Pet Auto Safety

Pet Auto Safety.com has a number of dog car harness brands to choose from. Each restrains your dog in the car a little differently. The Guardian Gear and Cruising Companion dog car harness brands have the limitation of not working in Volvos, Saabs, or Ford Explorers. The Tru-Fit dog car harness has the limitation of restricting your dog’s movement in the car. This is a positive feature unless your dog is like mine and can’t hold still. A dog that tries to move around too much in the Tru-Fit dog car harness is likely to get tangled. The Pet Buckle dog car harness works like the Tru-Fit unless its adapter is used. But the adapter only works in vehicles with a latch bar which is generally only found in 2001 models and later.

The new addition to our dog car harness selections has no such limitations. The Bergan dog car harness is not as restricting as the Tru-Fit or Pet Buckle dog car harness. Like the Guardian Gear and Cruising Companion dog car harness brands, it has a tether which can be lengthened or shortened. And the Bergan dog car harness will work in any vehicle that has seat belts.

Instead of buckling directly into the seat belt receptacle like the Guardian Gear and Cruising Companion dog car harness brands, its tether clips directly around the seat belt of your car. The Tru-Fit dog car harness also works with the seat belt of your car, but because it uses the loop system, it is more restricting and more likely to cause tangling.

The Bergan dog car harness also has a more versatile fit than the other dog car harness brands. No more worries for dogs with slender necks but big deep chests. The neck fitting of the Bergan dog car harness is fully adjustable.

The Bergan dog car harness is lightweight but strong. According to Bergan, “they meet or exceed V9DT Pet Safety Durability Test Standard.” And the material around the chest is soft and comfortable.

One drawback we found with the Bergan dog car harness is that unlike the other dog car harness brands we have, the Bergan dog car harness is not easily used as a walking harness. It does not have an easy way to attach a leash instead of the tether. Another drawback we found with the Bergan dog car harness is that fitting it to your dog is rather confusing. Despite the instructions, it took us about 20 minutes to figure out how to adjust it. But the good news is that once it is fitted to your dog, you never have to adjust it again (unless your dog grows). And it is very easy to put on and take off once it is adjusted.

We are so confident about the Bergan dog car harness that we may consider discontinuing the Guardian Gear and Cruising Companion dog car harness brands. The prices are comparable but the confirmed strength testing of the Bergan dog car harness brand is more reliable and the fit is better for all sized dogs. The only advantage that the Guardian Gear and Cruising Companion dog car harness brands have over the Bergan dog car harness is color and style variation. The Bergan dog car harness only comes in blue with black.

Visit ASPCA.org for some great pet car travel tips.  They advise several safety features for your dog including securing them in a well-ventilated pet carrier, not letting your dog stick his head out the window, and not leaving your dog unattended in the car.  These are lots of great tips for pet car travel, many of which we have also stressed.  Two differences:

1) The pet carrier should be secured in the car.  Kennel straps from Pet Buckle are a great way to do this.  The kennel straps from Pet Buckle have been crash tested.

2) If your dog doesn’t like to ride in a pet carrier, have him wear a dog car harness or ride in a pet car seat.  A dog car harness or pet car seat can provide as much safety for your dog as a pet carrier that has been secured in the car.

Visit the ASPCA.org for great pet car travel tips and other great advise on pet care.  Feel free to make a donation to help this non-profit organization fight animal cruelty.

The manufacturer has discontinued the paw print dog seatbelts.  As of the date of this post, we still have all sizes available.  However, this could change at any moment.

The paw print dog seatbelts work just the same as our standard dog seatbelts.  They have two pieces – the harness piece and the strap piece.  The strap piece attaches to the harness on one end and buckles directly into the seat belt receptacle of your car at the other end.  The only difference between the paw print dog seatbelts and the standard dog seatbelts, besides the color, is that the paw print dog seatbelts have a little bit of a thicker material due to the sewed on design of paw prints.

Both these dog seatbelts help to protect your dog in the event of a car accident.  If the paw print dog seatbelts are gone by the time you read this post, the standard dog seatbelts are just as good though not as fashionable.

“What great service!” Mary in Topeka, Kansas exclaimed when I hand-delivered her order.  She had ordered two dog seatbelts for her pugs from our website.  However, she didn’t realize that when she placed her order that we are located in a town just 30 minutes from her.  So I called her up and asked her if I could meet her in Topeka to give her the dog seatbelts in person.  By delivering in person, I was happy to refund the shipping cost charged by the website.  Needless to say, Mary was delighted.We here at Pet Auto Safety strive to provide the best customer service possible.  We have a lot of competitors who offer the same products for around the same price.  So the only edge we have is our great customer service.  We try to answer emails within 24 hours, we often forward our phones on evenings and weekends so that we can answer calls from our customers at all times of the day, we make returns and exchanges simple and easy, and we make sure our shipping prices are as close to the actual cost as possible.  Making shipping prices equitable includes refunding shipping charges when orders are local and we have the products in stock at our location.

But we don’t just have great customer service, we have great customers.  I was very happy to meet Mary and her husband in Topeka to give them the dog seatbelts.  They were both very nice people.  They even offered to pay the toll fee I had to pay for using I-70 from Lawrence to Kansas (of course I said no).  Meeting a fellow dog lover in person is a rewarding experience.

Thanks Mary for the compliment.  Enjoy the dog seatbelts and let us know if you have any issues with them.

The Hyper Dog
The hyper dog generally loves to ride in the car.  He wants to be everywhere at once.  This is how my dog Maya is in the car.  For her, I have her wear a dog seatbelt.  Her dog seatbelt has the strap extended so that she has some mobility.  The strap isn’t long enough to allow her to get in the front seat, but it is long enough for her to reach one of the windows.  I also have the Extend-A-Seat to cover the floor so that she has more room to move around and there is no danger of her getting thrown onto the floor in a sudden stop.

For the hyper dog you can also try a pet car barrier.  As stressed in the previous post, be careful because a determined dog may be able to circumvent a pet car barrier.

You may also be able to help a hyper dog by not just taking him to fun places like the dog park, but also taking him to boring places like the bank drive through.  Or just drive around the block and come back home.  Perhaps if your dog isn’t always going somewhere fun when he is in the car, he may become desensitized by car rides.  A good example of how desensitization works would be if you got out your dog’s leash often throughout the day but didn’t take him for a walk.  He would eventually realize that the leash does not mean getting to go for a walk.

Pet travel safety is important.  But so is your dog’s comfort.  Working with your dog by helping him be desensitized to car rides or helping him not be so anxious in the car can provide him with both comfort and safety.  Pet travel safety is provided by your dog not being a distraction to the driver.  A dog seatbelt, a car seat for dogs, or a pet car barrier can also help with both comfort and safety.

Separation Anxiety
When I a say separation anxiety, I am not talking about the dog who gets nervous when you leave him alone in the car.  Don’t leave your dog in the car unattended.  By separation anxiety in the car, I am talking about the dog who insists on trying to get in the front seat while you’re driving.  He may even try to get in your lap.  This is a dangerous distraction.

You can try the dog seatbelt to keep him in place.  Work with your dog wearing the dog seatbelt at home first so that he doesn’t try to chew it off.  He can wear his harness around the house under your supervision.  Play with him while he is wearing it.  Take him for walks in it.  This way, by the time he gets in the car with it, he may not realize he has it on.  Take him for short rides at first just to make sure he doesn’t try to chew the strap which connects his dog seatbelt to the car.

You can also consider a pet car barrier.  Depending on the size of your dog and your car, you can use the smaller canvas pet car barrier called the Front Seat Barrier by Outward Hound, or you can use the larger more extensive pet car barrier like the T-Flex pet car barrier or the Hatchbag Pet Net.  Be careful because a determined dog may be able to circumvent these devices.

You may also be able to help a dog with separation anxiety by having someone sit in the back seat with him.  Or try giving him his favorite toys or something familiar like his dog bed.  Be careful about giving him toys he can chew apart.  Trying to seat something in a moving vehicle is probably not a good idea for a dog.  You wouldn’t want him to choke on something if you have to make a sudden stop or turn.

The Car Sick Dog 
If your dog is like the scared dog, it tends to also make his car sick.  He is already nervous and the movements of the car don’t help.  Try the same techniques as or the scared dog (previous post).  Take him on short trips regularly to places he likes to go.  Drive carefully and don’t take turns to fast or stop too suddenly (if you can help it).

But some dogs who get car sick are not like the scared dog.  They are not as intimidated by a car ride and may even seem to enjoy it.  You can help keep this dog from being car sick by making sure he has a good view out the window and that he has fresh air.  Don’t let him stick his head out the window as that can be dangerous too, but have the windows down a little or put the air in your car on high.

If your dog is a small dog and can’t look out the window, consider a car seat for dogs.  With a car seat for dogs, your dog can be strapped in for safety, and you can put the window down all the way without fear of him flying out.  If your dog is too big for a car seat but too small to see out the window, consider a dog seatbelt and the Lookout Perch.  The Lookout Perch is a car seat for dogs where you dog has a thick cushion to sit on.  The cushion is thick enough to give your dog a boost up.

It’s not just about pet travel safety.  It’s can also be about comfort for your dog.  If you dog is not comfortable in the car or in his pet travel safety device, he may cause problems in the car.  A dog who does not do well in the car may be a dangerous distraction to the driver.  Every three days we will post an article about a specific behavior a dog may exhibit in the car.  Today, we have outlined possible solutions for dogs who are scared to ride in the car.  There will be three more posts after this for the car sick dog, the dog who has separation anxieties in the car, and the hyper dog.

The Scared Dog
Some dogs just don’t like to ride in the car.  They are terrified.  When the car turns or stops, the dog feels out of control because he can’t keep his balance.  The movements of the car may make his stomach upset.  What can you do to help him?

Start by taking him on short trips to places your dog loves to go.  When you need to turn your car down another street or needs to stop, take it slow.  The less abrupt the stop or turn the better.

Another thing you can do to help him is make him feel more secure.  Having him wear a dog seatbelt or being confined in a crate may make it easier to keep his footing during sudden car movements.  A dog seatbelt will keep him secure in the seat so that he doesn’t get tossed around as much when the car is moving around.  Keeping him in a crate may make him feel more secure – especially if he is crate trained.  A crate for a domestic dog is like a den to a wolf.  The crate or den provides a place of security.  Be sure to strap the crate into the car with kennel restraints so that the crate doesn’t get tossed around.

Shelley with http://www.bednbiscuit.com/ has her dog wear a dog car seat belt.  Her dog, Kendra, is from a high kill shelter in Kentucky.  She wears the dog car seat belt in order to be safe.  Kendra does ride in the front seat because Shelley’s car does not have a back seat.  If your dog must ride in the front seat, make sure the passenger side airbags are disabled.

Thanks Shelley for sharing this great photo of Kendra.  She is beautiful!

We recently had a call from a customer who said their dog is very hyper in the car.  So far, nothing has worked.  He jumps right over the pet net car barrier, tries to climb through the metal pet car barrier, and won’t stay in a dog car harness.  So what else is left?

Honestly, as far as pet auto safety products go, there is not much else that will safely keep him in the back seat.  What is left is training.

Maya is crazy in the car too.  She paces and whines for the first 15 to 20 minutes of the trip, depending on how far we are traveling.  The first day I brought her home, she didn’t have a dog car harness so she was all over the place.  She climbed from the back seat to the front seat, then from the front seat into my lap.  I accidentally ran a red light because I was distracted from trying to push her off of me.

Since I knew her energy, I knew a pet car barrier wouldn’t keep her in the back.  So, just like I did with Sephi, I trained her to wear a dog car harness.  I had her wear the dog car harness around the house when I was at home and able to watch her to make sure she didn’t chew it.  Maya played in the harness, relaxed around the house in the harness, and went for walks in the dog car harness.

Within a week or two, it was time for another car ride to the vet for her booster shots.  Her experience in the car was much better.  With her dog car harness, she wasn’t able to jump in the front seat.  And she didn’t even realize it was the dog car harness that was keeping her back so she wasn’t inclined to chew on it.  Ever since then, she has done just fine in the car.

If you have a crazy dog traveling in the car, I highly recommend you try the dog car harness.  Don’t put your dog in the dog car harness right away.  Train them to wear the harness for a while first.  Then after a couple weeks, or even a month or two depending on your dog, try taking them in the car with their dog car harness.