Ziggy is 23 weeks old now and a delight to share our home with. He's just about outgrown his crate and I'm wondering where to go from here. I don't really see a need to upgrade to a bigger one as it's rarely used in the house (and we don't have the space) but he has travelled in it in the car for longer journeys. I feel it's safer than having him loose in the boot and it gives me peace of mind driving on the motorway that he's happily curled up in a familiar place. How do other people transport their dogs? Is it worth getting a canvas crate just for longer car journeys? Or are these just a chew waiting to happen for such a young dog? Thanks as ever for your tips and advice!
We have Lilly loose in the rear boot/trunk area. With a generic rear dog guard. Not the safest option. A lot of people opt for car-specific dog crates or harness and seat belt attachment/harness point. Not quite sure what the benefit of a soft crate would be really - if it was big enough it would probably obscure vision?
We were going to get a crate but it was going to take up all of the boot space so we ended up going with a car harness (http://sleepypod.com/clickit) and Ella now sits on the back seat. I think the crates look good but I knew we'd need to get a dog, a baby and a pram in the car and Ella sitting on the back seat was the only way I could see us managing it. I don't think it matters too much which was you go but I'd recommend that you make sure any crate or harness is designed for car travel so that you know it will be safe (or as safe as possible) in a crash. A 30kg dog flying around the car at high speed would not only be awful for the dog but could also cause all sorts of damage to the other occupants in the car.
I don't think there is any advantage over a dog being loose in the boot or being in a normal wire or fabric crate - so long as you have an appropriate dog guard. My dog travels like this in the back of my landrover, I just have a dog guard between the back load area, and the front seats. It's mainly to stop him sitting on the passenger seat (he views this as his right) and chewing the gear stick or jumping on me while I'm driving. In my motorway car though, I have a crash tested safecrate. If you want to properly protect your dog (and the passengers in the car) in the event of a crash there is no substitute for a proper crash tested crate that, ideally, matches the crumple zones of the car. Next best, is to have your dog secured in a crash tested harness. I put the shopping inside the crate when my dog isn't using it... Outside crate by Julie T, on Flickr
And I have a roofbox....I swear, us going away for a holiday looks like a family of five! When it's just the two of us and the dog....
JulieT that is a super impressive looking crate! It makes it look like the occupant must be a scary, super tough dog (which I'm sure Charlie is hehe). salieri75 Here is Ella in her car harness. I did forget to mention that, whilst as far as I can tell it is one of the safest (if not the safest) crash tested car harnesses, it is quite restrictive so some dogs may not settle well when wearing it. Also, there are three points to clip into the car each time so it's not as quick and simple as opening a crate door.
Fred has a dog seat belt or some times he travels in the boot of the car, with a harness anchored to the car boot point. Very like Ella.
Thanks peeps. The point of the canvas crate would be that it would be easier for storage when not in use and for portability. His current metal crate is OK for me to (wo)manhandle out of the house into the car but a bigger one might get challenging. It's just me, my partner and Ziggy so car space isn't an issue - he has all of the back at his disposal and luggage/shopping can fit in around his needs. I put half the back seat down to fit the crate in at the moment. I suspect we will need one solution now and adapt as he gets bigger. He is still young and skittish and he's only a little lad at 15.5kg. Emily - can Ella lie down flat with the harness on? JulieT - brilliant photo!
Yes, she can lie down flat but it can be a little tricky. The easiest option is to drop straight down from where she is sitting in the photo but she's getting a bit big for that (8 months - 22kgs) so her front legs hang off the edge of the seat. She can lie sideways too but she struggles to move into position so I tend to push her bum towards the middle of the car and then she'll lie down quite comfortably.
Fred is a big dog 32 kg (20 months) and he can lie down flat on the back seat of the car. No problem.
We have a 36" crate in the boot, it comes out when large loads need to be carried sans dogs. It fits 3 large Labs for short journeys to the woods!
Boogie do you have a station wagon or a normal hatchback? Looks like there's a lot of free same in your boot, even with the crate. My RAV4 SUV boot was completely full when we tried the crate in it. Love the photo of the three dogs in the crate! I was actually trying to see if Tatze was in the first photo. Thought she was performing the disappearing black dog trick! ☺☺
It is important to contain a dog (or safety harness) in a crate or box in back of a car, because if you break suddenly, the dog will be shot forward into the windscreen or knocking into you. Hamster Baskets near Ledbury Glos, will make a crate to fit any size or shape, just send him dimensions and he will work something out.
