Car travel

[MarinaPunta]

Can anyone recommend a decent car restraint? We use one of those belts that attach from his harness and into the clip - we have tried it with and without a car booster seat, but we keep encountering a problem. My dog turns around to get comfortable and the belt winds round his leg. This has caused him to be in pain before and, realising you dog has trapped his leg, does not make for very safe driving!

Ideally I need one I can leave in the car and would restrict his movement to avoid trapping his leg, but would still enable him to get comfortable.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Could you put DDog in the boot, either inside a crate or with a guard to stop him jumping onto the back seats?

[MarinaPunta]

We have a van (about to be converted into a campervan) as well as a car, so we would not always be able to put him in the boot.

[BiteyShark]

How big is your dog? Could he fit inside a soft crate that can be secured on the back seat (I used one when my dog was a puppy).

Can you get a seatbelt clip that can be shortened so less likely to get caught.

We have a seatbelt clip and my dog has now learnt how to move about without getting trapped. I did once try one that the seat belt went through the harness but it was so restrictive the my dog freaked out in it.

[MarinaPunta]

He is small (Maltese). I will look into a soft crate. The only concern I have about a soft crate is that we go to Spain sometimes and. Wouldn’t want him to be too hot in a crate.

[missbattenburg]

When battendog was a puppy I used this, which I secured on to the back seat with some strong bungees...

<a class="break-all" href="https://smile.[[//amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00F2JM5ZC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&ie=UTF8&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00F2JM5ZC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21]]

It worked well.

[MarinaPunta]

Can anyone click the link and tell me if it works? It doesn’t on my iPad.

[BiteyShark]

Link works for me.

[DogInATent]

The link is dead/blocked for me. It's more reliable to give an Amazon shortlink rather than copying the address, there should be a click-button on the product page that generates it.

I use a Kurgo, they've changed the design slightly but this one seems to be the closest to the one I have:
amzn.to/2PoPiSV

It doesn't click into the receiver bit of the seat belt. Instead you click the seatbelt over the seat and loop the tether around the seat belt. This gives you the benefit of the travel and ratchet-restraint of the seat belt.

[LizzieMacQueen]

How secure does a dog need to be? When mine is in the car (infrequent, usually to vets) I just clip his collar to a longish lead that is secured to one of the boot's D rings.

[missbattenburg]

Description is "Karlie Transport Box - In Accordance with IATA Requirements for Transportation of Live Animals"

Search for that on amazon and it'll come up.

[BiteyShark]

Lizzie the problem with clipping a lead to a collar is in the event of a crash. Can you imagine the damage done to your dog with an extreme force to the neck .

Also having a too long lead the 'probably now dead or severely injured dog' will now be a missile in the car which is why rear seat belts became mandatory.

I even moved my dog from the boot because it's a crumple zone so is designed to collapse in even low speed crashes so unless you use a crash proof crate it can be an issue.

From your post it sounds like your dog doesn't travel much but I have been in a fairly low speed accident and ended up with a massive bruise from the seat belt just from the force.

[LizzieMacQueen]

@BiteyShark thank you. I think I'll put our dog crate permanently in the car as that'll be simplest.

[BiteyShark]

Lizzie using a harness would be ok but just not the collar. There are crash tested harnesses but I use our regular one which is secure.

[BorderlineExperimental]

It is worth noting that normal harnesses are not designed to withstand the forces they’d be subject to in the event of a crash. Even lots of harnesses marketed for use in cars fail when put through any kind of appropriate testing. The Centre for Pet Safety has got some very illuminating videos of harnesses, crates and carriers being tested.

Sleepypod do a really good range of harnesses and carriers (for smaller dogs) that are really good and stand up to pretty rigorous testing. I’d recommend having a look at them.

[spot102]

I tried one of the seatbelts that clipped between harness and seat belt plug. Thought it was great, till dog kept standing on the plug and releasing it!! She is now in a crate. To be fair, though I was half expecting her to chew through the seatbelt. They always surprise you, don't they?!