Securing dog in the boot?

[timbobs]

Roxie is currently clipped in via harness on the back seat of the car, but I’d like to move her into the boot.

I’ll be buying a guard to stop her getting through into the backseat, but I feel like I should be securing her in the boot in case of an accident (touch wood I’ll never need it!). I’m thinking of something that attached to the headrest maybe?

Do others secure the dog in the boot or leave them loose in there? I have a small car (and a small dog!) so there isn’t space for a crate in the boot.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Ours are loose behind a dog guard.

 

[timbobs]

My other worry is if I’m in an accident where I’m rear-ended. Maybe I should just leave her on the back seat ?

 

[Clodagh]

My other worry is if I’m in an accident where I’m rear-ended. Maybe I should just leave her on the back seat ?

If you are worried about that then yes I would. I prefer mine on the back seat but OH gets all emotional about it (dirt) so they are in the back.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I'd always go for fixed cages or boxes. Mainly because I used to live on a bad bend and I used to see how far things got thrown out of/around vehicles even in the event of a low speed crash.

 

[JennBags]

Mine are crated in the back. Those harnesses keeping them strapped in on the back seats are fine though.

 

[satinbaze]

You could always consider a tailgate guard. I had this set up when I had a Skoda. Companies like Barjo and guardsmen make them and you can fit yourself. Now I have a van with bespoke caging

 

[timbobs]

You could always consider a tailgate guard. I had this set up when I had a Skoda. Companies like Barjo and guardsmen make them and you can fit yourself. Now I have a van with bespoke caging

I hadn’t heard of those- will look into them thanks

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Personally I think it sounds safer to travel wearing a car harness in the back seat, compared to travelling in the boot, but presumably you have some reason to want to switch.

I've seen something called a Dog Car Zipline, said to be able to be used anywhere in the car where you can attach the hooks to something. I don't have a driving license, and haven't thought much about the inside of car boots, but I know there is several quirky features in my dad's Citroen, so I would probably find something to attach a zipline to in his car boot. However I would probably want to switch those open hooks, to something closeable.
https://www.kurgo.com/dog-seat-belts/auto-zip-line-leash-zip-line-combo/

If you buy a metal guard thingy, you could buy a Dog Car Boot Restraint, where one hook is attached to the guard thingy, and the other to the car harness, but I'm not sure how safe it is. What if the guard thingy comes loose?
https://www.wildextreme.co.uk/products/dog-car-boot-restraint-1

Actually I came across a picture showing some possible places to attach a car restraint to inside a car boot, perhaps go out and investigate the inside of your car boot, to see if it has something you could use?

 

[JennBags]

Personally I think it sounds safer to travel wearing a car harness in the back seat, compared to travelling in the boot, but presumably you have some reason to want to switch.

I've seen something called a Dog Car Zipline, said to be able to be used anywhere in the car where you can attach the hooks to something. I don't have a driving license, and haven't thought much about the inside of car boots, but I know there is several quirky features in my dad's Citroen, so I would probably find something to attach a zipline to in his car boot. However I would probably want to switch those open hooks, to something closeable.
https://www.kurgo.com/dog-seat-belts/auto-zip-line-leash-zip-line-combo/

Never seen anything like this before, I don't like the look of these, surely in the case of an accident the dog could swing from this?

 

[splashgirl45]

i have the back seats down permanently and the crate immediately behind the front seats as i worry what would happen if i was rear ended by a lorry or large vehicle. i feel they are safer closer to the front... if yours is small dog why not continue with him/her on the back seat. you can get seat covers or special ones for the dog, google equus,and look at henry wag pet car hammock

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Never seen anything like this before, I don't like the look of these, surely in the case of an accident the dog could swing from this?

I presume you're talking about the zipline? I suppose a dog could swing from it in case of an accident, or maybe even an emergency break. Personally I don't think they look as safe as attaching the harness to a seatbelt, but compared to travelling loose in a boot, even if it is behind a guard, I thought that with a zipline, at least the dog would be attached to something.

 

[timbobs]

This is the little dog in question! I have a Toyota Yaris so a pretty small car. She’s currently attached to the seatbelt and a harness and sits happily on a lovely thermatex mat.

I’m not bothered about her leaving mud/hair in the car.

I’m just thinking about if I’m driving my nieces and nephews in the car and them annoying her in the back seat. I was wondering if it would be better to have her in the boot then? She’s good with kids, but you never know!

 

[JennBags]

I presume you're talking about the zipline? I suppose a dog could swing from it in case of an accident, or maybe even an emergency break. Personally I don't think they look as safe as attaching the harness to a seatbelt, but compared to travelling loose in a boot, even if it is behind a guard, I thought that with a zipline, at least the dog would be attached to something.

Yes, that was the one I meant (I'd deleted the rest of the post but of course it scrunches it all up anyway!). Yes safer than traveling loose, I didn't think of it being used in the boot, that might work.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

View attachment 51186

This is the little dog in question! I have a Toyota Yaris so a pretty small car. She’s currently attached to the seatbelt and a harness and sits happily on a lovely thermatex mat.

I’m not bothered about her leaving mud/hair in the car.

I’m just thinking about if I’m driving my nieces and nephews in the car and them annoying her in the back seat. I was wondering if it would be better to have her in the boot then? She’s good with kids, but you never know!

Aww, she's a cutie!

I don't know your nieces and nephews, I can only say that whenever my dad have had both my sisters 3 children, and my 3 bitches in his car at the same time (usually in Summertime, driving to a lake for a swim), there was never any arguments about if/who should sit in the passenger seat in front, because they all wanted to sit in the back seat with one bitch each in their knee. Even on the way back, when the bitches where wet.

The car harness loop fits just as well on a seatbelt when they're sitting in someone's knee, by the way.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have a solid dog guard and leave mine loose behind it .

 

[Annette4]

2 of mine are in crash tested crates in the boot and one is on the backseat clipped in on her harness. Once we have the new car it will be the safe for most trips and all on seats for camping.

 

[Fools Motto]

My two are loose in the boot. I simply don't have room in the car anywhere else (kids are on backseat). The boot is suitable for muddy spaniel and car sick whippet.

 

[deb_l222]

Mine are loose in the boot behind a dog guard.

The only time I ever used a seatbelt type affair was with Willow and she spun around, wrapped it around her knee, pulled away and popped out her knee!! £2000 of surgery later for a £5 seatbelt

 

[MrsMozart]

Could you get one of the fold up crates as she's only diddy? Would stop any issues with small people and still keep her safe.

With three biggies and a diddy one we have a bit of a mix depending on how far we're travelling. Generally it's now two in the boot and two on the back seat. The car is a Merc 4x4 so reasonably spacious. I'd quite like to get two crash tested crates for the boot. Would have to resurrect the roof box if we need to carry and luggage as well.

 

[[139672]]

MY dog is small , he travels in a plastic crate with a handle on top that you can put the seat belt through. If we have two passengers in the back we put his crate in the middle

 

[PolarSkye]

For short trips for wet/muddy walks our pup (springer possibly crossed with collie and/or corgi, but defo springer-sized) does just fine in the boot loose. She has blankets to curl up in, and I drive very considerately when she is there and we don't go very far. I would probably re-think for long journeys and secure her in a crate - but for walks she is probably in the car for (max) two minutes.

 

[MrsMozart]

I'm having to rethink where I attach the big dogs when on the back seat.

They have a harness on and it clips via a strap into a seatbelt thingy, but they're standing on it and undoing it! Today I looped the strap around one of the head rest stems for the journey home.

I was wondering if I could get a longer strap and attach to one of the cargo hooks through in the boot.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I'm having to rethink where I attach the big dogs when on the back seat.

They have a harness on and it clips via a strap into a seatbelt thingy, but they're standing on it and undoing it! Today I looped the strap around one of the head rest stems for the journey home.

I was wondering if I could get a longer strap and attach to one of the cargo hooks through in the boot.

Where you thinking of something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07GFB77C3/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Another brand:

https://www.amazon.com/IOKHEIRA-Adjustable-Durable-Vehicle-Seatbelt/dp/B08BYMLWL2


Or you could buy a new harness, this is the one my bitches have currently (it is the best one I've used since I got my first dog 30 years ago):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Company-of-Animals-LC02/dp/B004W78RIY?th=1&psc=1

 

[MrsMozart]

Ta. I have good harnesses (and a couple of really expensive and absolutely useless ones!). It's the bit that goes into the car seat belt fastener thing that's the issue - the dogs stand on the fastener thing and undoes them!

 

[satinbaze]

Just a little word of warning regarding harnesses attached to seatbelt. I know of a dog (basset hound) that was attached to a seat belt on the back seat via a harness. The car was involved in an accident and although the dog wasn’t killed he had spinal injuries from being thrown forward and then “snapped” by the restraint. He survived but needed a set of wheels as his back end was paralysed. Possibly injuries were worse because he was a long backed breeds

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Just a little word of warning regarding harnesses attached to seatbelt. I know of a dog (basset hound) that was attached to a seat belt on the back seat via a harness. The car was involved in an accident and although the dog wasn’t killed he had spinal injuries from being thrown forward and then “snapped” by the restraint. He survived but needed a set of wheels as his back end was paralysed. Possibly injuries were worse because he was a long backed breeds

I'm sorry to hear about he Basset's injuries, and it is good if people are made aware about that their safety products might not be as safe as they think, but nothing is 100% safe. Being thrown around inside a car crate/cage have for example sometimes also caused injuries to some dogs. A metal guard between the back seat, and the boot won't stop a dog from escaping through a broken boot window, etc.

There is some car harnesses that is said to be designed to avoid the dog flipping over, or being snapped back, in case of an accident, but I'm not sure if they really works, or if they work for all types of dogs, from small, to large, to those with longer backs.

Sadly, even when you use a safety product to keep your dog safe, injuries can happen. And it doesn't even need to be in a car accident, sometimes dogs have managed to get tangled in the seatbelt, sometimes they've managed to pull something in through the bars of their crate/cage... I still think it is better to use something, than nothing.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Ta. I have good harnesses (and a couple of really expensive and absolutely useless ones!). It's the bit that goes into the car seat belt fastener thing that's the issue - the dogs stand on the fastener thing and undoes them!

Would probably lead to too much fiddling around to be practical, but have you tried pushing the fastener thingy down into the seat? Or is it just my dad's Citroen which have these little slots/pockets where the fastener can disappear down into?

 

[MrsMozart]

Would probably lead to too much fiddling around to be practical, but have you tried pushing the fastener thingy down into the seat? Or is it just my dad's Citroen which have these little slots/pockets where the fastener can disappear down into?

They go down into the little spaces but the dogs pull them up again! ?

Found these...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00GZ3I3OQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

 

[FinnishLapphund]

They go down into the little spaces but the dogs pull them up again! ?

Found these...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00GZ3I3OQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

Those look useful, I hope they fix the problem.