We have a VW Golf - not an estate, just a regular sized hatchback. Right now we have a small crate in the boot, and I keep the removable lid off the boot so it is not dark. But he is 12 weeks now and probably only has a couple of weeks left in this crate before he just won't fit inside of it. And, he hates it! I can't rely on something like a doggy seatbelt and keeping him in the back seat, because I often have four people in the car and there is no spare seat for him. And, to put him in the back between two children is not fair on the children IMO as they are too young to be responsible for him or safe from him if he tries to nip, jump, etc. So the boot is the only way. But when he outgrows the crate in the boot, I am not sure he will be big enough to just be let "free" in there. I'm afraid of him getting tossed around when we turn corners and such. I have a gitter to put up so he can not climb into the back seat, and I am not worried about getting him out when I open the boot up, just about the actual drive. There are larger angled crates you can get so that you can close the hatchback but they are insanely expensive. The small size is not that much bigger than the crate he currently has so it would probably only last a month before he outgrows that one, and the bigger size is the same size as the boot itself, so if he is going to get tossed around in the boot then he would in the crate, too, so IMO it does not solve any problems. How big/old is it reasonable for him to be "free" in the back of the boot? Thank you.
I had this problem, too, but largely because mine hated the car and screamed and wailed. He was much, much better when I got a soft-sided car crate, the kind with mesh panels and a zip; it also comes with a cushion. It was about £34 on ebay. He is 5 and a half months now and has just outgrown the medium size, having reached about 21kg to give you an idea. I have a Merc A Class, so not a dissimilar size to yours. I have taken the decision to have him loose in the boot now, but I am using a ramp and that takes up a third of the space. I just put down a towel and leave a chewy bone in there. I would add that this is not the car in which we do long journeys - just to drop off son at school and go on a walk.
Yes the crate we have is a soft sided mesh crate. But the next size up is too big for the boot to close - in any brand. The one we have, the corners just about touch the window. I never thought about filling the boot up. We have a ramp though we need it at the back door so he can go in and out of the house, but perhaps even an empty cardboard bix that will fill the space so he can't fly around???
You need something that will keep you and your puppy/dog safe, in a sudden stop the pup/dog can be thrown forward and knock into you and possibly kill you as well as damaging itself and I understand you could lose your insurance claim in an accident if dog not contained safely. I have used www.dogpods.com telephone 01531 670 209. They will make a cage to fit your cat. Not cheap but cheaper than the the 'posh' ones. I have used them for years.
I drive a VW golf plus and we installed this in our car! http://www.zooplus.nl/shop/honden/b...MInc6HhN2-2gIVjxDTCh0BNQeyEAQYByABEgI9x_D_BwE
I get what you mean about the corners touching the window. We bought the next size up, though for my husband's car. I do remember that Zooplus have one with a rounded profile on the top, presumably to address this problem. Failing that rolling up a couple of blankets/big towels will fill up some of the space and may come in handy, too.
Yes this is what I have said we have - a grill that goes over the back seat. That's not the issue. It is a very large boot for a pup to get tossed around in. Did you just leave your pup free in the boot? From what age?
Yes I could try to fill the space. Maybe even leave the crate in there but open and he can lay half in/ half out if he chooses. But it will leave less space to be "free" back there.
We have a grill over the back seats too and have a plastic oval bed and blankets in the back - same as his bed in the house - he tends to lie down in this in the boot but has enough room to get up and turn around and it seems to keep him fairly steady even sitting up to look out the window. He seems very comfortable in this - ours hated the crate too. Just back from a long journey to Western Isles and he did this no bother although we stopped regularly to let him stretch legs a bit more.
I just padded the hell out of the bottom, sides and back and he was free in the boot. He never seemed to fall about back there but I took corners very slowly to start, must have annoyed other drivers. Just had to get a bigger car to accommodate the giant he’s becoming
I've only ever seen three boot options - proper car crates that cost an arm and a leg (the best option but cost is prohibitive for most dog owners); generic house crates (won't work in a small boot and aren't meant to be in cars anyway); or free range dog (by far the most common). Xena travels in the back seat and doesn't get thrown around, I don't see how a dog travelling in the boot would travel any differently than in the back seat?
I will probably get a in car crate at some point. I do have a dog safety harness which I use sometimes but the dogs are in the estate part of the car with a dog guard. It's padded but I would like something safer.
My dog for some reason is great in the car with my boyfriend but is horrible for me. My boyfriend drives an Audi TT in the summer and obviously that doesn't have much space but we would lay a blanket down for Aspen and he would just sleep. I drive an Avant and I have a double-door metal crate that Aspen goes in because he is so restless. I know you can train your dog to stay in the trunk of the car, because my sisters have all done it with their dogs! I would just say that sometimes, if there is a crash, roaming free isn't safe for a dog. I have heard of people getting rear-ended and their hatches popping open. Imagine if that were on the highway and your pups weren't crated! I personally feel better having my dog in a crate but like you have said, the angled crates are really very expensive for the trunk and even if they are in a crate they will get tossed around. I would look into maybe training your dog how to stay in the trunk area only!
As has been previously debated on the forum, I acknowledge that by far the best option is a crash-tested crate, but if that isn't possible for whatever reason, a good harness/seatbelt combo is an alternative. This can be set up with your existing seatbelts or otherwise attached to a secure point in your hatchback area. I've not used this particular one, but @snowbunny has recommended it on several similar threads: http://sleepypod.com/clickit-sport Even if you aren't looking at worst case scenario (car crash), it's a very good idea to have your dog somehow attached or secure in your car so that if the door is opened they can't simply potentially leap out into traffic or other hazards. To anyone trying out the harness/seatbelt attachment combo, it is something you need to train positively. With fosters (like currently Carbon), I start out just with the harness getting in and out of the car, then attaching/unattaching to the seatbelt, then sitting in the car, closing/opening the car door...all before the car even rolls. Then I usually use an extender (like a leash) so that the tether to the seatbelt isn't so short and they panic, gradually shortening it until they are used to being tethered closely to the seatbelt/car-mounted d-ring. You still risk your seatbelts getting chewed out, but (knock on wood) I've escaped that fate so far. My weirdest circumstance where I was grateful for my seatbelt/harness arrangement was once with Brogan riding in the back after picking up groceries. I had 'his' window partially open and as it was a rental car with a different layout, I'd put the groceries in the same area as he was as that seemed the best option. A watermelon rolled out of one of the bags and for some reason that completely freaked him out...and he tried to escape out the open window while I'm driving down a busy road! Who could have predicted that? A 10 year old dog, well-trained, usually in 'coma mode' he's so relaxed in the car, trying to launch himself out a window because he's terrified of a dumb watermelon? Thank goodness for the seatbelt, because it kept him secure so that I could pull over and then safely move around the grocery bags so that he wouldn't be frightened.
Brogan and the Watermelon could be another installment in your "Brogan and" children's book series @Emily_BabbelHund You honestly have enough interesting stories for a range of picture books!
At first he was in a bench that’s used for flying (Vari kennel) Also in the boot. After 8 month we let him sit in the boot by himself and we have bought the grill.
How do you put a dog in a seatbelt if there are passengers using every seat in the car? This is a common for us. That's why I need the dog in the boot. We have no attachemt hooks in the boot for doggie seatbelts. I think I will start with just leaving the crate open and he can get used to being out but still have it. And then try to slowly make the space bigger as he grows. We're up for a new car in autumn anyway. Thank you for the tips.
I have steel d-rings in the hatchback part of my car - my car came that way but I imagine you could also have them installed?
Coco travels in the back of my estate car with a grille a bit like @Anne123 . He is fastened in to prevent him from leaping out when the back is opened (he did this once in my old hatchback chasing a non-existent cat & I broke my finger trying to stop him!) - There are metal rings like Emily mentions. On the old car there were no such rings - I looped a lead through one of the hole in the plastic where the rear hatch struts pass through. This does not provide security for travel, just to stop the leaping out - he is better trained now, but not fully trusted. Have a hunt around the back of your Golf @Kobe - there might be anchor points. The load area is fairly large, but Coco isn't flung about.
