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Canine Car Safety

Discussion in 'Training & Behavior' started by Vicki, Jun 13, 2010.

  1. Vicki

    Vicki Administrator Staff Member

    May 12, 2010

    Canine Car Safety

    Yesterday, I was driving on a major road with a speed limit of 45 mph when a truck turned onto the road right in front of the car ahead of me. The car that was cut off stopped very fast with a little bit of a squeal and just managed to avoid hitting the truck. These little near misses are a part of every driver’s life from time to time, but what caught my attention in this close call was that the car that skidded to a halt in front of me had an unrestrained dog in the back seat. Even from behind, I could see the dog move awkwardly and smack the front seat. It was lucky that the dog was not in the front seat or he might have gone through the windshield.

    We’ve come a long way towards safer car travel for our dogs, though based on what I saw yesterday, many people are not taking advantage of the opportunities out there. There are many ways to keep our dogs safe when they are in the car with us.

    One of the easiest ways to keep dogs safe is to have the dog in a crate when traveling by car. In the event of an accident, or even a very sudden stop, the dog cannot go flying through the window. If the crate is wedged between the back seat and the front seat, the crate prevents much movement at all for the dog and crate, which can prevent injuries. A bonus of having a dog in a crate is that many dogs will relax, lie down, or even sleep during car rides.

    There are other options besides being restrained in a crate for keeping dogs from becoming projectile missiles when things don’t go right on the roads. There are dog seat belts that attached a dog by a harness to the car’s regular belts. Dogs can be also be in the back area of station wagons and SUVs and separated from the rest of the car’s interior by a gate. (I hardly see a Subaru in my town without one of these gates. They are very popular with the outdoor set—the Subaru and the dog gate.)

    Even without using a restraint for your dog, you can make choices that help keep him safer. The back seat is better than the front seat for several reasons. First, the risk of injury in an accident is higher in the front seat. If a dog is in the back part of the car, then the front seat provides some protection, although minimal, in the event of a collision or a sudden stop. Also, in the front seat, there is a chance that the dog can impair your driving, especially if he’s in your lap or on the floor by your feet and the pedals, which is never a good place for a dog in a moving vehicle. (It sounds obvious not to have your dog on the floor of the driver’s side while the car is moving, but I know of several cases of serious injuries to dogs and people because of dogs being there.)

    And though I know many people may disagree, I recommend against having dogs in a truck bed. Dogs can easily get tossed from the back of a truck, and this is the most dangerous if they are on a leash at the time because then they run the risk of being out of the truck but still attached to it.

    Consider what type of precautions are best for you and your dog, and do what you can to keep him safe!

    --Karen London

    Dog Behavior Blog: Canine Car Safety
     
  2. lqaddict

    lqaddict Big Dog

    Used one of those seat belt harnesses - now I need a new seat belt :lol: the dog chew through it in a matter of 2 minutes while I was getting the crate out of the trunk and setting it up... Will use a crate from now on.
     
  3. brindlexpitt

    brindlexpitt Top Dog

    actually, every single dog ive had has done better in a front seat than a back seat as in the back seat, they tend to want to look through the middle, and because of that, i had to catch a dog mid air going straight for the windsheild. the front seat however, for some reason, all of the dogs ive had react by dive bombing under the dash board. (never been in a wreck with them in front, just sharp corners and retarded people cutting infront of me.)
     
  4. brindlexpitt

    brindlexpitt Top Dog

    i tried one of those, and the dog spun itself around till it was choking himself to death in about 30 seconds..
     
  5. lqaddict

    lqaddict Big Dog

    Holy crap! yeah, that's the sight I wanna avoid :eek:
     
  6. Nell_Bell

    Nell_Bell Big Dog

    I tether or confine my dogs in the car. Never know when you might get pulled over by the police. I would hate for my dog to be viewed as vicious as she tried to get at the cop to lick his face :rolleyes:. She loves everyone and thinks everyone should love her :p!
     
  7. JoeyNzoey

    JoeyNzoey Top Dog

    I have a car seat harness for my girl but I only use it when I put down the convertible in my car she has been a regular in the car since I first brought her home.
     

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