# Seat Belt recomendations



## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

I am looking at getting seatbelts for Angus and Freyja when we go for a car ride and am wondering what varieties people on this board use? Do they work with SUVs and do your dogs like them? 

I used to think that doggy seatbelts were a waste of money but last week changed my mind. As I was driving down a straight-a-way on a major road someone pulled out from a driveway directly in front of me, causing a collision. An ambulance trip to the ER, several possibly broken ribs, and future trips to the orthopedic surgeon later, I am now am a believer in the physics of a collision. I was going to take my two with me on the trip but decided against it at the last minute, actually backing down the driveway to put the dogs in the house. Aside from them most likely being hurt and possibly killed, I am sure the fire department would not want to deal with two angry, hurt, and scared GSDs that were trying to protect their master. Thus seatbelt recommendations are appreciated.

My next car is going to be a Gecko Green Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. This way nobody can ever claim they didn't see me and pull out in front of me.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I really like my Champion system, very durable.

Champion Canine Seat Belt System


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

We were on the fence about tethering Joey in the car, but after reading so much about what could happen in an accident (it's also mandatory in NJ to tether your dog [we go through NJ almost every weekend to go to PA]), we finally decided on the Champion system.

We think it's a great system.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Did you order the large size? How well did it fit?


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

You'd be suprised at how often Fire Fighters and Medics deal with dogs in cars after accidents. It's almost routine.

If I can make a purely "professional" comment: As a FF, I actually like dogs that are crated or behind one of those fence partition things better than the seatbelts. Trying to unbuckle or even cut one of those things when you have a very unhappy and possibly injured dog is not a fun experience at all. One of the things we do, if the people in the vehicle are seriously injured, is we climb in the back seat to do something called 'holding C-Spine', which is just holding your head and neck so you can't cause further injury to yourself while we extricate you from your vehicle. Spending five or ten minutes trying to undo a dog in a seatbelt harness because the dog isn't cooperating is taking valuable time away from trying to get you out.

With a crate or partition, we can work on you and someone can work on getting the dog out without interfering with each other...but these are just my .02 cents. I like this particular design myself, but we generally crate on car rides.


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

We ordered the Large for Joey (he's 80 pounds). There's a little wiggle room.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm not sure what size? I will have to look. He was around 65 pounds when we got it , he's now 74 & it still fits good, of course it's been adjusted.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I can understand that Shaolin, however as I posted in another thread, I have a sedan and I'm not sure ANY crate will fit once the dog gets up near full growth.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Galathiel said:


> I can understand that Shaolin, however as I posted in another thread, I have a sedan and I'm not sure ANY crate will fit once the dog gets up near full growth.


Same here, a Camry. No way a crate is fitting in my back seat. The restraint works well, keeps him secure in the back seat & out of my lap which is where he would want to be

I figure it's better than nothing.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Galathiel said:


> I can understand that Shaolin, however as I posted in another thread, I have a sedan and I'm not sure ANY crate will fit once the dog gets up near full growth.


I have a Focus, roomy but not enough for a crate. My dogs are never left in the car for more then 15 minutes anyways so the seatbelt works great


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## AngelaA6 (Jan 20, 2013)

seatbelt until i get my jetta wagon  right now it's a 1988 vw golf coupe with subs in the trunk haha.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

Hey, do whatever you want to do!  Before we got our Expedition, we had a Kia Optima and both dogs sat in the back seats in harnesses/seatbelt combos. Sometimes, we didn't even use them as neither dog was a climber and was quite happy sitting/laying in their spots. Once we got the Expedition, we had more than enough room to pop open a kennel.

Was just offering a different opinion from another side. Sorry if I offended anyone.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Shaolin said:


> Was just offering a different opinion from another side. Sorry if I offended anyone.


No offense taken at all 

Though honestly I will always use seatbelts instead of a crate, regardless of the size of vehicle. It just seems so much safer then being trapped in a box personally


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## Alyalanna (May 28, 2011)

Here is some information regarding dog seat belts and their effectiveness. The Science of Pet Safety, Center for Pet Safety, Pet Safety Testing, Pet Product Testing, Crash Testing, Scientific Testing, Criteria, Pet Safety Advocate Worth checking out.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

As someone who has rolled a vehicle with a dog inside, I will ONLY travel with a dog in a crate. 

Having both of us walk away with no injury was worth it. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

Shade said:


> No offense taken at all
> 
> Though honestly I will always use seatbelts instead of a crate, regardless of the size of vehicle. It just seems so much safer then being trapped in a box personally


It depends on the style of collision and the type of vehicle, honestly. A bad, rear end style collision with the dog in the back in a crate can have a 50/50 kind of outcome. The plastic crates always fare horribly, in my personal experience and in my opinion only, whereas the wire ones seem to do a bit better. I've seen dogs walk away that were completely free in their vehicle without a scratch on them and dogs who were in metal, hunting style dog crates killed on impact.

In a front end, T-Bone style, or roll over, crates are so much better, IMHO, than a seatbelt...unless the belt has a very short tether. If the dog is able to climb off the seat and stand on the floor board, the tether is too long, IMHO. The reason why human seatbelts do their voodoo is because they lock into place and don't let you go forward more than a few inches. The 10-14" of give in a tether can slam a dog up against the back of the seats, against a door/window, or the roof wheras in the crate, the dog can't go more than a few inches in either direction and the type of injuries that I have personally seen in a crate vs. seatbelted in a high energy collision are dramatically less than the seatbelted/un-tethered ones.

If I could design the perfect seatbelt for a dog, it would be this: A full body vest (keeps the rear end from flying out in all directions) and two tether points; one between the shoulders and one just before the hips. It would allow enough free movement to either sit or lay down, but not enough to get off the seat. It also wouldn't allow for long term standing; the tension of the tether would make it uncomfortable to stand for long periods. The tethers would have quick release points along the vest and the vest itself would have a built in leash handle that can be deployed easily. The vest would also have a pocket or two to place vaccine records, medications, and medical history in them. It would also have the basic design of a seatbelt that locks when rapid deceleration is felt.

I'd rather fight with a seatbelt to get it undone than have an angry GSD trying to take off my face after I break open the wrong window.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Not offended at all.. Believe me, I wish I had thought about it before I got my nifty new car! hehe


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

LoL. That was our first thought when we were looking for a new vehicle; something with a steel chassis and that could fit two GSDs in the back in kennels.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

At the time we only had our 13 year old shih tzu and no thought of a new dog (my husband anyway..I had been researching breeders for months, but wasn't any closer to getting a pup at that time). Ah well ... maybe in a few years I can get a pupwagon!


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

The Champion system has been working very well for us on our trips.

Has anyone used the harness for walking their dog? Is it sturdy enough for a pulling dog?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

We need to start a new thread about the dogs crated in the car's crumple zone. 

I just read something on the Internet about that and I'm second-guessing transportiing Hans crated in the cargo area.


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## Caja's Mom (Aug 6, 2003)

Did anyone read the USA Today article about harnesses yesterday? Everything they tested failed miserably. One of the car companies is putting up a bunch of money for research.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

More info on ----> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/welcome-gsd-faqs-first-time-owner/176663-dog-safety-car.html

Be a little wary on the crash tests. They have like a mile between the back seat where the dog is sitting and the upright part of the back seat. So when the dog is flying forward for such a huge distance and then bouncing back the same, that's not the setup in my car anyways. 

I also respond to car accidents and for me, anything that keeps the dog in the car and NOT out and running along the roadway, in traffic, or off into the woods is better than nothing at all.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Sunflowers said:


> *We need to start a new thread about the dogs crated in the car's crumple zone. *
> 
> *I just read something on the Internet about that and I'm second-guessing transportiing Hans crated in the cargo area*.


The location we have to put children in child seats, the center of the car, is the safest place in the car.

Where I put my dogs and another reason I use the seatbelts.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> The location we have to put children in child seats, the center of the car, is the safest place in the car.
> 
> Where I put my dogs and another reason I use the seatbelts.


My problem is that there is a captain's chair set up, with a console in the middle.
I have no idea what to do so that he could be comfortable, because he is too big to fit on one seat.
I did just order the harness recommended by Mosul.
Going to have to get creative, I guess. Does anyone have one of those dog hammocks?


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