Pet Auto Safety

We’ve been introducing a bunch of new products lately. One product we like in particular is the new styled pet safety belt from Guardian Gear called Fairfield (consider Guardian Gear the Brand and Fairfield the style). Why the name Fairfield? We’re not entirely sure but we suspect ‘field’ because the two colors available are reminiscent of a field. The colors are great outdoor colors (black or moss green).

This pet safety belt is slightly padded for comfort but not so thickly padded as the Ride Right style. In hot weather, you probably don’t want something that is too thick. The padded part is also a quilted design instead of a flat design. The quilting is simply a different design element and not necessarily an improvement.

As with all Guardian Gear pet safety belt styles, this one is easy to put on and can be used as a walking harness as well as a dog car harness. Simply unclip the tether from the top back and clip on a leash instead.

Find the Fairfield style on its own new page on Pet Auto Safety by clicking HERE. Feel free to use the discount code, petsafeblogger, to get 10% off.

There is no one company that has tested and rated all the dog car harness brands. Each company uses their own testers and testing methods. Since each company is different, all we can do as consumers is rate the brands we have tried and check out dog seat belt reviews from other purchasers. We here at PetAutoSafety.com have experience with four dog car harness brands and have compared them below.

Comfort
Our rating is based on the chest padding of each dog seat belt and is listed from the best padded to the least.

1. Guardian Gear / Cruising Companion padded styles (includes the plaid, Houndstooth, and Ride Right styles)
2. Bergan
3. Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness
4. Pet Buckle
5. Guardian Gear / Cruising Companion non-padded styles

Tether Tangling & Twisting
For dogs that like to move around a lot in the car, the tether of certain dog seat belt brands can cause tangling and twisting. We have listed the brands from least likely to tangle to the most likely.

1. Guardian Gear / Cruising Companion padded and non-padded styles – no tangling, very little twisting
2. Bergan – no tangling but tends to get twisted
3. Pet Buckle – twisting with Kwik-Connect tether, tangling without
4. Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness – tangling and twisting can occur

Cost
We have listed our dog seat belt brands from least expensive to most expensive.

1. Guardian Gear / Cruising Companion non-padded styles
2. Guardian Gear / Cruising Companion padded styles
3. Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness
4. Bergan
5. Pet Buckle

Tested
As previously stated, each company uses their own testing methods. And each claims to have the best testing methods. We have looked into each testing method of our four dog seat belt brands and have done the best we can to determine who has the most extensive testing. The dog car harness brands here have been listed from the most extensively tested to the least.

1. Pet Buckle – has done strength, durability, comfort, and actual crash testing
2. Bergan & Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness – has done strength, durability, and comfort testing, but no actual crash testing.
3. Guardian Gear / Cruising Companion – has done no testing but the company has been selling this product for many years and claims to have no complaints regarding safety.

Ease of Use
All our dog car harness brands have about the same level of ease when it comes to putting it on your dog. They all work basically the same way in that your dog steps through, you buckle the clips, then you put your dog in the car and secure the tether.

Best for Very Small Dogs or Very Large Dogs
The Guardian Gear / Cruising Companion non-padded styles will fit the smallest dogs while the Bergan dog car harness will fit the largest dogs.

Since there are so many dog car harness brands to choose from, it can be difficult to make a choice. Consider your dog and what is most important to you and compare. We apologize for not being able to provide information on other dog seat belt brands. If you have experience with any of these or other brands, feel free to share.

Ok, so you put the dog car harness on your dog.  Now what?  How does the dog wearing the dog car harness stay secure in the car?  Well, it depends on the brand and style.  We here at Pet Auto Safety.com have several dog car harness brands and styles, but they can be grouped into three categories based on how your dog is secured in the car.

Directly Buckles into Car
The Guardian Gear, Cruising Companion, and Ride Right brand dog car harness have a connecting strap which buckles directly into the seat belt receptacle of most vehicles.  The benefit of a single connecting strap means that your dog is less likely to get tangled in their dog car harness.  It also makes it easier for your dog to move around in the car while wearing the dog car harness.

Uses Car Seat Belt
The Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness has a connecting strap as well.  However, the connecting strap is simply a loop system.  Your dog is secured in the Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness by putting the seat belt of your car through the loop.  This loop-system of the Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness makes it a little more difficult for your dog to move around, but less maneuverability means your dog is more secure.

Latches into Car
The Pet Buckle brand dog car harness generally uses the loop system (similar to the Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness).  However, if you get the one which comes with the Kwik-Connect Tether you have yet another method to secure your dog in their dog car harness.  The Kwik-Connect Tether clips onto a metal ring.  Cars 2001 and later have a metal ring between the seat cushions called a Latch Bar.  This metal ring was designed for baby car seats, but it can be used for the Kwik-Connect Tether too.  A metal ring may also be located in the back of SUVs so that your dog can wear their dog car harness while riding in the cargo area.

So which of these dog car harness brands are the best?  Pet Buckle is the most versatile, but it is limited to 2001 and later car models.  The dog car harness brands which buckle directly into the car (Guardian Gear, Cruising Companion, Ride Right) are great for busy dogs who don’t like to be restricted.  And the Tru-Fit Smart Dog Car Harness is a great security for dogs who don’t mind being restricted in the car.

Taking a long road trip this holiday season?  If you are like me, you are taking your pets.  And if you are like me, you may have an older dog with a touch of arthritis.  Arthritis tends to get worse in cold weather and long road trips certainly don’t make it any better.  So when I found a heated car seat cover for dogs, I was overjoyed.

Since the car heater doesn’t heat the back seat area as well as the front seat area, the Guardian Gear® Heated Car Seat Cover for dogs will keep Sephi extra comfortable while we drive from Lawrence, Kansas to Austin, Texas this holiday season.  Thanks to the heated car seat cover for dogs, Sephi’s arthritis pain will be alleviated.

The heated car seat cover for dogs has a 12V adapter which can be plugged into most vehicle power outlets.  The power cord is 6 feet long so it will easily reach from the back seat to the front without stretching over the distance and being in the way.  Best of all, the heated car seat cover for dogs has seat belt so that Sephi and Maya can still wear their dog car seat belts.

If you have Guardian Gear brand dog seat belt, a Cruising Companion brand dog seat belt, or a Pet Buckle brand dog seat belt, then the answer is YES! Check out our photos of my yellow Labrador Retriever, Maya, wearing her Guardian Gear brand dog seat belt. As you can see, she has no trouble sitting, standing, or laying down. Since she has more freedom to move about, she is less likely to chew on or wiggle out of her dog seat belt.

The Tru-Fit Smart Harness brand of dog seat belt will restrict your dog’s movement, making it difficult for them to stand up and move around. Some dogs (like Maya) will not tolerate holding still. If your dog moves around while wearing the Tru-Fit Smart Harness brand dog seat belt, then they may get tangled. However, if your dog generally only wants to sit or rest quietly in the car, then the Tru-Fit Smart Harness brand dog seat belt is the best thing for them. Restricting your dog’s movement in the car with a dog seat belt is safer, but not if your dog gets tangled in it. The Pet Buckle brand dog seat belt also has the option of restricting your dog’s movement.

Both classy and cool, the Guardian Gear Single Car Seat Covers are a great way to protect the seat of your car from muddy paw prints and dog hair. These popular single car seat covers were out of stock for some time, but now they are back. The Guardian Gear Single Car Seat Covers are black with a single gold paw print and are made with 100% polyester lining. The Guardian Gear Single Car Seat Covers are able to fit most seats, including bucket seats, and are easy to use.

Remember, you shouldn’t let your dog ride in the front seat unless your car either does not have passenger side airbags or the passenger side airbags have been disabled. Airbags are designed for adult people, not children or pets.

Jennifer from Minnesota recently emailed us about her order of the Guardian Gear Dog Seat Belt s. We have copied her email below:

“I received these harnesses and have used them quite a few times in the last couple of days…

Thank you!”

Thank you, Jennifer, for keeping your dogs safe in the car! And thank you for sharing your experience with us. We love dogs and are always glad to hear great experiences from other dog lovers. My dogs, Sephi and Maya wear the exact same brand. Maya is the one pictured at the top of this blog. And yes, she is wearing her Guardian Gear Dog Seat Belt.