Do you crate, restrain or leave your dog loose in the car?

Dog restraint in cars

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No restraint at all for mine. She's a very large dog, and old and arthritic, so wouldn't/couldn't restrain her anyway. She lays down on the back seat and sleeps the whole time - always has. Not ideal though I suppose - in the event of a collision, could prove very dangerous indeed.
 
I put crate because I have a split crate that allows me to remove one dog while the other stays put. It is in the back of my 4x4, the main risk is if it is rear ended by another car and by and large mine is higher than the bonnet of most other cars. I have traveled nervous dogs in the passenger foot well though if they needed reassurance, in a soft bed. Don't like them on seats, they can too easily become a distraction or a missile in a crash
 
The heeler is in a crate on the back seat, the 2 GSDs are in the boot, with a back seat guard and a tailgate guard. I voted crate in poll as couldn't put 2 options.
 
She goes in a soft crate it is like a big travel bag with holes in it (she is a small terrier). It goes on the back seat strapped in with the seat belt and she travels really well in it, in fact she loves going in it.
 
Please be aware that legally dogs need to be restrained whilst travelling. If stopped by the police they can be considered an unrestrained load which can incur a £300 fine AND 3 points on your licence. YES I do know someone who was fined
 
satinbaze said:
Please be aware that legally dogs need to be restrained whilst travelling. If stopped by the police they can be considered an unrestrained load which can incur a £300 fine AND 3 points on your licence. YES I do know someone who was fined
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Wow, I didn't know that.

Just bought a doggy seat belt as mine usually rides up front with me.
 
Crated. Used to use a grill previously, but IMHO the crate is superior.

Had to transport my sister's grossly spoiled pooch loose in a saloon car once, I put her in the back but she made her way forwards and wrapped herself round the pedals! I was approaching a roundabout and had to stop using the handbrake only.
 
I need to get around to measuring the boot of mine and my OH cars so we can get a crate that will fit both. we have the grill between boot and back seats and she is a good traveler, but i sometimes put a buggy in the boot and don't want it to fall on her!
 
Crated. It's illegal to have a dog loose in the body of the car and I also know someone who was fined.
Plus if you crash/roll/smash windows, they'll either be badly hurt, fly through the air and hurt the driver or passengers, or escape onto a busy road or motorway. Not worth the risk.

I also know someone who was rear ended but used a Trans K9 cage which did its job well. A lot of cages also have escape doors.

Check if the harnesses/seat belt clips are crash tested!
 
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I have a TransK9 (crash tested) transit box which is secured in the back of my pickup. I have used tailgates dog guards in other vehicles, as well as a crash tested harness, but am happiest with the TransK9.
 
In the boot behind a guard, he is however also attached to a seatbelt via his harness as his "wait" in uber exciting situations, leaves a bit to be desired and he'd leg it out the boot before I could get a lead on him otherwise, and its dangerous.

He always used to be on the back seat with a seat belt attachment until I got a new car.
 
Just doing a quick search around the net, and it seems that if a dog travels loose in a vehicle not only is the owner breaking the law but they also might have their car insurance invalidated in the event of an accident where a loose dog may be considered the cause of the accident.

Just not worth the risk on any level.
 
I didn't know about the legal implications, but although I voted loose they are usually in the back of the pick up. (Covered). If they are in my focus hatchback they are loose in the boot but would not fit between the head rests and the roof.
Insurance will use any excuse to avoid paying out, so I am not surprised they would use 'loose' as a reason, no doubt even if it had nothing to do with the dog at all.
 
I used to have my two unrestrained in the rear portion of my car, kept back from the driving area by a dog-grille.

Was on the way to a friends, in a built-up area, and they were very restless, and started kicking off i.e. playing with each other and that sort of stuff.

Because of the distraction and the racket, I drove through a red traffic light :( - no-one else around, no-body saw me, no harm done.

But after that I got a dog crate for them, and crated them for every journey. Much safer all round, and dogs are far happier to have their own "safe" space.

On the subject of crates: I found LINTRAN very helpful. If you go onto their website you can enter what make and model your car is, and they will then come up with crates that will be suitable. Their crates are delivered all ready made so you haven't got the hassle of assembling them, and they don't rattle!! Very important that, and something to bear in mind, as a rattling cage will not only unsettle your dog(s) but will also drive you mad into the bargain. I had urgent need of my crate to be delivered before a Bank Holiday weekend as was going away, and (bless them) they rushed it to me at the very earliest opportunity. Can highly recommend them therefore!
 
To add, I used to live on a very bad bend and had to help out the a few people who came a cropper. I was shocked by where certain items in the car ended up in the less high speed crashes, and in the case of rolling/smashed windows, how far items like handbags, mobile phones etc were thrown out of the vehicle. Not worth the risk with a pet.
 
Another advantage of a crate is that it is easy to pop a cover over it to keep the sun off the dog. The 4x4 has air con in the back and tinted windows, but even so the cover helps. The cover/crate combo has also transformed my very car sick JRT into a happy traveller cf when he was in the back behind a grill.
 
Boot guard/tailgate guard combo for the big dogs, little dog goes in an airline crate on the back seat lashed down with ratchet straps. There's also a pop up canopy, reflective sheets, battery fan etc. stowed in boxes in the footwells as we spend a lot of time in the car.
 
I saw a thread a couple of weeks ago on Facebook and that got really heated too.
I pointed out about the fine and people were saying only if the dog causes a distraction.
One said "mine sleeps on the back seat with no restraint" so she's wasn't worried.
Ah well on her head be it eh?
 
I voted loose: Woolfie goes in the boot and I don't have a grill, however she sits or lies down quietly and has never even attempted to jump through. I have a harness for Suzie but must admit I rarely use it now, she will sit quietly on the front seat on the very odd occasion that she's not in the boot with Woolfie, but this thread has made me think and I will start using it again.
 
I voted loose, I don't have back seats, the weeny boot is over the engine so it can get too hot there.
That said, I've got very slack as she used to be in a harness on the front seat, but just lies down there the whole time in transit, but MUST remember to start putting harness back on again.
 
Mind is in the boot of my hatchback, with a dog guard. I have a terrible fear of being rear ended & her getting injured. Next car will hopefully be an estate or one big enough to fit a proper crash tested crate which leaves some room at the end of the boot. But she's a greyhound, so it's going to have to be a big car. Or maybe a van?
 
Same lol. You could also look at a people carrier. With one or all of rear seats removed you have a good 1m clearance although best to notify insurance company as it may count as a modifications.
 
I like the idea of a van. My car is basically a mobile horse, dog, human storage unit anyway. The horror if I actually have to take a human passenger in it!
 
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