Up to now I've been using my small indoor puppy crate on the front seat of the car. But lifting the crate in and out of the car is making my shoulder ache, so I'm looking for an alternative. I know that the options are a travel crate or a guard, but I'm worried Nugget will grow out of the crate very quickly (he's almost 12 weeks) and it's quite expensive if it won't last long. Here's the one I've been looking at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/PEUGEOT-02-06-SLOPING-TRAVEL-CRATE/dp/B00HUV2PNC What do you think? I can't find anything else that would fit my car - and I'm concerned about using a guard because I'm sure he'll chew through everything in 5 minutes! (Before I brought him home I had visions of him riding in the back with a simple guard... that was before I'd witnessed the power of puppy jaws and teeth!) I can't fold down seats - I regularly travel with 3 of my children in the car. I've been putting the small crate on the front seat while they all squeezed in the back. Can anyone come up with anything I haven't though of (besides buying a new car which - sadly - I can't do!), or give me an opinion on the crate? Thank you
We used a guard that attached to the back seat headrest for our old Golf. It is made of a plastic coated metal grid. I think it comes in different sizes and is adjustable to fit different car shapes. With lots of treats we trained homer not to jump out unless told to. He was quite happy and comfortable. http://www.halfords.com/motoring/travel-accessories/pet-travel/halfords-mesh-headrest-dog-guard
Have you checked these out? http://www.safedog.co.uk/Peugeot.htm They are expensive but well worth the money, I wouldn't be without mine now. I think the small double fits a 206.
Hamster Baskets Nr Ledbury Herefordshire, wil make wire cage to fit your vehicle, he is wonderful at making the largest space he can. You can either visit him, or send him the measurements of your vehicle and he will make it to measure.
I have a Peugot too. I think a 208 (I'm a girl......its blue......) I think the crate will be too small if you are hoping to use it past puppy stage. It only comes as high as the top of the head rests (fully down). That isn't high enough for a fully grown dog to stand (I don't think, basing it on my Peugot and my dog) I am very bad - I started with a guard, but mostly I don't use it as it was being moved from one car to another. Lilly was never one to explore too much in the car. I know this doesn't deal with the "missile in an accident" issue. If it was me, I think I would go for the guard rather than either of the crates, to allow for standing, unless you are prepared for this to be a short term solution. But if you have one similar @Newbie Lab Owner you will be in a better position to comment on the height. And a bespoke (expensive) crate would be best.
The Safedog crates are very good as they are designed to fit specific cars. I looked into them for Juno but decided that I couldn't afford one particularly if we changed the car at anytime. I investigated the option of accessories from the car manufacturer and found that they had a safety guard designed for our car so may be worth checking with Peugeot. For my previous dog I did buy one the guards that you can from places like Halford which are meant to fit all cars. Regardless of how we fitted it Flynn knocked it aside within minutes. It may be worth looking into the guard though and perhaps one of the security restraints to clip him in the back. Looking a the crate on Amazon I agree with Jack that it looks as if it wouldn't get hour much past puppy stage.
Thank you for all your suggestions. Some of those crates are lovely but a little out of my budget (in fact, they cost more than my car ) I think I will try the guard - my only worry is about using it at first... that he might try to lunge forward as I'm trying to close the back (scary thought!). I'm a bit concerned about using restraints though because sometimes we are in the car for quite a while. He's perfectly happy with that right now - but I'm worried he might not be if I restrict his movements.
Keep your eye out on ebay or agilitynet.co.uk (their fleamarket page) you'll often find custom made cages especially for older model cars. You could even try a wanted advert on Agilitynet.
I got a Saunders dog guard for my Nissan Almera, they do different ones - the beauty of these is that the "legs" lie against the rear surface of the back seat rather than going straight down - you don't lose any space. Can just make it out in this picture. It does tie to the headrests with nylon straps, which Coco tried to chew - hence the towels wrapped around the strap positions. Gives the dog maximum boot space in a small car. P1050568 by Sue Doyle, on Flickr
Putting him in the back of the car and him settling is just training. Also sitting quiet before you open the boot and waiting to come out. I know some people, nervous that that their dog will leap out attach the collar/harness to the safety bolt bits in the boot.
I see some people attach things to their headrests. Just a caution: Many new vehicles have "active" head restraints. They are meant to move forward in an accident to give increased protection to your head. If you attach something to them, whether they impede the action of the head restraints or not, you could have an insurance claim denied. You also need to be careful to not block airbags. EVen if a seat cover or dog hammock manufacturer says they are ok for seats with airbags your car manual may say not to use any such thing. Mine does. And your insurance company, or the company of the person who hits you, might deny a claim based on your manual's recommendations. If you ask your insurance company what to do about this and they say go ahead and use the barrier, hammock, whatever, be sure to get that in writing. Another caution: Two dogs were lost here when two cars were in separate accidents and paramedics opened the back door to help the driver. The dogs were terrified and jumped out and ran away. Only one has been found, as far as I know.
Barjo do great cages, guards and tailgate guards, and they have car specific - I'll definitely be buying again
I have the large single, Dexter can stand up, sit and lay down in it. I have tried a bigger dog in it too and she could do the same. After about 5-10 minutes, Dexter just lays down which is the safest position for him. Mine isn't extended as deep as it could go due to my boot depth with the slant of the back seats. It is secured by straps onto the whatever they are in the boot (I'm a girl too ). The measurements are all on their web page. When I first saw it, I was convinced it would be too small but they are deceiving. I also thought them rather ugly but I absolutely love it and Dexter is very happy in it. On the back seat he use to bark and try to get to the front, he was a nightmare, he loves traveling in the car now. Yes they are expensive but when I thought about his average life span and broke the cost down over X amount of years they're not that badly priced. I was lucky as my OH gave me some money to treat myself and this is what I spent it on
