Car Harnesses

[Baby Dragon]

Now that I've tried two different sorts of Pet Buckles and two different sorts of Roadies, I really like all of them for different reasons.

In my experience (with a Lab and a Lab X):

Roadie Elite

Pros: It sits nice and snug on the dog, and it seems like a dog would have a hard time getting out of one on it's own (though I've heard of dogs that have!) It's straight forward and doesn't need adjusting to put it on the dog (it's non adjustable.)

Cons: It's a bit hard to put on the dog, and you have to lift the dog's legs up pretty high to put them through the loops. I personally wouldn't use it on a dog with any joint problems. I also found that my dogs needed one size bigger than it indicated on the sizing guidelines, but that probably depends on the build of dog. The loop where the seat belt threads through is small and it can be a little bit difficult to get the seat belt through it. The harness is non adjustable.

Roadie Basic

Pros: I found it easier to put on the dog than the Roadie Elite in that the loops opened up bigger so I didn't have to lift the dog's legs up quite as high. I still wouldn't want to use it on a dog with joint problems. The loop where the seat belt goes in is bigger than the one on the Roadie Elite so it's easier to put the seat belt through it.

Cons: There are 3 clips to do up when putting it on the dog and it can be a bit tricky to get the hang of putting it on the dog at first, but easier as you get used to it. It doesn't sit as snugly on the dog as the Roadie Elite and it's a little more bulky.

Pet Buckle with silver sliders

Pros: This harness is very easy to put on and take off the dog. The harness is very adjustable, and you can open the loops right up so you don't have to lift the dog's legs up as high as the Roadies to put them through the loops.

Cons: It doesn't seem to sit quite as nicely on my dogs compared to the Roadies. The loop that sits on the dog's chest and goes around the front legs sits a little further forward than what I would like (more on the dog's armpit/leg than the chest.) The harness doesn't go as far down the back of the dog as the Roadies. The harness tends to slide sideways (but that might be because I didn't do it up tight enough?) and unless you have a dog that willingly does a 'down' in the car, it would be difficult to thread the seat belt through the top loop unless you have the Pet Buckle teather. You have to re-adjust this harness every time you put it on the dog (although it's very easy to do.)

Pet Buckle with red clips

Pros: I found this to be the easiest to put on and take off the dog. You don't have to put the dog's legs through any loops, so I would recommend this harness as the best if your dog has joint issues. You don't have to keep re-adjusting the harness each time you put it on and take it off the dog.

Cons: About the same as above 'Pet Buckle with silver sliders.' One difference is that so far I haven't found this harness to slide sideways as much as the Pet Buckle with silver sliders, (but that may just be an adjustment thing.)

I like them all for different reasons, and I hope this helps others who are looking for the right kind of seat belt harness for their dogs.

If anyone wants pictures of the different harnesses on dogs let me know.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Baby Dragon