Sail_Away Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Hi Everyone, I'm shopping around for a new car harness for my dog… from what I have read the only ones that have been crash tested are the 'Ruff Rider Roadie' and 'Canine Champion'. I have a Canine Champion here which I used on my previous dog however, it is a little to big and heavy for my new dog so am thinking the roadie might be better suited. I just worry about the dog getting tangled in the tether that clips into the seatbelt.. So does anyone have this harness and if so is it worth buying? Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I have been using one on Wisdom every day (as she comes to work with me). They really are the best car harness I've seen on the market. I much prefer having them in a harness as opposed to travelling in a crate which is what I used to do. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I have a Roadie and haven't had any experience with the Champion - so i can't compare. What i will say about the Roadie is that i find it more difficult to put on Wilbur (23 month old chocolate labby) than the video for Roadies shows. We have to put it on over the head first - we can't get it over his head if we put his in feet first - this way may be fine for short leg dogs; not so easy with longer leg dogs. We've found there's a 'trick' to putting it on comfortably for Wilbur; we have to put it over the head but just to the back of his head and then put one foot in, turn the harness to the other side a bit (but still quite forward) and then put the other foot in and then move it backward to fit on his body. Clear as mud Wilbur doesn't sit on a car seat with the harness threaded through the seatbelt; we have him in the back of an X-trail and have an extender strap attached to the baby carseat harness point so i can't give you any input. I'm not unhappy with the Roadie; it does what i want it to do - keep Wilbur as safe as possible in the car. Like you my main motivation in using it is because it's been crash tested. It's sturdy; much more so than the cheap brand of car harness i previously had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted May 12, 2013 Author Share Posted May 12, 2013 Thank you both so much for your responses. Suziwong66 - It sounds like I might have trouble putting one on my wiggle bum then.. she is such a wriggler. Similar size to a lab - she is a Vizsla so long legs.. I don't really want to buy any harness that hasn't been crash tested so it's either this one or the champion. I was thinking I would attach the tether to the child seat anchor points on the roof inside so it's above the dog and there is less chance it will get tangled in the tether when turning around - the champion had a swivel attachment so it wouldn't twist up. Just not sure if the roadie would be long enough for this but Suziwong66 is there an extension you mentioned? I have a back seat buddy (hammock) on the back seats of my car for the dog too so that is where she sits. My main worry is the dog getting tangled in that tether… sound paranoid but it's happened to this dog before using another harness and it wrapped around her leg - luckily I noticed and pulled over to untangle her but could have caused some serious damage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 FYI, there's also Pet Buckle. http://waggle.com.au/petbuckle-b18 This is what we use. They are easy enough to put on as they have a buckle on both sides, but the weight of the buckles on the top mean you have to have it really tight or when the dogs put their heads down the buckles fall forward. It's pretty clear to me neither of my dogs finds the harness very comfortable when it's on that tight, and I certainly can't walk them very far if I take them out of the car, but it might fit other dog shapes better. We usually put them on over the top of their Ruff Wear harnesses, now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 just a query .. OK the dog is 'safely' harnessed .. and you choose to tether on a longer strap, and at a different point .. how will the dog's body NOW react upon impact ? I have visions of a dog hitting other parts of the car , etc , whereas on a seat, short clipped to a solid seat belt clip ..there is much more protection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 just a query .. OK the dog is 'safely' harnessed .. and you choose to tether on a longer strap, and at a different point .. how will the dog's body NOW react upon impact ? I have visions of a dog hitting other parts of the car , etc , whereas on a seat, short clipped to a solid seat belt clip ..there is much more protection? I can't use the car seat belt with my two. One girl spins so I have to put her harness on a tether & tether it behind & above her head on the cargo barrier, so that when she spins she ducks underneath the strap. The other guy loves to chew up car seatbelts, so no good for him either. With him I use a short chain to tether his harness to the cargo barrier. Not perfect, I know, but better than being distracted while driving by a dog contantly getting tangled up in the seat belt. Short clipping it to a car seat belt is for dogs that are beautifully behaved & just sit there the whole time looking out the window.....I wish :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted May 12, 2013 Author Share Posted May 12, 2013 That is how the roadie is designed though and it mentions it can fastened to the anchor points on the car (mine are just above the back headrests) and if I secure her in the middle it won't reach the side doors or front seats - this is how I fastened the Champion and it was safe. Because of the BSB I can't connect the seatbelt into its holder at the back hence why I was going to use anchor points. I am open to suggestions though and this is why I'm asking on here what ppl think of the Roadie and how they secure it in their cars. Obviously I want to ensure she is as safe as possible and that's one reason I prefer only to buy crash tested harnesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted May 13, 2013 Author Share Posted May 13, 2013 just a query .. OK the dog is 'safely' harnessed .. and you choose to tether on a longer strap, and at a different point .. how will the dog's body NOW react upon impact ? I have visions of a dog hitting other parts of the car , etc , whereas on a seat, short clipped to a solid seat belt clip ..there is much more protection? I can't use the car seat belt with my two. One girl spins so I have to put her harness on a tether & tether it behind & above her head on the cargo barrier, so that when she spins she ducks underneath the strap. The other guy loves to chew up car seatbelts, so no good for him either. With him I use a short chain to tether his harness to the cargo barrier. Not perfect, I know, but better than being distracted while driving by a dog contantly getting tangled up in the seat belt. Short clipping it to a car seat belt is for dogs that are beautifully behaved & just sit there the whole time looking out the window.....I wish :laugh: Yes this is why I tether it above their head too. On a trip recently I attached the tether of the Champion down low to the seatbelt and it wrapped around her leg 3 times and was cutting off circulation! I had to pull over. This dog is very well behaved in the car however does turn around and stand/sit a few times so can't afford getting tangled again. I think attaching the dog directly to seatbelt or having tether low works only for small breeds. This is one reason I loved the swivel on the Champion, it's just a bit heavy for my new dog who is leaner and can't really take the weight. Very very strong harness though! I would rather that then a cheap one where the stitching comes apart if you break suddenly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I forgot to add that I do the same thing as Suzi, I have an X-Trail and Wiz rides in the back with an extension strap attached to the floor. I haven't had any issue with tangling and she does move around a fair bit. I also put the harness over her head first and then put her paws into it, she has long legs and it is a bit fiddlier than the other harnesses we have (it takes a few more seconds to put on), but I use the Roadie as it is crash tested and comfortable for her to wear and she rides in the car so frequently I think it is definitely worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Is it crash tested if the dog is in the "boot" though? Is there more room for the dog to fly and hit stuff as pers asked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted May 13, 2013 Author Share Posted May 13, 2013 Is it crash tested if the dog is in the "boot" though? Is there more room for the dog to fly and hit stuff as pers asked? My dog is on back seats.. the images from the Roadie website have dogs in the boot.. this is what the FAQ state: http://www.ruffrider.com/frequently-asked-questions.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 Just bumping this old topic - I have been waiting for my girl to be fully grown before purchasing a car harness and the news tonight reminded me I must purchase a car harness ASAP! NRMA mentioned two harnesses that have been crash tested - Purina Roadie & Sleepypod Clickit (looks complicated)… I was always under the impression the Ruff Rider Roadie & Canine Champion were the only dog car harnesses crash tested… So anyone else with experience of the Ruff Rider Roadie when used on the back seat of the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 They look good to me! I was waiting til Gus was closer to full sized too. Will be on the hunt for a good price now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 They look good to me! I was waiting til Gus was closer to full sized too. Will be on the hunt for a good price now... The canine champion is pretty difficult to get - it's from the states, there website is http://usak9outfitters.com/CCSS.htm - I don't think they ship internationally. I ordered mine from a third party website which I can't remember the name of now.. The Ruff Rider Roadie is available from http://www.k9pro.com.au/online-store/dog-harnesses/car-harness-seat-belt/ for $79.95... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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