Advice needed - safe transport

sl2crmeg

Can you get him a seatbelt? I have this one [http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=3239] and it's available at petsmart. I use one of those mountain-climber hooks and clip the dog's seatbelt to the human seatbelt. If the backseat of your truck is like I'm thinking, he could still be buckled in back there and have enough room to be comfy.

OMGosh, that is so cool!  Yes, I can definitely get one of those.  Can they lay down with of those on, or does it keep them sitting up the whole time?

I'm sure you're picturing the back seat right...I have a Toyota Tacoma, here's a pic of what the inside looks like.  This is the 2008 model, mine is an '02, but you get the idea:

Ok, sorry it's bad quality, but I took it with my camera phone. We were at the drive-thru :) Since I clip his seatbelt to the big clip to the human shoulder belt, the big clip slides up and down.

sl2crmeg

Pirate lays down for most of our driving time, actually. If we're going somewhere longer than an hour or so I usually put a blanket down for him. Hang on, I'll post a picture.

Ok, sorry it's bad quality, but I took it with my camera phone. We were at the drive-thru :) Since I clip his seatbelt to the big clip to the human shoulder belt, the big clip slides up and down.

That's pretty sweet.  Good idea to hook it to the seatbelt so it can slide.  I can borrow a carabiner from my BF...he uses tons of them at his job, so I can do the same thing.  Thanks!!  I can pick one up this weekend and then we can practice him wearing it next week before we leave for the trip.

We have a setup kind of like that... we have a cheap car harness that we tether to some metal clip in the back of our car.... I don't *really* like it, but I haven't found anythigng else that I can have Sammy try on.  He's a weird size so it's hard to order online for something and have it fit.

My only advice is that you unclip the dog if you leave him alone in the car for any reason -- Sammy will chew his way out of he is tethered and we run into a store for even 2 minutes. He is okay in just the harness though. 

I really like how that one pictured slides because Sammy needs extra length to be able to lay down, but because of where we have it tethered it allows him just a few extra inches to get towards the front seat.

NicoleS

My only advice is that you unclip the dog if you leave him alone in the car for any reason -- Sammy will chew his way out of he is tethered and we run into a store for even 2 minutes. He is okay in just the harness though. 

I really like how that one pictured slides because Sammy needs extra length to be able to lay down, but because of where we have it tethered it allows him just a few extra inches to get towards the front seat.

I will definitely unclip him if I have to leave him alone.  I will have to stop for a potty break for myself at some point, so after I let Harry have his potty break at a rest stop, I'll have to put him back in the truck so I can go inside.  Stopping for gas shouldn't be a problem...God bless pay at the pump!

I think in the picture she hooked a large carabiner to the clip on the harness, then slid the human seatbelt through it, so it can slide up and down.  Very cool idea that I will definitely be using!  Even though Harry luuuuves going for rides in the car, every time we stop and park somewhere, Harry is all over me trying to get out, so having him hooked up will help alleviate that. 

Sorry I couldn't post til I got home.

Moral of story before I start -- make this a new beginning -- TAKE THE DOG A LOT!! Teach them to ride.  Teach them to *behave* in the car.  Mine go ALL the time.  It takes some training but it's worth it.

Now ... remember when you are in the car the dog can't pipe up and say "You know ... if you're thirsty I really could use a pee break!! How far to the next McDonalds?"

Nope -- the best they can do is begin to whine, or act nervous or agitated or uneasy -- YOU have to see this.  YOU have to raise the subject and say "ok -- you gotta go out??  You gotta wait for a few minutes but I'm gonna try to get you somewhere fast!!"

Depending on how long it's been since they've fully emptied bladder and intestines it can be a short time or a long one.  They won't get the same amount of exercise and things aren't "normal" so you can't go by what usually happens. 

Is this dog USED to going on leash?  That can sometimes be a real deal-killer - so take any time between now and then to fine-tune this skill.  Even if you have to make a LONG LONG leash out of a clothesline (that works well with some dogs) but no matter how you do it normally, all bets are off on a long trip. 

Take your own water.  Take food -- usually I portion food out in small baggies so I don't have to carry a big bag of food.  Take a couple of portable bowls - I LOVE Glad bowls!!  They weigh nothing and with a bottle of water you pour just a little in and let the dog drink.  NO nasty residue or yucky brackish water left -- you dump what they don't drink and pour more later.  But food and water bowl fit one inside the other, no rattle, no noise, toss them when you're home!! 

Thanks Callie!  Yes, Harry is used to going on leash.  We don't have a fence yet, so we always take him on leash to potty in the yard.  I'm sure he will get a bit distracted when we stop at rest areas, what with them being new places and people all over the place, but I'm patient so I can wait for him to settle down and do his business.  I'm not going to rush the drive or put him in any discomfort by making him hold it longer than he is asked to on a normal day.

He goes for rides a lot, a few times a week, so he is used to it, and loves riding in cars!  The only thing he is bad about is when we stop, he gets excited to get out.  The seatbelt harness should help that, and I plan to buy it this weekend, and practice using it next week (trip is planned for the 18th).  I figure I can do a short (10 minute or so) drive every day next week with him wearing the seatbelt, so he can get used to stopping and staying put without him getting scared or anything.

I am definitely bringing water and food.  I have one of those travel pet water bottles that attaches to a small tray, and I use it all the time at the dog park, so Harry is used to it as well.  Harry will get his breakfast before we leave, then lunch on the road, and then dinner when we arrive at my brother's house, so just one meal while traveling, which I plan to stop somewhere to feed him.  Yep, Glad bowls are great! :)

I have no qualms about stopping a few times to let him have potty breaks, but it is only a 5.5 hour trip, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Thanks everyone for the advice!  I'm really looking forward to this trip; my family hasn't met Harry yet.  They're going to love him!!

Pwca

Dad has a 2006 Tacoma and I believe there's a ring on the floor in the back

I have that same truck.  I haven't seen a ring on the floor but there is a cover in the back of the cab and when you take the cover off there's a ring there that you could use if need be.  I think the cover has a picture of a car seat on it.  I guess the ring is used to help secure the car seat.

Pwca

Dad has a 2006 Tacoma and I believe there's a ring on the floor in the back that works VERY well for tethering a car harness to. The front seat is NOT safe- a harness will keep your dog form becoming a projectile in an accident, but the airbags can hurt him, too.

Mine doesn't have a ring in the back, but it has seatbelts so I can attach the harness to those.  I do not plan to harness him into the front seat, sorry if that wasn't clear.  I do allow him to ride in the front seat when we're going to the dog park, vet, since those trips are no more than 2 miles each way, but I turn OFF the passenger side airbag.  I can insert my key into a special switch and turn it off.  I think that feature is pretty common on pick ups, so people can have younger (older than car seat age, but under 12) kids ride safely in the front seat.  BTW - I did mention that in the OP.

 A word of caution about "cheap doggie seatbelts".  Doggie seatbelts should serve two purposes:

• keeping a dog confined to a particular part of the car
• keeping a dog from flying freely around the passenger compartment during an accident

The second purpose requires considerably more strength than the first purpose.  During just a 30 mph collision a dog can exert a force of up to 20 times their bodyweight.  

Do not assume that all doggie seatbelts will handle an accident.  A seatbelt is only as strong as its weakest component.

http://www.agilepooch.com/dogstuff/dogbelts/dogbelts_design.html

The major flaw of most [doggie] seatbelts on the market is their reliance on Delrin/Nylon buckles to carry the load of the dog flying forward in a crash. I have broken a standard 1" Delrin buckle just by pulling too tight, so those designs will likely fail under the forces sustained in a very slow speed impact. Other designs are nothing more than a tether that connects to a standard 1" dog harnesses to hook to - these don't distribute load well and they also rely on the nylon buckles.  If nylon buckles are used, they should only be for attaching the harness and adjusting the fit. 

Read thru this site to understand doggie seatbelt issues:
http://www.agilepooch.com/dogstuff/dogbelts/dogbelts.html