Car Gear/ My Dog is an Escape Artist
I'm sure this has been discussed but I can't find it with a search of the forums. Today I went to PetCo and got Grover a car seatbelt/ harness thingy. I know this is terrible, but so far he has done great in the car sitting comfortably by me...in the driver's seat. Yeah, I know. Totally unsafe. And he's getting WAY too big to fit there. I drive newer Honda Civic, so putting him in the back seat isn't much of an option because he can easily hop back to the front. So I'm pumped this afternoon because I bought this harness and I decide to take Grover to the gas station with me to test it out.
I have him all harnessed up and he doesn't like it, but it seems to be working on the way down there (like a 2 second drive from my house). I get out and pump the gas and run in to pay. I'm gone MAYBE 2 minutes...when I return to my car, he's sitting happily in my seat. The harness is sitting empty in the passenger seat. Nice. I couldn't figure out how he did it. But then I put it back on for the ride home just to see if he'd get out again. Sure enough half way home, he pushes his front legs through the neck hole of the harness and wiggles right out of the thing....
What do you guys use in the car? I think I got the right size, according to the weight and whatnot. I just think his little short legs are easier to squeeze out of the thing.
What type or brand of car gear works for our stuby friends?
I have him all harnessed up and he doesn't like it, but it seems to be working on the way down there (like a 2 second drive from my house). I get out and pump the gas and run in to pay. I'm gone MAYBE 2 minutes...when I return to my car, he's sitting happily in my seat. The harness is sitting empty in the passenger seat. Nice. I couldn't figure out how he did it. But then I put it back on for the ride home just to see if he'd get out again. Sure enough half way home, he pushes his front legs through the neck hole of the harness and wiggles right out of the thing....
What do you guys use in the car? I think I got the right size, according to the weight and whatnot. I just think his little short legs are easier to squeeze out of the thing.
What type or brand of car gear works for our stuby friends?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lincoln is Corgilicious on
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we bought our lincoln a harness (its stretchy) ... cant remember the brand. didn't buy it at a pet store.
then we bought him a "snoozer" bed so he could right in comfort. he likes to look out the windows but he was so short and he would always fall whenever a bump was hit. the bed is attached by one of your car seat belts.
so this harness clips into the harness strap on the bed. he doesn't escape...or hasn't tried yet ;)
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sorry couldn't find a photo of the harness. but here is the description. also this is the place we bought it at www.sloppykissesofsaratoga.com
a little pricey but well worth it in my opinion.
SPORT Harness with Reflective Strip
Price: $29.95
Description: The popular black sport dog harness trimmed in pink or red has been updated with a reflective silver ribbon on the back. This harness has comfy flexible stretching material on the chest that is fitted by an adjustable belly strap. The silver ribbon brightens with sun exposure and is reflective at night. Sizes: X-Small fits dogs weighing 3-6 lbs Small fits dogs weighing 7-12 lbs Medium fits dogs weighing 13-20 lbs Large fits dogs weighing 21-30 lbs Please choose your trim color: pink or red
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Permalink Reply by Mochi The Corgi on
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In the Car Mochi is in her Crate, where I feel is the safest place for her. Seat Belts are designed for Humans, even those Pet seatbelts, I'd feel weary of them. I think a crate is the best and safest place for your pet.
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Permalink Reply by Charlie on
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I have a small (24x16x15) VariKennel Jr seatbelted in the backseat and was really happy with it until the weather got hot. Because my windows are very lightly tinted and the kennel is navy blue, it gets extremely hot to the touch when I park in full sun. Probably wouldn't be a problem if my windows had a dark tint. I've been having to unbuckle it and take it out of the car to cool down for several minutes before I can put Charlie in it.
Anyway, I've been looking at alternatives this week and haven't been really crazy about the harness seatbelt designs. Looks like the dog could walk off the seat and be dangling over the floorboard (maybe I'm wrong about that). Also a bad car wreck might cause the dog to really sling hard forward then jerk back. I don't know.
I am entertaining the idea of a soft-sided crate since the fabric would not absorb heat. I am concerned about Charlie chewing or eating a hole in the side, and the good brands are not cheap ($50 to well over $100). This morning I was at Walmart picking up a few groceries and found a 32x20x20 soft sided crate for under $20. I came home to think about it, but for $20 it would not be a bad experiment and I wouldn't be too upset if he did chew through it. It includes a seat belt attachment. I'm also not sure what would happen with it in a car accident.
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Permalink Reply by Ginny and Diggory on
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Ginny can be found riding in style in her very own... PINK PETGEAR HOME N' GO "DELUXE" CRATE! Alright, enough Bob Barker now... this crate really is pretty cool. It has a steel frame so it's sturdy but it is collapsible too so I can stick it in the trunk when I'm not using it. I've found it nice to have a crate anyhow. Sometimes I end up at a friend's house and if we want to go out to dinner or a movie or something I can set her up inside in the crate and I don't worry about leaving her. She's not a voracious chewer or else I might worry, but I stick some chewy bones in there with her and she's good to go. It's a little pricey, but I figure we get a lot of use out of it and I don't worry when I have to brake suddenly about Ginny flying in the car.
Here's the link http://www.petgearinc.com/Deluxe.htm
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Permalink Reply by Ju Lo on
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Parker, I have the same problem! I shelled out quite a bit of dough for a nice car harness with a furry pad on the front for comfort and a place to hook it to your car's seat belt. Unfortunately, Corgis just have to be difficult. It's not proportioned for him body right so Theo's stubby little legs easy slip out of it.
For me, having a crate in the car isn't really an option. I drive a tiny sedan and Theo's crate barely even fits in it, let alone flat, and I refuse to take it in and out of the house every time I take Theo somewhere. I can barely get my arms around the thing! It's hard to think that there's no better option out there.
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Permalink Reply by Megan and Penelope on
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Penelope is in her vari-kennel and I drive a newer Honda Civic too, she'll in fit in that vari-kennel when she is full size as well. It fits nicely in the back seat.
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Permalink Reply by Suzanne on
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I use the seatbealt clip with Henry's regular harness. He can slip them if I leave him too long, but with persistance (and lots of treats) I convinced him to leave it on when I'm in the car with him. I also bought him a booster seat (there are two sizes and he needed the biggest one). He can now see out the windows and seems much less determined to escape.
One caution which I'm sure you've heard before, but; if you have an airbag and it deploys it can severely hurt your baby. I'm lucky my car has a switch where I can turn the airbag off at need.
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This is the harness and clip I got for both my guys... Henry does have the boosterseat..
http://www.hunterk9.com/site/870877/product/222 (free shipping!) for the harness,
http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?af=type%3Aproduct&view=grid&w=car%20seat&visitorID=&cartcount=0&wishcount=0&subtotal=0.00 for the seat... He loves it!
Also a post of interest from the DMV: http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/dog.php
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Permalink Reply by Parker on
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Well, we ended up taking the other harness back and getting another brand, one that doesn't have elastic on the top straps that go around the neck...
We got a big test run with the thing earlier this week. I drove down to see my sister in Little Rock, about a 3 hour drive for me. I wanted to take Grover so that he could meet my niece and her two awesome dogs, a Wiemeriner and a Chihuahua. The trip was great and Grove had a nice time, but the ride down was ROUGH. The first few minutes of the trip, right after I left my house, Grover threw the biggest fit I have ever seen. He was tossing himself all over the place, howling and whining, trying to get out of the seat belt harness. Every time I would say something to try to calm him down, he would just go even crazier. I ended up having to put him in the seat behind me, so he couldn't see me for him to calm down. But if I peeked back at him at a stop like or something it was all over again.
I think I'm going to go with the suggestions made here and try to get a crate that will fit back there. At one point during the trip down I tried to put his crate in the back seat but it wouldn't fit. So I'll def have to get a travel crate. Glad we won't be making any long trips for a while though, that was so stressful for Grover! He is just too smart for his own good!
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