Hello, Could anyone recommend a good make of car harness? Gunner is 16 weeks now, so one that could grow with him perhaps. Or any tried and tested car travel solutions. Thanks Victoria
There are lots of great ones. Probably search this site; I'm betting there is a place where they are talked about. I would also recommend a special bed just for the dog in the car. Our Lab got much better in the car when we got him his own "car bed". It seems strange, but he instantly wanted to ride in the car when he got his own bed for the car.
The safest option is a crash-tested crate like the TransK9 ones. Otherwise a highly rated car with a crash-tested dog guard. Harnesses are towards the bottom of the list as far as safety is concerned in the case of an accident; they are only generally tested up to 50kph. That said, they are better than nothing and also better than a walking harness (which is not much better than nothing in the event of an accident). I have used the AllSafe ones in the past, but would likely go with one of the Sleepypod range if I were choosing one today. Sadly, they have limited "growth", so you'd be looking at replacing it if you went down this route. Crash testing is hugely important not only for the dog's safety but also for that of your passengers. Even in a relatively low-speed crash, if your dog becomes a projectile, they could easily seriously hurt or even kill other occupants of the car. As far as "tried and tested", I'm pretty sure @heidrun would recommend the TransK9 crates. Her story is on this page: http://www.transk9.com/crash-testing/client-crash-stories/
hi everyone, peanut has a transk9 car crate and loves it!!! she is always so warm and sleepy when I go to fetch her out, I have to wake her up and carry her out she is sooo relaxed. I feel the expense was well worth the cost as I know she is safe as poss, I couldnt recommend them enough. they are ridgid and do not move at all brilliant. ruth and peanut..
Having looked at these I would find the cost prohibitive, especially as we would need a different one for each car. Also, they do not leave room for much, if any luggage if you are going away with your dog. Our last Lab just lay in the boot on his bed with the rest of our luggage around him. He could not get (or be thrown) over the rear headrests, and always slept on car journeys. Caspar has a soft sided crate (he has finally stopped caterwauling!), as he would try and jump out of the car, and would chew anything else in the back with him (he's only 13 weeks so I hope that will change). We don't use a harness as we want the interior of the car to be for human passengers and dog hair gets everywhere, even if you put covers down.
I would love to use a car crate, but I don't have a vehicle big enough to carry one(nor can I afford one), so I have to use a harness. If I have a crash at more than 50 mph, I think whether the dog survives or not will be the least of my problems.
Read again - it's 50kph, not mph; that is, 31mph. And, even if you're not concerned for your dog's life, the problem is still whether or not you and/or your passengers survive being hit by a heavy projectile. Of course, we all have to weigh up what is practical and affordable for our own circumstances. I have used crash-tested harnesses in the past and think they are better than nothing. Regular harnesses, however, aren't much better than nothing. And when I hear about people tethering their dogs by the collar... well, that just makes me cringe.
Having been in a head on collision that wrote off my Defender I wouldn't have anything other than a dog box like the TransK9 for my dogs. The dogs came through the crash without a scratch. It would have been very different had they not been in their dog box. I can't even bear thinking about it.
Years ago my father used to tell me to buy a Mercedes Benz instead of these little cheap sedans I was buying. I told him that the payment was two thirds of my monthly income, and I wouldn't be able to eat. He told me that that shouldn't matter if I wanted quality. I try to buy quality within my means.
