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Post by Hawaii5-0 on Oct 6, 2012 21:38:12 GMT -5
Just wanted to ask how and what do you use to transfer your dog? Besides a crate, I tried the barrier wall (ripped the cloth ceiling) and a seat belt harness most recently. Which worked great! EXCEPT, Mana chewed almost through the entire seatbelt.. Needless to say, our Expedition which is less than 2 months old has to go to the repair shop to get a new belt installed.. $300 later, ka-Ching! So I am welcoming ideas, and please tell me that he will get used to car rides soon!!!
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Post by Lisa on Oct 6, 2012 22:21:37 GMT -5
Why don't you want to use a crate? That's the best and safest option. A crate for two dogs doesn't fit in my Subaru. I wish it would... I folded back seats. My dogs have their own "room" in the car. I was using the mesh barrier to train them stay back. I guess they learned. As usual they sleep and don't bother me. That's not the safe option though I can not fit two Doberman in a medium crate. I am confident they will chew seat belts and destroy any barrier unless it's professionally installed and not removable what doesn't work for me. Sorry to hear Mana caused a bit financial problems... but that's puppies are for IF they were not so cute we would kill them LOL
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Post by hooligan on Oct 7, 2012 9:48:00 GMT -5
Just wanted to ask how and what do you use to transfer your dog? Besides a crate, I tried the barrier wall (ripped the cloth ceiling) and a seat belt harness most recently. Which worked great! EXCEPT, Mana chewed almost through the entire seatbelt.. Needless to say, our Expedition which is less than 2 months old has to go to the repair shop to get a new belt installed.. $300 later, ka-Ching! So I am welcoming ideas, and please tell me that he will get used to car rides soon!!! LOL. We went through the same thing with Jack. He hated being harnessed in and chewed through a couple of safety harnesses, as well as the two rear seatbelts in my little Mazda Protégé. Fortunately, the Mazda had reached the stage where it was being driven into the ground, so we decided not to replace the belts. We had also started schutzhund, where crating in a vehicle is customary so that in summer, the doors and windows can be left wide open to allow air to circulate -- without worrying that the dog will jump out. We weren't ready to throw in the towel, admit that we're past our prime, and get a van, but we did buy a crate (I think it's a 450) for the car, and while we searched for a vehicle that was big enough to accommodate the darn thing, Bill's beloved '83 Caprice became the Jackmobile — with the crate squeezed sideways into the backseat. We ended up with a Santa Fe, which accommodates the crate when one of the rear seats is folded down. The drawback is that the crate is big enough that it does does obscure our rear vision somewhat, so we're very, very careful about checking mirrors, etc. The crate is strapped down and is a permanent fixture in the vehicle. An Expedition is, I think, bigger than a Santa Fe, so you may be better off than we are in terms of fitting in a crate. Car safety harnesses for dogs are not, to my knowledge, subject to any regulation or testing. Here's a true story: A few years ago, my sister was driving in downtown Toronto with her GSD harnessed into the backseat of her car. She T-boned a guy who pulled out of a parking spot without looking. This was a very low-speed collision, but the force of my sister's sudden braking and the subsequent impact snapped the crappy plastic squeeze buckles on the harness and sent her dog flying into the front seat, where he lodged against the gear shift. On the way past, he whacked my sister's neck and shoulder, which were quite sore for a while. At a higher speed, though, the injuries to my sister and her dog could have been far worse than a few muscle strains and bruises. So I have no faith in car harnesses for dogs, and I'm now a convert to crating when dogs are in vehicles. Jack is so much happier in the crate, where we aren't distracted by worrying about what he's getting into. And I just feel that we -- and Jack -- are so much safer.
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Post by susanw on Oct 7, 2012 12:10:01 GMT -5
Hi Arlene, Well I had just the opposite issue with Quin. He's always hated a car crate. I had a new Jeep Compass which I could not afford to replace when I got him. Because of the configuration of the interior roofline in the cargo area, I could only fit one of those plastic crates in the back, which he barely tolerated when he was a puppy. Probably because it didn't afford him good visibility. (He uses a wire crate in the house but there's no way it will fit into the car)
It was a constant battle to try and force him into the plastic one which only stressed him out, so when he outgrew it, I resorted to trying a dog harness, which does have some metal components. There is an optional line that goes over the back seat and allows me to connect him to 2 permanent rings located in the back of the cargo area, instead of the seatbelt. I think it's a stronger arrangement. He's able to move from one side of the backseat to the other or stretch out to snooze but cannot get into the front seat. He's much happier and has never chewed any of the components or the seatbelts.
It is not as secure as a wire crate in the back but it works for now. Quin is 14 months old and if he gets much bigger I may have to come up with another solution. When this vehicle is ready for replacement I will definitely look for something with a cargo configuration to accomodate a proper wire car crate.
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Post by junosbionictale on Oct 7, 2012 18:50:27 GMT -5
Just wanted to ask how and what do you use to transfer your dog? Besides a crate, I tried the barrier wall (ripped the cloth ceiling) and a seat belt harness most recently. Which worked great! EXCEPT, Mana chewed almost through the entire seatbelt.. Needless to say, our Expedition which is less than 2 months old has to go to the repair shop to get a new belt installed.. $300 later, ka-Ching! So I am welcoming ideas, and please tell me that he will get used to car rides soon!!! Hi Arlene, I've had a jeep of some kind for as long as I can remember. Crates obviously work best, but I've found it tedious putting them in and out all the time and they limit the storage capacity even of a large vehicle. I use a metal barrier wall I purchased out west. It is easy to install and remove and best of all stores against the wal in the garage ready to go. I'm surprised the roof of the Expedition ripped, I thought Fords had good headliners. My wall is expandable and curves along the side and roof. Because mine generaly touches a majority of the headiner and not just in one or two spots I guess I haven't ripped anything yet. If crates are unfeasable then I would stick with a barrier, with a plastic coating that sits more flush with the ceiling. If you still have problems you can take a piece of garden hose and cut it and slice it to fit over the top to protect the headliner more, or even try pool floaters (can usually get them cheap) Just slice one side and fit it over the top of the barrier again protecting the headliner. My sister-in-law has a rotty cross that eats everything. She uses a harness, (it does have plastic clips on the chestpiece though) and a seat cover. Her dog likes it. She complains that my dogs are loose in the back in case of impact, but I'll mention Dyanne's story next time. I also had a friend who clipped his dogs to the clip on the back of the seats that are there for baby seats. They were short enough leads to keep them from jumping over the seat, but were long enough to allow the dog to lay down. Of course if Mana chews seatbealts then any sort of tie is probably going to eventually suffer the same fate unless you use wire. As for car rides....depends on the dog. Isi used to love them, then I took Kit one day to get put down and she would shake anytime after that that we put her in the car. Juno seems okay in the car and Sophie sleeps no problem, just have to lift her in and out. If the dog feels safe in the crate at home a crate in the car should work. If everytime they get in the car they have a negative experience: traffic, going to the vet etc. then the car is bad. If the majority of experiences are positive, shorter rides, with a walk or run or playdate at the end it should help Mana like the car. Let us know how it works out for you. Martin
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Post by dobermoms on Oct 10, 2012 21:51:25 GMT -5
I will add our experiences with "truck" rides: We have a Sante Fe, and a Tahoe. Each vehicle has a crate in the very rear of the vehicle, and the rear seat is for our second dog. This way, each dog has their own space, is not cramped in the space but has dog beds for comfort. We use the Tahoe mainly when we travel out of town with the dogs as it is larger. We have 3 rows of Captain's seats, so the rear 2 seats have been removed and a 42" crate placed there. The middle seats are pushed up against the back of the front seats, leaving a large area for the second dog. For extra protection, we placed a dog barrier directly behind the front seats to keep the second dog from entering the cabin area. I believe the Expedition and Tahoe are relatively close in size, so there is lots of room for crates and dogs. We would definately recommend using a crate...not only is it safer for the dog, it is comfortable for them as well. Come the colder weather, you can put a crate cover over the crate which will also help to keep the heat in the crate keeping the dog warm while the truck is shut off. We leave the crates in their respective vehicles, as we found consistently taking them in and out of the trucks proved to be a painstaking task. If we only take one dog with us, they are in the middle section of the vehicle, and the crate becomes the "trunk", so all groceries, bags, etc go into it. Anyway, hope that this helps......and we purchased our crates and covers from Monica....
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Post by dobermoms on Oct 11, 2012 5:37:43 GMT -5
Just to add a couple of points here also....
1) in the crate in the back of the Expedition, it will still allow people to ride in the rear seats comfortably..ie no dog jumping on them.,.cute now as a puppy but not so cute when they are 80+lbs 2) using a crate allows you to open up any door safely without Mana thinking he's going for a walk, or he can come out when he wants to 3) allows you to put groceries away safely without him nosing around in them 4) allows you to hang your drycleaning safely ( you knew I had to add that one ;D ) 5) the crate allows another safe place for him to be...our dogs think of the truck as an extension of their home...they know they are safe when they are in the truck and they can relax there 6) the rear crate also allows you to open windows and the rear hatch window safely while your dog is resting in the crate
As you can see, we are huge supporters of using a crate in the vehicle.....they get very accustomed to it, and very comfortable in it as well....
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Post by Hawaii5-0 on Oct 15, 2012 21:21:02 GMT -5
Ok, Crate it is! I will also try taking him for walks, etc after a short ride..Mana hardly ever goes on a ride unless it is to the obedience class or vet... I usually run him on our 6 acre property which is in the middle of a 100-acre sod farm... Seems great except he is hardly ever on car rides, lol! Thank you, Dobereich-family for your advice and guidance.. It truly is invaluable!!!
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