Advice on how to separate dog and baby in the car

[Beautifulnightmares101]

Hi,

Expecting first baby in a couple of months.
So for when we have the dog and baby in the car, I've seen car seat covers like the one in the link below.
amzn.eu/d/4TiaVaM

My dog is very kissy and I need to find something that will form a partition between her and the baby, so she can't try and stick her tongue down the babies throat whilst I'm driving.
She's a labrador type size, so the edges of the car seat cover arnt high enough on their own.

Has anyone ever had this issue/found a solution?
The dog won't always be in the car with the baby, just if we're going somewhere for a nice walk etc, so I need something that is temporary but safe.

Thanks x

the safest is a travel crate in the boot of the car.
the next safer option (depending on size of dog) is a travel crate in the footwell of the car.

If the dog is tied in fairly tight with a harness as she would be for safety, is she able to reach the baby? mine wouldn't be able to reach the other side of the car seat.

Crate in the boot surely

Dog in the boot if you have an accident you don’t want a dog flying about, if it can reach a baby whilst attached to the seat it’s not properly restrained

I'm assuming you have a proper seat harness for the dog. In that case, would they even be able to reach the baby?

Dog guard, dog in boot. The dog definitively ought not to be on the back seat unless in a proper harness.

Parcel shelf out and a guard in place. Dog in boot.

agree with others, it is much safer for everyone if the dog learns to travel in the boot. In a 30mph crash a 30kg dog (medium sized lab) becomes a 900kg projectile. You don’t want that flying loose in your car’s cabin. It will kill anything in its path.

Put him or her in the boot with a crash tested crate or vehicle specific barrier that separates the cabin from the boot space (like the Travall ones) and it’s all good. You can make it cosy in there for your dog, put a comfy piece of vetbed in there and train him/her that it’s a fun place to be by giving him a few meals and whatnot in there (not moving or going anywhere, just getting the dog comfortable with the boot being theirs and associating it with good things).

The dog needs to be in the boot with either a dog guard, harness or crate.

If you don't have a boot, I'd put it in the foot well in the front. I don't think the thing on that link would stop a determined lab, and it would be useless in an accident.

Harness buckles need to withstand an actual TON of force in the event of a fairly low speed accident (more if the speed and/or weight of dog is higher). Think about that when you’re looking at those plastic and webbing harnesses on Amazon & in Pets @ Home. <shudder>

Another vote for dog guard and dog in boot. Having seen an accident where the dog wasn't restrained and in the main bit of the car, I wouldn't have my dog anywhere else now, for all our safety

My two dogs’ seat belts restrict them from any access to my baby’s (to be) car seat.

My dog harness came with a clip that you put the seatbelt through keeping her restrained in the car. Opposite end of backseat to baby or in the front.

If the dogs in the boot where does the pram go? We have this issue OP, and a robust pram for dog walks will not fit in the boot of our VW tiguan and allow space for the dog. We have a dog smaller than a labrador abs are currently using a secured crate on the seat behind the driver

The dog can't be in the boot as I wouldn't have anywhere to put a pushchair, not too bad if it's a short trip as will have a sling but if we're out for the day that's not going to be too realistic?

Of course she has a harness for the car (for safety and insurance reasons) but she's a big dog and I wasn't sure that would stop her being able to lean her giraffe neck over to baby. Will have to have a look at that later.

I find it a bit surprising that no one has mentioned OP not having a DC yet and her dog being "very kissy". It's not just in the car the dog should be kept away from a baby's face is it? "Sticking her tongue down the baby's throat"??!

Admittedly I know more about cars than dogs, but maybe more knowledgeable dog people could advise on general safety of DC with dogs?

Thank you, this is something to think about.

Dog guard put dog in boot. I can fit pushchair and dog squashes in around it. Or I lie pushchair along stairwell of back seat if I need to put stuff in the boot. Or pushchair in front seat stair well if you can still see out of passenger window and see mirrors.

Unless you have a gigantic car this just isn't going to work with a labrador and pram suitable for a newborn lol

have you considered switching to a bigger car that is more suited? So dog and pram can go in the boot. Obviously a faff and expense but you may just be expecting too much from your car if you want a big dog to not be able to touch your baby and also want the pram in the boot etc. Obviously I have no idea how big your car is or what your financial situation is, but a bigger car sounds better really.

Depends on size of your boot. We have a crash-tested crate in our Sportage and can just fit in our Out n About Nipper but it doesn't leave space for anything else. But we could prob get a pram propped in the back seats especially if it's one with a detachable carrycot part if you only have one car seat installed.

do you have the pushchair already?

an umbrella fold one can go in the footwell of the back row.
then the dog can go in the boot without issues.

Something like a ford kuga works.

If it's a small car, then I would just have a proper car harness for dog that doesn't allow any roaming room for it to get near the baby. I wouldn't ever leave baby and dog in back if dog can reach baby.

My kids are older now but when we did have a dog and need a pram we did have a car big enough for it and ended up dividing the boot in half for the dog and buying an umbrella fold buggy suitable for newborns (Maclaren used to do them), fine for summer born babies. I’m sure there’s loads more choice in terms of compact, lightweight transport for newborns nowadays, bought by parents living in small flats and/or using public transport a lot.

Alternatively? small roof box for the pram if you’ve not got boot space for it and the dog?