Large & giant dog owners: how do you secure your dog in the car?

[GrouchyKiwi]

My Newfie pup (now 7 months) has grown out of the car crate we have for her and it was the biggest size we could fit in our car.

I think she'd fit perfectly happily in the boot (even once fully grown - we have a Citroen Grand Picasso, so a 7-seater) but I'm not sure how to make sure she's safely secured.

[SlothMama]

There are a few options to secure her,
A tailgate guard which means she can't try to jump onto the back seats and in a crash she won't be able to escape out of the boot (if it opened)
Or a crash tested crate from Safedog or Transk9 they are expensive but imo worth it.
Or you could put a harness on her and let her sit on the seats :)

[GrouchyKiwi]

Thanks Sloth. They're expensive aren't they!

I've been thinking about putting a belt through her harness but the seats are the ones that fold away into the base of the boot so I'm not sure she'd fit. I think I'll have to experiment with her!

[llangennith]

Rule 57 of the Highway Code states that dogs have to be restrained when travelling in a car or the driver could face a fine of up to £2,500.
It doesn't state exactly how this should be achieved.

[NicoAndTheNiners]

Are there any anchor points in the boot floor? If so you can get extension things so you should be able to clip one end into a harness and one to an anchor point?

[wellhellothereall]

Erm we don't

[NicoAndTheNiners]

Or if there's seatbelt clips in the boot space then this?

www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Pet-Zone-Adjustable-attenuation/dp/B078836Z17/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_bs_t_1?th=1&_encoding=UTF8&refRID=FSM8VETQ1QW7B9BGQ23W&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Aprilshowersarecomingsoon]

Ddog has a seat belt buckle that attaches to collar /harness then clips into seat belt mechanism.

[GrouchyKiwi]

llangennith That is a massive fine!

Nico I've been looking at that fitting. I'll need to see if we can have the seat belt clip up when the seat isn't.

April I think something like that will be our best bet.

[Binglebong]

I use this one (sorry about the Ebay link but you can see the product) www.ebay.co.uk/p/Easy-Rider-Car-Extra-Small-Harness-for-Dogs-Black-06000-Blkxsm/1700155847?iid=382636182974&chn=ps&ul_ref=https%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F710-134428-41853-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%25252Fp%25252FEasy-Rider-Car-Extra-Small-Harness-for-Dogs-Black-06000-Blkxsm%25252F1700155847%25253Fiid%25253D382636182974%252526chn%25253Dps%2526itemid%253D382636182974%2526targetid%253D539566317069%2526device%253Dm%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D1006691%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D1669190381%2526adgroupid%253D67214012520%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-539566317069%2526abcId%253D578896%2526merchantid%253D6995734%2526gclid%253DCj0KCQiA14TjBRD_ARIsAOCmO9Z4FXWPr_8wFzz9S28vi-6SEF31np3YS57je16L9_Afz-fNhcFhE5kaAgokEALw_wcB%2526srcrot%253D710-134428-41853-0%2526rvr_id%253D1855057457542%2526rvr_ts%253Dde080c5c1680a9e42f562895fff13660

I did a lot of research on harnesses and saw some awful vehicles. A lot of the car ones are actually very dangerous - either hurting the dog or breaking and becoming a missile. When I bought it there were only 2 that passed UK car safety tests and this was one - the other was about £90!

If you go for a crate be careful to make sure it isn't a folding one as they can crush in an accident. You can get some fibreglass ones that are good but again it's worth checking for car safety standards.

You can get seatbelt clips which are basically a short lead with a seatbelt on the end instead of a handle. Just shorten it then clip it on the handle.

Please never ever attach a dog by the collar. It can break their neck.


Sorry for the essay op!

[Thisisnotwhatiwant]

I purchased a Bergan dog harness for my newf. it was the only one I could find that said it was tested to the same standards as human seatbelts. Harness and tether with carabiner attachments. Not cheap, but safe.

[GrouchyKiwi]

Thanks Binglebong and Thisisnotwhatiwant. They look good.

[Binglebong]

Sorry, bit of a hobby horse.

Can you link to the teather Thisisnotwhatiwant?

[caesio]

I haven't looked at the suggested links but be really careful about seat belt attachments, in the small print a lot of them are only rated to 20kg. Which I'm pretty sure your pup has exceeded already.

Also anchor points in the boot are often only rated to 10kg (will be in your car manual). Though I think you're saying your car has proper person seat belt attachments in the boot not anchor points.

My 44kg dog goes loose in the boot but I have an Audi A3 hatchback with dog guard that fits to the headrests. Safe for him as he takes up most of the room so doesn't get thrown around. Safe for us.

Do miss being able to use my boot

Your car sounds like a different setup though so can't specifically help! I will say if I put my pup on the back seat loose (v occasionally locally if boot full) he hates it as the seat isn't wide enough to turn around to lie down. Maybe ask on your breed Facebook page what other people do?

[GertrudeCB]

We use a car harness with our lab, but he's a damn site smaller than a Newfie!

[GrouchyKiwi]

caesio Yes, they're proper seat belt fittings. Facebook page is a good idea, thanks!

[CMOTDibbler]

My lurchers are in the boot with a full guard to contain them. They like being together and being able to turn round, but not so much space they'd get thrown around more than a crate

[ThePoliticiansPraiseMyName]

Can people link to the harnesses they use for their giant dogs? We have a St. Bernard x bernese mountain dog who is 7 months old and growing like a weed, I'd like to get him a decent harness but the spend the money just now it would need to have a decent amount of growing room!