Hi all, hope you and your pups are well. After a little advice regarding car travel for our 11 week old boy. We are fortunate enough to have 2 cars, one is an estate and we have a car crate on order for Neo to use as this will be the car we use the majority of the time as there’s more space for him. The other is a hatchback and while the boot is big enough for a lab you can’t really fit a decent sized crate in the back imo, however he will need to travel in this car too as my partner is often away with work and has to have the estate. Any suggestions on the best way to go about getting him used to travelling in both? I was initially thinking of a harness on the back seat for the hatchback but would that be too ‘different’ to the car crate being used in the estate? Would I be better opting for the boot with a guard? I’m very keen to get it right, my previous lab was never a big fan of the car which looking back was probably my own doing as I changed cars when she was about 2 and don’t think I introduced the new one correctly as she was fine in the old one. Any advice would be appreciated as it’s stressing me out a bit. Since picking him up we have had a few short trips out in the car with him on my lap which he didn’t really enjoy. Am worried I’m getting behind with socialisation as his vaccinations aren’t complete yet. I want to be able to take him places but I can only carry him so far (need to get a gym membership)! Thanks.
UK it's against the Law not to have the dog secure. On the lap is kind of dangerous for you and the dog. We have always used dog seat belt straps. Try not to make a big fuss and a few short trips and they should get use to it.
Hi, using different cars really shouldn't be a problem. I use a soft crate initially strapped on the back seat and then as the pup gets used to travel and gets a bit bigger, transfer to a crate in the boot or use a dog guard and no crate depending on the car. My current pup wasn't keen on being in the car to start with, lots of crying and whining, but 4 weeks on and short daily trips she's happy in the crate in either car.
Thanks for the tips, will try him with a harness and seatbelt initially in the hatchback and see how we go as he would probably eat his way out of a fabric crate! Tbh I’m probably overthinking it, I’m doing that a lot this time round, so paranoid of ‘messing up’ the little man.
I tend to travel young puppies on my passenger seat in a secured crate if it's a long journey. They are usually asleep before I get to the end of the road. My pups travel around the country with me from 8 weeks old so it's handy to have them where I can see them and can pull over for a wee stop if they wake up. For shorter journeys, I just pop them in the back of the van/boot of the car in a crate. They do fuss more when they can't see you, but they need to get used to it and they quickly realise that these short trips are always to somewhere fun.
Thanks for this, I have initially gone with a seatbelt harness and ‘dog seat’ (aka glorified padded box) on the front seat so I can keep an eye on him as unfortunately a cage wouldn’t fit. We have had a few short trips out and he seems ok with it. Looking forward to the day when he happily curls up and has a nap in the car.
Scrap that! Today’s slightly longer trip of 10mins each way with the seatbelt harness was disastrous as had to pull over several times because someone kept looping it around their neck and/or legs despite it being on the shortest setting. All parties very stressed by the end of the journey. Have decided to splash out on a car specific crate for the hatchback boot to get the most space possible for him and fingers crossed by the time he outgrows it he will be happier in the car and just settle down without tying himself in knots. You can but dream…..
The first time I used a seat belt harness I had exactly the same problem! He doesn't like the harness and kept getting himself tangled even after shortening the tether. However, I persisted and made a point of doing multiple short drives to get him used to it and it got better very quickly. After a couple of weeks he is fine with it. Yesterday went for an hour drive to visit friends - after about 10min max he settled down quietly and was fine for the rest of the trip.
Glad yours has adjusted well, they do put us through it don’t they?! Am hoping Neo will start to settle in the car soon once he gets into the swing of it. Will keep up the short journeys like you suggest. He has his final jab this week so when we can start going to more fun locations where he doesn’t need to be carried around he might be more of a fan (*crosses fingers!).
