Labrador in small car?

[Mollywasasinger]

We have just been offered a Labrador puppy, and one of the (many!) things I’m trying to work out is how I’d transport the puppy, especially as it gets bigger.

I drive a Toyota Yaris and have two kids so normally both back seats are taken, but my eldest is tall enough to go in the front seat now.

How do you safely transport a dog in a car if you don’t have a big estate type boot?

You get a dog seat belt.

I fit my Scottish Deerhound in the back of my teeny VW Up so you can definitely get them in!

Get one of those seatbelt harness things so they're safe and secure, and a big waterproof seat cover!

You just don’t drive them super long distances too, especially if they’re in the boot. Try and get them a dog seat + belt for the back seat?

So I put my eldest in the front seat, and then the dog has one of the back seats with a waterproof dog cover and a seatbelt harness thing? Cool, I saw some adverts for kind of big squishy looking dog beds that go on the back seat but maybe I don’t need that?

Do the back seats fold down separately by any chance? I have a lab and a small car, I fold one of the back seats down and lay a mat over it, dog has boot+space of that one seat, leaving one other back passenger seat free. You can get things to attach to dog harness that clip into seatbelt fasteners.

I would always want a car with a boot big enough for my dog. Wee accidents as a pup or vomit? Back seat may work for short journeys with a clean and settled dog bit that’s all.
Plus you sound like you hadn’t been planning on a dog. Such a big commitment. Have you checked health tests like hips etc. Decent breeder?

Agree with this. The phrase 'offered' always sparks alarm bells!

Depending on how big the lab grows, you could find that one child and a lab in the back seat is a big squeeze. I had to try and fit one of my Goldies in the back seat of fiesta a few months ago - never again.

How old is the child who will be in the back with (bitey landshark) puppy?
DS is 3.5 and I occasionally let AwkwardPup ride in the back with the seat belt clip and a VetBed to protect the seat, but AwkwardPup is 5 years old and just goes to sleep. I would not let a puppy or adolescent pup ride in the back with a child as they are so bitey.
AwkwardPup usually rides on the passenger seat with the airbag off, then I get sneaky strokes at the traffic lights

Our Lab fits in the back of my Corsa with a seatbelt attachment on her harness. I put her in the boot once as a youngster and she glared at me for the entire journey over the back seats, astounded I appeared to have mistaken her for luggage
She was never Bitey on car journeys, it’s all too exciting and interesting.

My 35kg boxer fits in the boot
of Suzuki swift and a Hyundai i20. It’s the angle of the glass. He mainly goes in the x. trail though . But for short trips boot is fine.

That would be good but sadly no! They can only fold down all in one, in which case I don’t have room for the kids.

I’d be doing drives of no more than 10-15 minutes and yes absolutely would wait till well settled and potty trained, so hopefully ok even if it’s a bit of a squeeze as the dog gets bigger. If I had to shift to a bigger car I could, it’s just parking round the school is really difficult so I prefer something smaller.

It’s a puppy from a proper reputable breeder with all the right health checks don’t worry - basically the breeder is related to a close friend, and has just had a family pull out of taking the puppy in 2 weeks time. We had been planning to get a dog next year but hadn’t really started looking into all the details/thinking through the practicalities yet, so I’m just trying to work through all the (potential) issues really quickly.

That’s a good point, younger child is 9 next week so at least knows not to put his hand anywhere near a young lab’s mouth.

I have a Yaris and often look after a labrador, who fits in the boot with no problem (obviously I remove the shelf first!). You might want to get a boot liner to make cleaning up mud and fur a bit easier.

@SoloSofa24 thanks - so if he’s in the boot he’s not restrained or strapped in right, just in the boot?

A boot liner and dog guard in the boot. It’ll be much happier and have plenty of room to lay down

The labrador I look after is mature and well-behaved, so she just sits in the boot with no restraints, but for a puppy/adolescent dog you might want to get the kind of restraint that attaches to the back of the seats, or put a dog guard in.

Ok thanks all, that sounds manageable!

I do worry about my dog in the boot without a roll cage and being in an accident
dogs need to be restrained now as the law changed jan 2025.

I would use a crate for as long as possible. And check the law about restraining dogs in cars.

if he’s in the boot you may need a guard to stop him getting onto the back seat. I also have a guard that covers the boot when it’s open. It has a door in it to open to allow dog out. (But then I travel a lot with my dogs, am an awful worrier and once heard a story about an accident. Boot popped open. Dog got out and was killed on road. See neurotic worrier. ) 🤦‍♀️

I have a 40 kg dog and an Aygo (old style, not the new ones which are bigger). My dog takes up the whole of the backseat as he likes to lie down. 10-15 min journeys will probably be ok with the dog on the backseat (with a dog seat belt) next to your youngest, but I think everyone will be uncomfortable if it's a longer journey and the dog doesn't fit in the boot.

My sister had a similar problem when they got their cockerpoo.

They have three kids and had a Jaguar XF (so boot totally unsuitable for anything but a handbag). ETA - they thought it'd be fine but disnt realise they would actually want days out with dog and Holidays down to Cornwall with dog etc... They now drive a Hyandai Tucson with a dog crate in the boot.

The cost of getting a suitable car to transport the dog safely for journeys longer than 10 mins is an often forgotten cost to factor in to the puppy thing!

Knowing what i know now, I would never put my dog in the boot without being in a crash tested crate. If something goes into the back of you the poor dog doesnt stand a chance. And it doesn't get a choice where you made it travel. It's a cost that should factor into the price of the puppy; £800 for the pup and £500 for the crash tested crate.

The C42 crate from TransK9 fits a Yarris and accommodates dogs up to 18kg. Could you maybe choose a dog to suit the car or change the car to suit the dog?

Hmm a lot to think about. Honestly I’d have chosen a smaller breed of dog for convenience but DH does desperately want a Labrador. I’ll have a look into options - I think the Yaris will be ok until the dog is full grown and then we may need to go for a bigger car. Days out and holidays DH would always drive anyway and his car is an SUV so should be fine there, I’m more thinking about practicalities with my little car and day to day life.

thank you for all the advice :)