In conjunction with the dog car seat belts, I use the Extend-A-Seat in my car whenever Sephi and Maya travel with me. The device worked perfectly when we first used it on a four hour trip from Kansas City to St Louis. Sephi and Maya were much more comfortable on this trip because they had more room to move around or lay down and stretch their legs.
What is an Extend-A-Seat? The Extend-A-Seat is a sturdy device which attaches around the front car seats and headrests in order to cover the floor of the back seat. The Extend-A-Seat by Outward Hound is slightly padded and designed for dogs over 30 pounds. Sephi is 55 pounds and Maya is almost 70 pounds and the Extend-A-Seat has shown no signs of weakness or breakage.
How does the Extend-A-Seat protect your dog? The most defining feature of the Extend-A-Seat is it keeps your dog off the floor of the car. If you have to make a sudden stop your dog could fly forward and crash onto the floor, possibly spraining or even breaking their leg, hip, or back. But if your dog is wearing a seat belt, how could this happen? True, with some dog car seat belts the dog would not crash onto the floor because those seat belts severely limit your dog’s movement. However, other dog car seat belts have an adjustable strap which gives them more freedom to move and sit, stand, or lay down. The Extend-A-Seat provides even more space for your dog to move around which can be very comfortable for those long road trips.
How does the Extend-A-Seat protect me? The Extend-A-Seat has a small flap which provides a visible barrier between the front seats. So if your dog is not wearing a dog car seat belt, this flap may deter them from trying to get into the front seat and distracting you while you are driving. The flap can easily slide down, however, so it is only a visual barrier, not a physical barrier. The best way to prevent your dog from getting into the front seat while you are driving is to have your dog wear a dog car seat belt.
Are there any drawbacks to the Extend-A-Seat? One feature we have noticed is there is a slight gap around the side edges of the Extend-A-Seat. So it is not recommended for smaller dogs who may be able to slip between those gaps. The Extend-A-Seat straps can be tightened so that the padded base is flush against the back of the front seats. However, if the back of the front seats are not straight, there may be additional gaps. The back of the front seats of my car are not straight. However, since Sephi and Maya have the dog car seat belts with adjustable straps, I make the straps long enough for them to still move around but short enough so they can’t get their foot caught in the gaps.
Is the Extend-A-Seat right for my dog? To find out, ask yourself these questions:
1) Is my dog or are my dogs over 30 pounds each?
2) Do my dogs hate being restrained in the car?
3) Will my dog be using a dog car seat belt with an adjustable strap?
If you answered yes to all three questions, then the Extend-A-Seat is perfect for your dog!
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