iggy mum Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Hi all, I'm fairly new here (and to doggie ownership - only 12 months or so) so imagine this question has been asked before so sorry if I'm duplicating a thread ......... I've been scanning a number of topics to try and find out what the difference is between travelling in the car with your dog in a crate (soft crate???) or attached via a harness. Could someone please explain how crate travel is accomplished - sort of got the harness thing understood. Which is the best/safest/most doggie comfortable way for your dog to travel in the car - thinking a two to three hour trip for example??? And, harnesses to properly fit iggies, what's the best fitting and/or the most cost effective one? Any help greatly appreciated. Ta muchly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I think that for a smaller dog, a plastic crate (think airline approved) is safest and most comfortable. I've got three dogs and the smallest one travels in her airline crate while the others are harnessed and ride in the back seat with a back seat buddy designed to stop them falling into the footwell or jumping into the front seats. This arrangement works well for us even over long trips - think a road trip over a week or so which is what we've done several times now. I don't know enough about soft crates and car travel but I thought the soft crate was not designed to be a safe way of transporting a dog. Someone else may be able to shed more light on that point though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 A soft crate will offer no protection to your dog or yourself in the event of an accident. The need to be in a properly secure solid crate. A correctly fitting harness would offer better protection. There are harnesses that are for restraint in your car, but are not seat belts as such and could pull apart in the even of an accident. There is a topic somewhere that goes through wihich ones are proper seat belt harnesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoxyNHemi Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I have had a wagon, and have a cargo barrier, and the dogs just go in there. From time to time i used to crate the westie. I used to let the westie ride on the front seat with me, but the OH said if you have an accident he could projectile out of the car, or into the windscreen, so i started to put him in the wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pandii Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I have a cargo barrier and a harness, my dog was in my car in an minor accident, he had some bad head injuries. I would gomall crate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggy mum Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 I think that for a smaller dog, a plastic crate (think airline approved) is safest and most comfortable. I've got three dogs and the smallest one travels in her airline crate while the others are harnessed and ride in the back seat with a back seat buddy designed to stop them falling into the footwell or jumping into the front seats. This arrangement works well for us even over long trips - think a road trip over a week or so which is what we've done several times now. I don't know enough about soft crates and car travel but I thought the soft crate was not designed to be a safe way of transporting a dog. Someone else may be able to shed more light on that point though. Thanks for that info, but still another question..... If I get a crate for transport, does it just sit on the seat with the dog in it unattached to the car, does it have restraints to attach to the seat/belt, or do you wrap the seatbelt around it? How do you make the crate sit firmly without moving around eg braking, going around corners etc. NOT that I drive fast and it's a problem , but just wondering?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I think from memory small plastic crates I have seen have had the seatbelt around them and threaded through the handle. A solid wire crate attatched to the floor of say, a wagon, would be safer than a plastic one I would assume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edslaine Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Edward is a big dog and I have him in a harness/seat belt. The harness I tried first went through the ordinary seat belt that plugged in as normal but Edward got tangled up in it all the time. I've found one that has a long piece of webbing from the back and plugs straight into the seat belt. He doesn't get tangled and it would stop him from flying around in an accident (God forbid). It also allows him to stretch out on the back seat and reach the window to look out. I'll try to get a photo of him in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggy mum Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 Edward is a big dog and I have him in a harness/seat belt. The harness I tried first went through the ordinary seat belt that plugged in as normal but Edward got tangled up in it all the time. I've found one that has a long piece of webbing from the back and plugs straight into the seat belt. He doesn't get tangled and it would stop him from flying around in an accident (God forbid). It also allows him to stretch out on the back seat and reach the window to look out.I'll try to get a photo of him in it. That would be wonderful, thanks so much. It's so hard for a novice to work out what's best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I once had a head on car accident with two dogs in the car. My kelpie was asleep on the floor in the front and my GSD was asleep behind my drivers seat. The car was a Honda civic and the back seats were folded down so the back was like a station wagon. Both dogs were fine, I think mainly because they were asleep and low, I didnt come out of it quite as well. How ever I had to put my GSD down three weeks later as she had bleeding in her lungs, it turned out she had a lung tumour and maybe the accident ruptured it. I think a air travel crate that is secured is probably the safest way to go. IMHO Dogs that behave well while traveling eg; lie down, quiet, probably have more chance to survive the unforseen than the alert sitting up busy dog, head out window type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggy mum Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 kelpiekaye, so sorry to hear about your GSD's result after the accident, hope you weren't too badly hurt...... the reason I'm asking about this is that my iggy has a harness and travels quite well with it (and also quite well without it on short trips to the shop ) but after a couple of hours travelling (secured in the back seat) somehow she seems to be able to wriggle out of the harness without me knowing about it. She still lays quietly on the back seat, generally, but I want her to be secure without the worry of escape. that's another reason I was checking what the best harness for the small iggy shape would be, something escape/wriggle out of proof maybe as you suggest a proper secured crate may be the best way to go for her, only problem is that sometimes I take both my cats with me and they are secured in the back seat in their carry boxes. do you think a crate secured by seatbelt on the front passenger seat would be safe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I have my chi in an airline crate on the front seat with the seat belt around it. It keeps it really secure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 kelpiekaye, so sorry to hear about your GSD's result after the accident, hope you weren't too badly hurt...... the reason I'm asking about this is that my iggy has a harness and travels quite well with it (and also quite well without it on short trips to the shop ) but after a couple of hours travelling (secured in the back seat) somehow she seems to be able to wriggle out of the harness without me knowing about it. She still lays quietly on the back seat, generally, but I want her to be secure without the worry of escape. that's another reason I was checking what the best harness for the small iggy shape would be, something escape/wriggle out of proof maybe as you suggest a proper secured crate may be the best way to go for her, only problem is that sometimes I take both my cats with me and they are secured in the back seat in their carry boxes. do you think a crate secured by seatbelt on the front passenger seat would be safe? It would probably be safer in the back seat, but if you havnt got room the front seat will have to do. Nothing is 100% safe and you can only do your best. Dont know much about harnesses, saw some advertised at waggle.com.au that looked good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edslaine Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 That would be wonderful, thanks so much. It's so hard for a novice to work out what's best I hope I've got this photo 'thing' under control. Here's the harness. Oh that's not too bad - a bit blurred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 I have always travelled my dogs in crates. No problem with tangles, each dog has it's own space, any accidents are easily cleaned and for me, the best is that if for any reason, be it a breakdown or just change of plans you can put your dogs out of the car safely for shade, transfer to another vehicle if yours has to be towed or left somewhere. Had an incident a while ago, car caught on fire so I was able to just grab the crates and sit them a safe distance away without worrying about the dogs getting loose or having to find somewhere to tie them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggy mum Posted March 4, 2010 Author Share Posted March 4, 2010 That would be wonderful, thanks so much. It's so hard for a novice to work out what's best I hope I've got this photo 'thing' under control. Here's the harness. Oh that's not too bad - a bit blurred I see what you mean. Did you get the seatbelt strap attachment thingy with the harness or did you get it separately, and if so, from where. PS Proper piccie of your Edward please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggy mum Posted March 4, 2010 Author Share Posted March 4, 2010 I have always travelled my dogs in crates. No problem with tangles, each dog has it's own space, any accidents are easily cleaned and for me, the best is that if for any reason, be it a breakdown or just change of plans you can put your dogs out of the car safely for shade, transfer to another vehicle if yours has to be towed or left somewhere. Had an incident a while ago, car caught on fire so I was able to just grab the crates and sit them a safe distance away without worrying about the dogs getting loose or having to find somewhere to tie them up. That is a great reason to use crates, didn't think of that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edslaine Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I actually got the webbing and seat belt clip from a camping shop - pretty cheap. Then I sewed it on the sewing machine. A friend was going to make one for her dog but found one similar at a petshop. I haven't seen them though. Here's Edward - with a head :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poochmad Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 We use a car harness for our dogs. When we bought the first one for Henschke we didn't know you could get an 'extension' for the harness and he used to get himself tangled up. Then we saw another that had a piece that connects to the seatbelt and to the harness allowing more movement for the dog and also the ability to lie down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggy mum Posted March 5, 2010 Author Share Posted March 5, 2010 I actually got the webbing and seat belt clip from a camping shop - pretty cheap. Then I sewed it on the sewing machine. A friend was going to make one for her dog but found one similar at a petshop. I haven't seen them though.Here's Edward - with a head :D Love the head shot, what an unusual looking cutie, really like the colour of him.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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