Travelling With Your Dog - Safety Question

[iggy mum]

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.

I think I'll have to get a harness/seatbelt connector as well as a travel crate and try both to see what suits my iggy the best. Thanks everyone for all your input, very enlightening and helpful, as always :D

[Edslaine]

Thank you. He is gorgeous and I love him, unfortunately he had a horrible start in life at a puppy farm. He's a standard poodle x schnauzer. I got him when he was 11 months and that was five years ago and he's fine now. Lot's of things I read on here helped so much as well as a behaviourist and obedience school. :D

[flyingduster]

please please everyone note that MOST harnesses out there are only suitable to restrain your dog (in the same way tying your dog up by it's collar to a lamp post restrains it in public), but are NOT seatbelts and are NOT safety features to prevent your dog from getting injured in a car crash. In a small ding they will probably hold, but in a serious crash they will simply come apart with it's plastic buckles and poor stitching. Would you trust your child in something like that? Hmm

There are two brands that are actual saftey seatbelts, there is more info on them here: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=188699 for more info

[Red Fox]

please please everyone note that MOST harnesses out there are only suitable to restrain your dog (in the same way tying your dog up by it's collar to a lamp post restrains it in public), but are NOT seatbelts and are NOT safety features to prevent your dog from getting injured in a car crash. In a small ding they will probably hold, but in a serious crash they will simply come apart with it's plastic buckles and poor stitching. Would you trust your child in something like that? Hmm

There are two brands that are actual saftey seatbelts, there is more info on them here: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=188699 for more info

You know I've often wondered about this - most of the harnesses around (including those marketed as travel harnesses) do have plastic buckles.

I actually have the (safety tested) Petbuckle harness but due to the fact that it slips around a bit I barely use it. Most times I just use a Webmaster harness for quick trips around as my dog loves it and is comfortable in it (he's not so keen on the Petbuckle). But for longer trips or driving on the highway I am a little dubious about how much protection it would offer in an accident...

Then last week browsing the products on offer at my local vets I saw that ALL of the car harnesses that they were selling had plastic buckles anyway

[Baby Dragon]

To me it's not about whether there are plastic buckles or not, it's about whether they are safety tested.