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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Transporting a dog by car

22 replies

Italiangreyhound · 17/07/2020 04:51

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of how to transport a dog by car, a small puppy - t months or so or an older dog, please?

Crate/harness/back seat/boot?

I'd love to hear the views and why.

OP posts:

thisstooshallpass · 17/07/2020 05:30

I've always had estate cars (always had dogs!) so they naturally go in the boot. Secured by a guard from headrest of back seats to ceiling of car.

It also keeps the rest of the car clean (two shedding labradors) I use a made to measure protector for the boot and and bumper guard as they jump in and out (boot buddy) Also, one dog is getting old and has arthritis, him going in the boot makes it easier if I need to use a ramp.

If on the back seat you can buy a simple attachment. Always secure to a harness, not a traditional collar - it isn't safe.

Whatever you decide just as long as dog is secure, for yours and their safety.

caringcarer · 17/07/2020 05:36

We take our 2 Lhasa Apso on holiday to France with us each year and travel by car 300 miles to catch ferry then overnight on ferry. Dogs have to stay in car. We put them in a pet playpen which looks like a baby travel cot with mesh roof on. We have estate car and it takes up most of boot. They can move around and both sleep in there. They love it.

UncertainFuture · 17/07/2020 05:39

We put harnesses on ours and then attach them via seat belt clips on the back seat. I think some cars are okay but the thought of having them in the boot scares me as it's a crumple zone so if we were in an accident they wouldn't be safe. We don't have kids though so it's just them.

thinkpad1 · 17/07/2020 05:42

I have a 12 week old puppy. I took him on a 225 mile journey a couple of weeks ago and put him in his crate in the back of my car with the seats down but if I go on shorter journeys I either sit him on my passengers seat with a seatbelt clip attached to his harness or I put him in his car dog bed thing. Problem is his breed is very clingy (frenchie) and the bugger is forever trying to get over to me and I can't put him in the back as there's two kids car seats there. He was fantastic when he was in the crate for the long journey but I couldn't do that for short journeys as it would be too much fuss.

Girlintheframe · 17/07/2020 05:55

My husbands car is an estate so dog goes in the boot when using his but my car is a mini.
I have a large cover that fits over the back seats then he is secured using a harness which goes into the seat belt. Car gets pretty dirty though!

petalpower · 17/07/2020 06:32

I have a shaped crate/dog box that takes up all the boot of my Audi Q3 and my 9 week old puppy travels in there. I put his little soft doughnut bed in and it also has a fleece mat. So far only short journeys but he seems happy in there.

dudsville · 17/07/2020 06:36

We don't do it often but sometimes needs must. We have a back seat cover that slings over the back seat and front seat head rests. It has slits so you can access seat belts, and we have seat belt attachments that connect to the dog harnesses, this it's so that they'll have some protection in case we should have to brake or have an accident.

Miserablemoan · 17/07/2020 06:59

We had a fabric crate that went in the boot. Brilliant to keep her safe and minimise the hair

yearinyearout · 17/07/2020 07:00

I bought a soft foldable crate that fit snugly into my hatchback, either in the bootspace or on the back seat (it didn't move as the passenger seat was tightly against it. They sell them on amazon.

LaughingDonkey · 17/07/2020 07:15

I would say it depends on the dog.

I have tried crate in the boot (Estate car), large plastic carrier secured by seat belt, open box like seat attachment with seat belt attached to harness.

He always messes up the car (wee, poo). No matter how many times/techniques I have tried to make him get used to the car. Even if the engine is off - he will pee and poop (even if I would have taken him out before). So it is easier to have him in the boot in his crate lined up with puppy pads. I also keep baby wipes, dog poo bags and kitchen roll in the boot.

ImAncient · 17/07/2020 07:28

Our girl has a crate in the boot - 4x4. We’ve tried with the harness attached to the seatbelt a few times & she just whimpers the whole time. Whereas in the crate she settles down really happily.

Dreamersandwishers · 17/07/2020 07:52

My two are great in the car, very calm. Typically they are in the boot of my 4x4 which has a guard between the back seats & the boot.
They have a bed there for comfort .
If they are in DHs saloon car, they are on the back seat, attached to the child seat restraints via a short lead and a harness. They are labs though so a bit big to be comfy there.

MsMarvellous · 17/07/2020 07:54

We have a big dog so he travels in the boot with a bed for comfort, travel water bowl, and one of the grates between him and the main body of the car. He used to throw up every journey reliably but he hit one and that seems to have improved.

Our friends with a small Westside have her in the back seat with a seatbelt clip and harness arrangement.

Rumtopf · 17/07/2020 07:59

They both go in the back of our 4x4. In our campervan the small dog lays beside dd and his harness is clipped into the seatbelt and the big dog lies down on the floor between the front seats (it's a massive camper) with his harness clipped into the nearest seatbelt.
They are always restrained in some way as I've seen a major rta when a dog wasn't secured and it's stayed with me.

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 17/07/2020 08:14

We have a grille behind the seats and a tailgate guard so that when we open the boot they can't make a bid for freedom. To be fair they wouldn't (they know better, except for the youngest who will soon learn).

The tailgate guard is brilliant as it means I can leave them in the car if I need to with the boot open and good flow of air. It's lockable which is a bonus.

CMOTDibbler · 17/07/2020 10:06

Mine are in the boot (full boot liner for good car, rubber matting in other, dog beds and blankets in both, dog guards) and travel really well. I like that they can get up and turn around if they want to

ThatLibraryMiss · 17/07/2020 11:02

Small Dog travels in his dog booster seat on the front passenger seat. His harness is clipped to the seat, which in turn is secured by the seat belt. The passenger side airbag is turned off. He's very attached to me so he's quite content. If he were in the back he'd whinge mightily. If your puppy is going to be a small adult I recommend it.

He's a maltipoo weighing about 5kg at the time of the photo. Yes, he's filthy. He was having a great day.

shinynewapple2020 · 17/07/2020 11:30

I love that booster seat @ThatLibraryMiss .

My dog hates travelling. We manage with me sitting in backseat with him whilst DH drives . I put his basket on the seat next to me and he has a seatbelt attachment on his harness. He also has to wear his Thunder coat and normally has the calming spot-on as well. We are going on holiday next week (3 hour journey) and not looking forward to it.

vanillandhoney · 17/07/2020 11:47

My dog sits on the backseat.

We have waterproof covers on all the seats, and I use seatbelt connectors which clip onto his harness.

Personally I don't like using the boot as if I got hit from behind, the dogs would take the full impact. I was in an accident on Monday and my car was hit side-on. Dog was in the backseat and although a bit shaken he was absolutely fine as the door took all the impact. Boots aren't quite designed the same way and would crumple on impact.

I'm also a dog-walker and dogs travel on my backseat. No dogs in the boot. When my business expands I'll be buying a van and kitting it out with crates. It makes me cringe to see dogs loose in the boots of cars. If you were in an accident and someone hit you up the rear, your dogs would stand no chance.

Roselilly36 · 17/07/2020 11:51

Our dog loved going in the car, we had an estate and he was in & out of it most days. Good to get them used to car journey, so trips to the vets & holidays are easier.

SlothMama · 17/07/2020 12:29

When I had one dog she was in a safedog hatchback crate, but now I have two and only a hatchback so I can't fit a larger crate. So I've bought a dog guard and a tailgate guard and a bootliner. I will probably sell the car next year and upgrade to something bigger that'll fit a double trans k9 cage!

moosemama · 17/07/2020 12:30

We have an estate with a dog guard above the back seats and a tailgate guard over the boot entrance. Full boot liner and waterproof dog cushions with plenty of blankets.

When we had smaller breeds they used to go in a crate in the boot. I find pups and small breeds tend to run around a lot it large boots if not contained to some extent. One of my dogs hated the car and preferred an airline style crate so they couldn’t see out.

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