Dog Community

Car Harnesses

Posted : 8/16/2007 10:31:50 AM

Does anyone use a car harness for their dogs (a padded harness that hooks to a seatbelt, for dogs riding in the back seat)? I got Chopper a car harness and fitted it on her last night, had her wear it around to get used to it. I've never used one before and just wondered what other people though, preferably people who have experience using them. We've been crating her for long car rides, but we have a normal sized car and in order to get her crate inside, we have to take it apart, slide it in flat, and reconstruct it inside the car. Since the seat is at an angle and her crate is so big (actually two sizes smaller than what was recommended for a GSD), it can be very tippy even though I've added a foam layer to try to even it out and use bungee cords to stabilize the top by attaching it to the front seats and the hooks for childs car seats in the back. Also, it's just a PITA having to take the cover and all the bedding out, take it down, and put it in the car every time we go somewhere (this is the crate that she sleeps in at night so it always has to go back inside). For a few very short rides (less than a mile), I've just let her sit on the seat and she lays right down and doesn't try to bug us in front or get at the window, so I'm assuming she will be still enough for a car harness. I feel like the tippiness of the crate makes it more uncomfortable for her to be in the car and it would be so much easier to use the harness. I don't want to use nothing b/c a loose dog is a huge danger to the driver and passengers during an accident. Has anyone had any luck using a harness on a larger dog?

Bobsk8

Posted : 8/16/2007 10:56:30 AM

I use the Roadie Basic and my dog wears it every time we go for a ride.

http://www.ruffrider.com/shop/family/dog_safety_harnesses

sl2crmeg

Posted : 8/16/2007 11:55:43 AM

Pirate is little, but he wears one similar to the one posted. He looks like a little fighter pilot with all his gear on, lol.

houndlove

Posted : 8/16/2007 11:59:05 AM

So, I've got a dog who will. not. sit. down. when riding in the car. It's this total circular thing with him: he stands up, so he gets thrown around a lot (whether in the crate or not), which makes him hate riding int he car, so he stands up because he is stressed, which just leads to more being thrown around which is more proof that the car is bad.

I've thought about these harnesses, but if the dog won't sit down (or stay sitting), what do you do?

Liesje

Posted : 8/16/2007 12:01:10 PM

I've thought about these harnesses, but if the dog won't sit down (or stay sitting), what do you do?

I think he might get tangled in the harness, but I'm not sure. Chop will spin for a while, but this is mostly in her crate, I think b/c it's tippy and she's trying to find a secure position. If she's just on the seat, I ask her to sit or lay down and she stays like that, so I'm hoping the harness is a good idea.

robinkay6573

Posted : 8/16/2007 12:01:14 PM

I tried...I really wanted Belle to wear one BUT she had other ideas. The first harness she chewed through the front strap the second harness she chewed through the CAR seatbelt (well a quarter of the way through). UGH...I was so mad at her. [:@][:@] Anyway...I am a bad doggy mom...she rides loose now. [&o]

robinkay6573

Posted : 8/16/2007 12:03:43 PM

I thought about getting one of these:

[linkhttp://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=120604]http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=120604[/link]

Anyone use them???

Joe smith

Posted : 8/16/2007 12:36:15 PM

So, I've got a dog who will. not. sit. down. when riding in the car. It's this total circular thing with him: he stands up, so he gets thrown around a lot (whether in the crate or not), which makes him hate riding int he car, so he stands up because he is stressed, which just leads to more being thrown around which is more proof that the car is bad.

I've thought about these harnesses, but if the dog won't sit down (or stay sitting), what do you do?

I have the same problem. A harness has really helped me. He uses it to help balance himself. It also makes him a little less mobile. He still insist on standing up and moving around but at least it helps him brace when I am braking.

pofi_pasquale

Posted : 8/16/2007 12:56:37 PM

Pofi and Mia wear harnesses - Pofi has a Roadie Basic, but I will upgrade them both to a new Roadie with the lambs wool liner for our next long trip. They wore their harnesses for 18 hours of driving to CO and then again back and all around the state.

Pofi does not like to sit still, but this keeps him from trying to sit in my lap (at 65 to 75 pounds and 28" at the shoulder, he makes a WAY better door than a window) and definitely allows him to move, but stay out of trouble. For most short trips, they are in the back seat of my RAV4 with the seats backs reclining and each is secured to a U-bolt in the seat rather than the seat belt. Sometimes I use the seat belt itself, but rarely anymore as this just works better.

Stacita

Posted : 8/16/2007 1:12:26 PM

We use harnesses for trips that involve more than just a couple of miles. I've found them a whole lot easier than a crate in transporting large dogs in a mid-size sedan. It also helps when getting the dog out of the car at potty stops to have that to grab onto until the leash is on.

For the day to day short trips to the post office or whatever, I use a barrier just to make sure T doesn't decide to climb over the seat and start driving.

kryan

Posted : 8/16/2007 1:57:37 PM

We decided to go with harnesses because, with two dogs, their adult-sized crates would never fit in the backseat of our car.

Since the last dog we tried a harness on was a wiggly escape artist, I got two recommendations from other dog owners:
* Canine Friendly Products' VestHarness - This is the one we picked, but haven't used yet because the puppies are still too small for even the smallest size harness.
* Neo-paws harness

I can't personally vouch for either one, but I like the design of both.

janet_rose

Posted : 8/16/2007 6:24:00 PM

I much prefer a crate for safely transporting a dog, but I realize that sometimes that just isn't practical and seatbelts are much preferable to leaving the dog loose. However, here are some things to consider in making your choice and in picking a seatbelt.

(1) What is the tensile strength of the seatbelt? From the Ruff Rider site: "We test each production run for tensile strength (5,000 lbs, US human standard for seatbelts) at Commercial Testing Laboratories in Denver, CO."
(2) The stitching and fasteners on many belts are designed to control a dog in normal situations, not to withstand the force of an accident - especially with a large dog! An average sized Labrador (60lbs), when flung by an accident, can impact with the force of a baby elephant.

During just a 30 mph collision a dog can exert a force of up to 20 times their bodyweight.
(3) Doggie seatbelts do not hold the animals firmly against the seat. In an accident dogs on the end of a tether are tossed around just as badly as (or worse than) if they were in a crate - think windows! They are not protected from other flying objects in the car or from pieces of flying metal.
(4) In case of an accident, a hurt dog can be tangled in a seatbelt tether with circulation being cut off to a leg. Even worse the seatbelt tether can be around the neck.
(5) Scared dogs that aren't badly hurt in an accident can chew through the seatbelt and get loose. It would be tragic for the dog to survive a car accident and then get hit by a car. Also, loose dogs in a car may even try to protect their masters from rescue personnel.
(6) Seatbelt tethers and car seatbelts are no match for a dog's teeth. Ever price the replacement of a car seatbelt?

Liesje

Posted : 8/16/2007 6:57:11 PM

Thanks for that list, Janet. Luckily, I cannot even coax Chop to chew on chewie treats and bones, so chewing is not a problem for us. I'm not sure exactly what brand of harness I bought, but it looks solid - no plastic or cheap grade nylon. It looks like you could hoist a speed boat with it. Chopper is getting worse in the crate in the car. Last night, she was whining and scratching at the door b/c it was so tippy and everytime she settled down, something jostled the crate again. I fear that it will make her behavior problems (skittishness and nervousness) worse. If the crate is not in the car, she actually runs to the door and will jump in even if I didn't mean we were going somewhere. If the harnesses work, I think it's the best compromise between safety and the dog's behavioral needs.

stardog85

Posted : 8/16/2007 7:06:09 PM

I don't have one but I really like the look of the Bebop USA car harness: [linkhttp://www.bebopusa.com/product_info.php?cat=21]Secure Fit Harness[/link] - it's designed to anchor into the child seat anchor rather than just the seatbelt and it has all metal fixtures.

janet_rose

Posted : 8/16/2007 10:02:50 PM

Liesje
If the harnesses work, I think it's the best compromise between safety and the dog's behavioral needs.

I understand, but please do investigate the tensile strength of your seatbelt. The company should be able to answer that question.