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How to restrain dog in the car?
Hello
We currently belt our golden retriever into the back seat of our sedan car using a dog harness and the seatbelt. Soon we are going to get a station wagon and are wondering how to belt her into this as she will be in the very back of the car. We had thought of getting a barrier up between the back and the back seat but thought this would not be safe for her if there was an accident (it would protect the passengers from a flying dog but not our dog). So, we wondered if we should purchase a crate for her to travel in, bearing in mind she has never had one before, or can you get anchor points with a special belt to belt her into her normal harness? Any ideas? What do other people with station wagons do?
Thanks
Thanks everyone. My dog is almost 8 years old - she is intelligent and still young acting. Will it be difficult to crate train her?
5 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavourite answer
Good for you! I'm so glad that you’re safely restraining your Golden in the car with a doggie seatbelt!
You are perfectly correct! Your Golden will NOT be safe if you just put a barrier up between the back and the backseat. A barrier will not protect her from harm during a short stop or accident.
Yes, get a crate! Your Golden should have no problem adjusting to it. Crate training is easy!
When you look into buying a crate make sure you get a travel crate/kennel. Travel crates/kennels are the closed in crates made of durable plastic. You don’t want to buy the wire crates. Wire crates are not made for traveling.
When you get the crate, don’t just dump it in the car and expect your Golden to leap into it. Let her get used to it in your house, on the ground. Throw some treats or some of her favorite toys in there and encourage her to go in and have a look around. Keep the crate door open throughout the day so she can go in and out as she pleases. After doing this for a couple of days, start to shut her in the crate for short periods of time, gradually working up to an hour or however long she might need to be in the car.
Don’t panic if your Golden cries are barks to be let out of the crate during the time she’s closed in! This is normal for crate training. If you give in to your Golden’s cries and barks to be let out, then you’re just reinforcing that behavior and she will NEVER stop crying and barking every time she’s in the crate. Just ignore her and when she is quiet, let her out. All dogs are different, and your Golden is and adult so she might not cry or bark at all in her crate! Puppies ALWAYS go through that stage, but yours may not.
Remember; NEVER EVER use a crate as punishment!
I hope I helped and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
Source(s): I'm the proud owner of a yellow/lab mix. - Anonymous5 years ago
You ever have a dog jump out the window while you are driving? I have--had I been in traffic, this would have been a horrible story instead of a funny one: I was going to take my three dogs to the park for a walk, and driving past a lovely green where a woman was already walking her large German shepherd, when I saw streaking toward them a little tri-colored hound. I thought "Hey, that looks like my dog! Fancy that!" Then I turned around to look in the back and saw that my dog was no longer in the car. He had actually put his paw on the window switch and let himself out to go chase the other dog (He is quite dog agressive--we are working on that.) A cop who was driving right behind me had seen the whole thing. Like I said, it would have been horrible had we been in traffic. For this reason, I would advocate doggie seat belts.
- Dana MLv 51 decade ago
My dogs travel in crates when I take them anywhere. You would need to crate train before you did this of course. If done properly, your dog will like it's crate.
- mauveme49Lv 71 decade ago
Some wagons have anchor points in the back, but a cage would be extra protection for her.
- 1 decade ago
My dog has a doggy travel crate that we put her in when we take her places. It's got a zippered top that you can undo so she can stick her head out and sit up. It's really nice! I'd recommend it for your golden. ;D