Dogs

MommaWhitney

New member
So who restrains thier dogs in the car?? I wanna get some for our dogs but Im not really sure where to even start. Ill have to buy 1 online due to our dogs size.
One of our dogs runs around the car like a bafoon, he is 11lb. He needs something for sure. 1 he jumps on the kids and driver barking insanly 2 I dont want him to fly out the window, into the dash or into a person during a wreck, its dangerous for all involved 3 he darts out the car if the door is opened if I dont put the leash on before hand (he is slightly challenged but we love him all the same lol)
Our second dog is a 110lb Great Dane. She rides in the trunk of our van. Im not as worried about her running out of the car into traffic or jumping all over us while driving, she is very well trained. But in the event of a roll over or sever crash where she could spook who knows what would happen. If she was in the car and we crashed and she became agressive to someone trying to help us, that would be bad. She could easily hurt someone if she was scared, hurt, or in shock. Or if she would just run off hurt never to be seen again. She is an animal and I cant predict how she may or may not act in a situation she has never been in. Anyway Itd be best if she where contained in some mannor. But Im confused on how since there is no belt in the trunk. Does anyone think a vest that connects to the teether would work even though she exceeds the wieght limit? Do they even do testing on doggy seat belts?? Im not looking for protection to save thier lives as much as something to contain them or keep them from being projectiles.

Thanks :)
 
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wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
The Pet Buckle is made by IMMI (the same people who make LATCH connectors and harnesses for a lot of carseats. That's why so many chest clips look the same, they're IMMI clips) and it has a connector so you can attach it to a cargo hook. That should work for your Great Dane. You might want to ask them about doubling up, or what their maximum weight on that is (it's actually a LATCH connector that you connect to a D ring you loop around the cargo hook).

You can also look into a hardware mounted gate for your van.

For the little one, I'd get a soft sided cat carrier, put him in there, and put him in a footwell. That's how my cats ride (they're 10, 12, and 14 pounds).

Here's some info on pet crash tests.

http://wachusett.pssweb.net/Test report pets in cars-1.pdf
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts4sMQA4zqA"]YouTube - Petbuckle Crash Test Video[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyEZbcF-iVE&feature=related"]YouTube - Crash test with pets[/ame]

Wendy
 

MommaWhitney

New member
I found this on thier site

"*Please note, we do not currently have a Pet Buckle sized dog car safety harness which fits dogs over 20 pounds and under 35 pounds."

Im going to try and find a phone number and call and ask them.
And the sof cat carrier is a great idea!! I think not seeing the cars driving by will help with his out of control behavior in the house. Its like its too much for him cause at home he is fine and normal. In the car its like he is a different dog. Thanks :)



Nevermind!! I totally miss read that lol
 

ca2003

New member
I would also recommend you check out the awesome review that rodentranger did of the PetBuckle here. She has pictures of it on a 6lb dog and 80lb dog.
 

Blondie87

New member
I use a carrier for my 2 pups (who are only 5 months and 3 and 6 lbs), they are together in it and I put them in the footwell. I have looked at a lot of different dog car seats, and can't find anything that will actually keep them alive in the event of a crash. I don't even know if what I am doing will. The front seat will prolly move back in a bad accident and crush them and the crate.

Judi sent me this pet crash test though. It helped a lot!

With your Great Dane, I would get this and use it. It seems like the safest option for all involved if a crash would occur. I would be scared if you got rear ended though. Transporting pets is so stressful!
 

bubbaray

New member
We crate our 85lbs of lab (see avatar). 99% of the time, he is in the box of DH's truck (crated). When I had a van, we crated him (no cargo hooks and I didn't want him on the seats in a seatbelt one). Crate won't fit in my RAV4, but I don't take him in my RAV4 with the kids in it too (did I mention, he's 85lbs of shedding machine?) -- he's only in my vehicle once a year pretty much.
 

MommaWhitney

New member
bubbaray said:
We crate our 85lbs of lab (see avatar). 99% of the time, he is in the box of DH's truck (crated). When I had a van, we crated him (no cargo hooks and I didn't want him on the seats in a seatbelt one). Crate won't fit in my RAV4, but I don't take him in my RAV4 with the kids in it too (did I mention, he's 85lbs of shedding machine?) -- he's only in my vehicle once a year pretty much.

Id crate because we do at home when we sleep or we arent home BUT her crate is 5ft long x 4ft tall HUGE!!! She is taller than me (5'3") when standing on hind legs. She is long and lean. Her head is even with a door knob on all 4. I couldnt fit her in a crate in my van. And danes grow till 3yr, shell be 2 in a few weeks. So shell gain more wieght in the next year.
She cant sit on the seats in the car, shes too tall. Which is why shes in the trunk. Cause she can stand or sit but cant easily turn around.

This is harder than car seat shopping! No cute prints and fewer options lol
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I doubt it. It's made of very thin material. I have a bunch somewhere. They were huge. One of my cats clawed her way out of it overnight.

Wendy
 

MommaWhitney

New member
Blondie87 said:
I

With your Great Dane, I would get this and use it. It seems like the safest option for all involved if a crash would occur. I would be scared if you got rear ended though. Transporting pets is so stressful!


I actually have that exact thing. It wont fit in my van but it did fit in my journey I had. It falls down and Im more afraid it would hurt us during a crash. It wiggles loose or something and my dogs are scared of it because it fell on them so much. It now lives in the garage.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I wouldn't do a pressure mounted gate of any sort with a 110 pound dog. That's 3300 pounds of force in a 30 mph collision. I don't think a pressure mounted gate, even one that doesn't fall down on its own, could withstand that.

Wendy
 

ConnorsMommy

New member
We recently adopted a dog and got him a Top Paw Seat Belt Strap from Petsmart. It hooks onto his harness and the seat belt, I lock the seat belt so he can't move around too much. I want to eventually get him the Pet Buckle that a PP mentioned, but they didn't have one at the store I was at and I wasn't going to bring him home without any kind of restraint. He's about 50 lbs now so much smaller than a Great Dane. I doubt the strap I have would be strong enough for a dog as big as yours. Does anyone have a crash test video showing that kind of strap, used with a regular harness? I'm not sure if it would protect him from injury in a crash, but hopefully it will keep him from becoming a projectile. Also, is it dangerous for him to sit on the captain's seat next to my son (with the seat belt strap of course)?
 

robbertbobbert

New member
I have one of the "laundry hamper" type soft pop-up crates for Elliot. I will not use it in the car. Even if it can be buckled in, there's no structure to the crate, and Elliot himself isn't restrained, so I'm sure in a crash he'd just go flying through the material.
 

Squeaky McMurdo

New member
This is harder than car seat shopping! No cute prints and fewer options lol

Sure there are ;) Not actual dog seatbelt harnesses, but I figure if it can handle 3000 pounds in a freight haul, it can hold a dog in all but the worst crashes...and they're made for BIG dogs.

http://www.howlingdogalaska.com/index.php?page=supplies

We use this one in the car on our Lab http://www.fordogtrainers.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=106&products_id=2170 She pulls a wagon and a dog sulky with it too :p

If you look at "harnesses" on the fordogtrainers site, there are some pretty fancy and/or heavy duty ones http://www.fordogtrainers.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=67

You can just secure them to the cargo hooks with a tie down or extra LATCH straps. Might not save the dog's life, but would keep them from becoming projectiles.
 

ElfJewel

New member
Do they have kennels? I got into a rollover accident with my cats in the car. One was in a kennel, the other 2 were loose (one of them actually caused the accident). Everyone was ok but I had to get out and chase the 2 that were loose, and stuff all 3 into the one small kennel. We are lucky they didn't hit us when the car was rolling. Now they always ride in their kennels in the car, on the floor if they fit and our bigger dog's kennel can go in the trunk. I think you can attach them to cargo hooks in the trunk.
 

MommaWhitney

New member
Thats our great danes kennel. It wont fit out the door much less in the car. My FIL had to use his trailer to get it to our house. Its 4ft tall 5ft wide.
And thats her a year ago. She is about 2-3 inches taller now. She doest wiegh much but thats normal for her age, she is about to be 2. Dane grow up 2 years then pack on pounds the third. So she is very lean and tall. On her hind legs she is taller than me and Im 5'3"

I think my best bet for her is a vest or strong leash & harness looped around the cargo or tether. But for the little one I can crate. He is the size of a cat... More like a cat in a dogs body really.
 

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