36 Your Dog May 2019DON’T
FORGET
An ef ectively
restrained dog,
who is barking,
whining, drooling, or
projectile vomiting,
can be just as much
of a dangerous
distraction for
a driver as one who is
loose and ‘boinging’
around the car. It’s
not nice for you or
your passengers
— and it’s pretty
certain your dog is
only behaving that
way because he’s not
very happy either.
Putting a little ef ort
into determining the
cause of his distress,
so you can remedy it,
and if necessary
put some travel
training in place,
is just as important
an investment
as a suitable
car restraint.Karen Bush and Toni
Shelbourne are the
authors of ‘HELP! My
dog doesn’t travel
well in the car’, which
is available from
Amazon, priced
at £5.99.Cons
● Some dogs may become anxious if they can’t
see you.
● Does not prevent your dog from being injured by
being thrown around inside the crate in the event of
a collision.CAR HARNESSES
A car harness i ts like a regular harness, but should
be manufactured to withstand the impact of a car
accident. It should i t well, and
any tether attaching it to the car’s
seat belts should be as short as
possible to reduce the distance
a dog is thrown during an accident.
Introduce slowly and in careful
stages, even if he is already
accustomed to wearing a harness
when out on lead walks.
Pros
● Safer in the event of an accident
than a tether attached to a collar, as
it more evenly distributes the force should you
brake suddenly.
● Wide straps and padding in the area of the chest
may help lessen injury to your pet from the impact.
Cons
● Some dogs i nd the limitation of movement
stressful and/or uncomfortable.
● Some car harnesses are unsuitable for breeds
with a thin neck and head, such as Greyhounds,
Whippets, Salukis, and Afghan hounds.DO YOUR HOMEWORK
There is no completely safe or perfect way of
travelling dogs in cars, and most restraint products
are more concerned with keeping the human
occupants of vehicles safe, rather than minimising
the risk of injury to your pet in the event of anaccident. Some systems and designs are better than
others, so do your research, and shop carefully with
that in mind.
Ideally, choose a product that
has been proven ef ective in crash
tests, but bear in mind that some
manufacturers can be creative with
the truth. It may have been ‘safety
tested’, but how rigorous was it
— and did it pass? When the Center
for Pet Safety in the US conducted
canine car harness tests in 2011,
and again in 2013, out of 11 brands
making claims of ‘testing’, ‘crash
testing’, or ‘crash protection’, all but
one was deemed to have
sub-optimal performance,
with a few even
experiencing
‘catastrophic
failures’.ve
ce,DID YOU KNOW?
According to the Dogs
Trust survey, 90 per cent
of dogs don’t receive any
formal car training.DON’T TRAVEL
YOUR DOG...
● In the rear cargo area if
it is designated as
a ‘crumple zone’, unless he
is in a crash-tested crate.
● Next to an airbag; they
can maim or kill a dog.“Some systems and designs
are better than others, so do
your research...”
Crates come in
various styles.You need to spend time training
your dog to accept car travel.28-30 YD Travelling CS(SW)OK.indd 36 26/03/2019 10:24