pad or blanket, they slide around and can't get a grip on the slippery plastic floor of their crate. This increases their stress level and ends up making them feel sick. :)

[Rhianna]

We used a seat belt for crystal one of my poodles and she chewed through it ! so we creat her and the others know its safer.

[ErinMoore]

Dogs who have been trained to love their crate will find this the safest, most secure way to travel. Just as we put a seatbelt on our children, it's important to buckle in your pooch's crate. The dog ends up being much more comfortable in a safe and solid crate that is not jiggling around during the trip and that means a happier calm dog that doesn't get sick. :)

[lovethatdogg]

I too love the dog harness. He does not seem to mind it!

[andymapleleafreadyready]

i was stationary in a line of traffic and a driver who had fallen asleep carreiered into the back of my car my german shepard was sitting next to me in the mayhem i was knocked out but cana was paniced and jumped out of the car only problem was when i got hit it threw me into the oppersite lane an as cana jumped out of the car she was hit by a van and dragged 100 ft up the carriegeway i tie my dogs in the van now or create them cana survived iam glad to say and lived to a ripe old age no thanks to me not securing her

[janice]

we have car cages fitted in the back of our estate car with 2 front doors and a emergency back door , :)

[chocolvr_lhu]

I travel quite frequently from CT to PA with both of my boys. On those long trips, they both ride in individual crates. They sleep the entire way. When traveling around town, they ride wearing harnesses that attach to the seat belt. They both love riding in the car and I've gotten lucky with neither of them getting car sick!

[dressedupdogs]

I travel great distances with my two wonderful dogs, Peanut & Benji. Most recently we made a journey by car of 1490 miles. I tried the blanket across the seat, the seat belt chest restraint, the crate in rear of the van...but it all had problems. The crate moved around and there was the danger of luggage falling on it. The dogs are short and small and a carseat chest harness prevented them from seeing out the window. The blanket across the seat was just plain unsafe!

So I did some research and got two very different and wonderful pet carseats! (from: http://www.dressedupdogs.com[/URL]). One of the carseats pack up into a small easy to carry suitcase. Both have a small space for extras: leashes, a small collapsible bowl, a harness, a comb, etc.:)
The dogs cuddle into their carseats, I know that they are safe.

Even if I stop short they do not fly around. I recently was hit by a driver who ran through a red light. She took the front end off the car. Had the dogs been free on the seat, they could have been injured. When the doors to the rear passenger sides of the car were opened by the police, the dogs were secure, safe and could not jump out and run into traffic.

I love my pet carseats...they are priceless.

[LABLOVER500]

I have a jeep and in the summertime it is topless and doorless... I often wheel with my 2 dogs... They have a normal harness during regular outings around town.. but when wheeling.. they are in a 4-point harness.. I've had the jeep on her side with both big boys in the back.. they do perfect...

[LoveMyLabs]

I've never used anything. I put them in the back seat and they stay there. Granted it's probably not good if we ever got in a wreck but a crate wouldn't be either. I'd say the harness/seat belt is the better way to go.

[CerbiesMom]

I use the seatbelt with Cerbie, and I think i'm going to get a carseat for Brigit. I've been in an accident with Cerbie, andI was so glad I had the seatbelt harness for him.

[LupineRain]

Hello! I use the doggie seat belts all the time. Having a small car, it's the best way for me to travel with my animals. i usually keep my smaller dogs, like the JRT's, in the crate, but put the seat belt on my lab and golden. Iv never had a problem with the seat belts and it keeps them in the seat when they try to come up to the front to "visit" me. lol. not the greatest thing for a dog to do when im driving on a highway. I highly recomend them.

[caninejan]

Bubba rides with a seat belt tether connected to his harness at all times. We're in the car alot and this is the only way to keep him safe while allowing him the freedom to sit, lie down and stand. He's great in the car!

[BetterDog4U]

Neka loves the car, and she love to ride in the back seat.

The longest ride she goes on is across town (about 10 miles) so she rides loose. She goes into the neighbors dog crate when its on thier garage floor so I think she would be fine with a crate, but I've never tried it with her in a car.

[kiya]

i use both but i would never drive any where without one or the other, we should always think what happens to ourselves if we crash the same will hapen to our dogs, it is now illeagal for children and adulots not to be restrained any where in the car because it is deamed dangerous this should also be implyed for our animals. :(

i think it is illegal now to drive with a dog not stapped in or caged,,:) x

[kiya]

i use doggy seat belts, but my male hates it, and i dont have room for a cage in my car, my female loves the seat belt, :) x

[PudelGrl]

Both my kids travel in crates, both seem happier with the arrangement than the seatbelt. I bungee both crates down in the back of my car (I have a hatchback, crate fitting was one of the #1 priorities when I bought my car) and face them towards the back which makings loading and unloading really simple.

I am generally a careful driver, but I don't always trust other people on the road. If anything ever happens, I want my kids to be in a safe place.