Puppy in car - recommendations for harness / "carseat"?

[PuppyVsCar]

Hello Doghouse! Photo tax pre-paid of my 13 week old Labrador-ish puppy (there's some Beagle and Springer Spaniel in there too).

This boy is the perfect puppy with the exception of car rides. He HATES the car, sobs the entire time he is in it. After his vet trip today for his second round of vaccinations I had a real battle even getting him back into crate.

I am very aware we need to work on building positive associations but I think there is no way to do this when he is in a crate in the boot - I think for him his anxiety there is as much about not being able to see me as being in the car itself, and once I shut the boot he goes straight over threshold. I am wondering about getting him a clip-in harness and also keep getting adverts for these dog "carseats" / bolsters that go on the seats. However there seems to be an overwhelming array of options and I'm finding it difficult to know what is actually safe vs just well advertised...

I'd be incredibly grateful for any recommendations!

Both my dogs have click in harnesses. They can then lie down or sit up on the back seat and see me at all times.

Gorgeous doggo by the way 😍

In the boot, no crate, just a dog guard is by far the safest.

so for our retriever we started her off with a crash safe harness (please please never attach their collar to a seatbelt) like this one and a dog seatbelt that plugs into the normal seatbelt plug

https://www.petsathome.com/product/3-peaks-crash-impact-tested-dog-harness-green/P71783

and then got a car hammock that goes over the back seats so she didn’t fall into the footwell and put a coat blanket on there. But once she outgrew the harness we transitioned her to the boot

I have a car hammock on my back seats. Then I put vet bed down to prevent them from slipping. I then use seat belt clips that go round the head rests and attach them to their normal harnesses.
I used to have the seat belts that click into the seat belt holder part, but one of my dogs trod on it a few times and released himself whilst I was driving.
I also had one of those box type car seats when mine was a puppy, but I would imagine your puppy would outgrow one of those very quickly.
He is very cute. 💖

Safest I assume in terms of minimising distractions but is it safe in terms of a crash? Wouldn't dog get thrown around quite badly?

Strange question.
In terms of a crash, nothing is safe.

How is it a strange question? She wants to minimise harm to her dog, just like we wear seatbelts to minimise harm to ourselves in a crash.

Um... well, obviously nothing can make a crash completely safe for anyone. But in the case if my kids I've done my best to reduce potential harm as much as possible e.g. with rearfacing carseats. I'd like to do the same for my dog!

It's also not very safe if he's in the boot and howling so much that I can't concentrate to drive...

Does he reject to being left alone, or being able to see you? Or the car in general?

Some of the advice above on a harness is very good, but if his main objection is also the car...he could end up seriously injuring himself on the back seat in the harness.

I would only go for crash- tested restraints now, and research to ensure they've actually been properly crash tested. Ones I have my eye on are 4pets caree isofix carrier or Sleepypod harness.

I'm suggest the harness for bigger dogs - sleepypod share their crash tests on YouTube.

Mimsafe are very expensive but also do crates for various sized pets which are crash tested, the smaller ones can go on the car seats.

So if he's on the backseat in a harness, howling and scrabbling around to reach you, that won't be a distraction at all...? Right. Good luck with that then.

It's hard to say. He is a bit anxious about separation from any of his humans (he will get upset if I go upstairs and husband / kids are still around with him). The current boot/crate setup is also far from ideal, he can't see out at all (it's a Honda Jazz so the rear window is higher than the sides of the crate) which I think must make things harder too.

I'd definitely try a harness. I think its good if they can see out the windows and see you.

One of my dogs has separation anxiety, and he likes being able to see me driving, and he sits on the back seat as good as gold as he is with me.

Are the dogs strapped in these hammocks? I had a seatbelt harness for my last dog a Phalene,it was tight,he was like Houdini,out in a second, then under your feet or on your lap.Vet said small crate, seatbelt went through the top of the crate. At first he didn't want to go in there, then he realised "oh hold on, I go in here and then somewhere nice". If you want to get him used to the back or crate...put him in and out a few times, without going anywhere in the car, gradually lengthening the duration.

@PuppyVsCar in which case, I would strongly recommend you test out a harness with someone in the back seat with him first. Do not try and drive with him strapped into the harness and alone - @CoubousAndTourmalet is right in that he could be a massive distraction if he does display some broader anxious behaviour.

I would also encourage you to use treats and affection to lure him into the car and then reward him once he is out again (assuming he behaves well). He's a lab, so hopefully he'll respond well to the treats.

I'd also say it's wise to try and take him to places he will find exciting asap - and use the car to get there. Again, reward him for getting into it and ensure when he gets out it's something exciting. Make him associate it with positive things.

With respect, I do know why people wear seatbelts, but a dog is not a person and does not behave in the same way.

I am the most safety conscious, caring, conscientious dog owner you will ever meet. But, in the unfortunate event of a crash, a Labrador sized dog that is frightened and panicking, cannot be dealt with or reasoned with in the same way as a young child can. Therefore, I maintain that they are always safest behind a correctly fitted dog guard.

We have a Mimsafe crash-tested crate. It was expensive but we’ve had it more than a decade now so it’s worth it. Personally would never just use a dog guard on its own, they offer basically no protection in a crash, but work fine for stopping dog getting into main car if that’s your only concern. But if you’re also worried about dog safety in an accident, there are better options.

For a nervous puppy a crash-tested harness might be a good choice but research them as some of the ‘crash-testing’ is dubious at best. Sleepypod ones are good but expensive, but that’s a theme - if you want safety, you have to pay.

Not disputing that. You said it was a strange question to ask. I don't think it was a strange question to ask at all.

Cross posted @LandSharksAnonymous
I admit with my guys backseat/harness was never going to be an option, but I do find the crash comments odd. There's no way in the world any dog would not be panicking, hysterical and uncontrollable after an accident. Thinking they would just sit calmly on the seat and wait for rescue is anthropomorphising to the extreme. Sorry.
That's all I'm saying.

Thanks. It will be hopefully be easier next week once we can actually get him out and about and start building that immediate association between "in car then out for fun". We have driven him to and from playdates with his littermates but there the association hasn't been quite as immediate (in car, out into my arms, knocking on door then down for fun).

I think in a crate is best. Mine liked it though.

But that's not my concern / expectation (that they'd be calmly waiting for rescue). My concern is that unrestrained in the boot (a space a fair bit larger than they are) they would be flung around and seriously injured or even killed in a crash. But I think I see your point as being that if there was a crash and they were restrained, they might end up injuring themselves by trying to escape the restraint in a panic.

No, but they're less likely to go flying out of a window or something if they're restrained.

We have a crate in the boot, but also use this https://www.petsathome.com/product/pets-at-home-dog-seat-belt-restraint-black/7149503P?productId=7149503&purchaseType=one-time&size=oneSize when we need to fill the boot with other stuff. Just clips onto a normal walking harness, don’t use either a collar, you’ll strangle your dog in a crash.

Our dog also hated the car for a long time, but then the only car rides she did was to and from the vets and the one taking her from her mother to our home. A lot of trips in the car to fun places has improved matters a lot. She now prefers the crate to the back seat, but the harness attachment thing does come in handy when you need to fill your boot.

I would never have a dog that isn't tethered in some way or other. You hear of too many people who have been involved in accidents and their dogs have bolted out of their cars onto busy roads.
The Pets at Home seat belt attachment above didn't work for me, as my dog kept treading on it and releasing the seat belt. I switched to ones that buckle around the rear head rests instead.
In terms of getting used to the car, one of mine became car phobic after one too many trips to the vets. We started with going and sitting in the car for a few minutes without going anywhere. When she could cope witn that, we added in starting the engine, but still not going anywhere. Then we did very short journeys - luckily I have a good walk only three minutes away. Once she could cope with that, I added in a drive around the block to make the journey a little longer. We have gradually increased the length of time, and she can now cope with about half an hour. This has taken months though. It's not a quick process.
But hopefully, your puppy is unhappy because he can't see you and it can be easily solved by moving him to the back seat. Good luck.