The Safest Ways To Travel With Your Dog In The Car

Surprisingly enough there are not many dog car safety rules. And despite our dogs being an integral part of the family, many people turn a blind eye to providing the safest environment in the car for their dogs despite their awareness of the dangers. That is why I am so happy that you are being proactive and looking for safe ways to travel with your dog in the car by reading this article. 

There are four main ways that you can travel safely with your dog in the car. In no particular order you can either use a dog seat belt and a harness, a dog car hammock, a dog travel crate or a dog seat. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages depending on the type, size and breed of dog you have. But by choosing one of these methods you can drastically increase the safety of your dog while travelling in the car compared to leaving your dog wandering around loose

Overview of Types of Dog Car Restraints

Dog Seat Belt + Harness

Advantages	Disadvantages
Most versatile system, can work for all dog breeds	No-protection for car seat upholstery
Many different types of dog seat belts

My Quick Suggestion From Amazon

Dog Hammock + Seat Belt + Harness

Advantages	Disadvantages
Added protection of car upholstery, can work for all dog breeds	3 pieces of equipment required
Often there are pockets for dog supplies on these car hammocks

My Quick Suggestion From Amazon

Dog Travel Crate

Advantages	Disadvantages
Very secure way of travelling with your dog	Dogs have to be crate trained to be happy
Protection of car upholstery	Can be claustrophobic for your dog
Travel crates can also be used on planes, for vet visits and used as a kennel at home	More suitable for smaller breeds

My Quick Suggestion From Amazon

Dog Car Seat

Advantages	Disadvantages
Gives your dog a boost so he/she can see outside of the window	Only suitable for tiny, miniature or small breeds
Protection of car upholstery	Some dogs might not like being suspended in the air in a box seat
Usually come with seat belt attached inside seat box

My Quick Suggestion From Amazon

#1 Dog Seat Belt + Harness 

A dog seat belt and harness is a similar set up to the type of safety devices you would wear while travelling in the car, that is your seatbelt. Personally, I use this safety product for travelling in the car with my dalmatian. When she was just a puppy I got a clip in a dog seat belt just like the one you can get on amazon here and three years later she is still happily using it! However I must say at the time I hadn’t done that much research and I did not realise that there were four types of dog seat belts – the traditional clip in seatbelt, the zipline seat belt, the headrest restraint seat belt and the loop seat belt. Here is an overview of the four types with three recommendations of ones that you can purchase from amazon! 

The Clip-In Dog Seat Belt

This is the traditional style dog seat belt and is much like the seatbelt you would find in your own car. It looks like a mini dog leash, having a clip on one end that you connect to your dog’s harness and on the other end a buckle that you simply clip into your red seat belt button. They usually are adjustable in length to give your dog more room to move around in the back seat. 

The clip-in dog seat belt that I recommend that you can get from Amazon here is the DOYOO Dog Seat Belt. This seat belt has a bungee section for added elasticity, an adjustable buckle and a 360 degree rotation in the clip that attaches to your dog’s harness. These features will make it very comfortable for your dog as he/she will be able to move more freely around. 

The Zipline Dog Seat Belt 

The zipline dog seat belt attaches to either side of the back seat of your car, usually by clipping the dog seat belts in and clipping the two sides of the ziplines to the seatbelts or by clipping the two sides to the handle bars on each side of the car. You can get a better idea of what I’m trying to describe here.

The zipline dog seat belt that I recommend is the PetSafe Happy Ride Dog Zipline which you can get from amazon here. This seatbelt has a red zipline section which has an adjustable buckle to adjust the length according to the width of your car. Then attached to the zipline section is a black strap that looks like a dog lead that can move along the zipline strap. This is also adjustable to different lengths according to how tall or short your dog is.  

The Headrest Restraint Dog Seat Belt

Another type of dog seat belt is a headrest restraint seat belt. This type of dog seatbelt simply slips over a headrest in the back of your car like a dog collar and then has a leash section attached to it which you can clip to your dog’s harness. 

For this type of seat belt I recommend the SlowTon Dog Seat Belt Headrest Restraint which you can find on Amazon here. One feature that I like about this is that this seatbelt can be repurposed as a leash with the circle strap used for the head restraint as the handle of the leash. This leash has a bungee cord section which gives some elasticity to the product as well as adjustable buckles for the circle strap and long strap sections of the product.  It also comes in heaps of colours if black doesn’t interest you such as pink, fuschia, green, purple, red and blue. 

The Loop Seat Belt

The final type of dog seat belt is the loop seat belt. This type of seat belt works by tying a loop knot around the shoulder strap of one of the seatbelts in the back of your car. On  the other end of the seat belt is a screw gate carabiner lock which you can connect to your dog’s harness. 

If you would like to get this type of dog seat belt I suggest that you get the Kurgo Direct to Seatbelt Tether for Dogs from Amazon by following this link here. It is a red short leash with a large loop of the end which you can tie an easy knot with. There is a swivel which allows freedom of movement and prevents tangles for your dog on top of the heavy duty secure screw gate lock carabiner made from aluminum. 

#2 Dog Car Hammock, Dog Seat Belt + Dog Harness

A dog car hammock and a harness gives another level of safety for you and your dog by creating a cordoned off area that separates the back section of the car from the front with a piece of sturdy fabric. They come in both full back seat cover size and half back cover size depending on how many people usually travel in your car and the size of your dog. Probably the best thing about these despite the added safety is the fact that you won’t get anymore dog fur all over your car seats. No more time spent wasted cleaning all that dog fur anymore! If you do need help with cleaning dog fur from your car I suggest you read my article here where I reveal all the best tips and tricks!

Full Back Seat Hammock

Most dog car hammocks cover the full back seat section of your car. There are so many brands and styles out there so after lots of research I have distilled it down to the two best ones according to the category best value and best quality!

Best Quality Full Back Seat Hammock 

My choice for the best quality full back seat hammock is the Meadowlark Dog Seat Covers Premium Unique Mesh Designwhich you can find out the current price on Amazon here. I have chosen this one as the best quality as it has great features such as being waterproof, having scratch protection and slip protection. I also like the mesh window that is located between the two front seats so you can see your dog but your dog cannot climb to the front  of the car while you are driving. This mesh section also allows for good air flow to the back seat area. The adjustable straps have metal clips which also makes it good quality and you get a bonus two headrest covers to totally protect your car from annoying dog fur!

Best Value Full Back Seat Hammock

For the best value full back seat hammock I have chosen is the Vailge Dog Seat cover which you can check out the current price on Amazon by clicking on this link here! This car hammock looks nearly as good as my choice for the best quality full back seat hammock however the fabric does not look as good a quality and there is no mesh window feature. Despite that if you are on a budget this is the one to go for!

Half Back Seat Hammock

A half back seat hammock is a great option if you have more than two people travelling in your car and you need some extra back seat space for another person. If you are interested in learning more and finding a more in depth guide to half size car hammocks I suggest you read my full article on them here.  

The Best Half Back Seat Hammock

As I have rated on my article where I go into detail about half back seat hammocks (you can read it here), the Kurgo Dog Hammock Car Seat is the best choice for families with a dog who needs a little bit of extra space in the back for another person! You can check out the current prices of this item on amazon here! Besides being able to fit another person in the back seat of your car, stand out features of this product include that it is water and stain resistant which makes it easy to clean and that there is lots of storage for your dog products in the two large pockets located on the side wall. 

#3 Dog Travel Crate

A dog travel crate is a box that you put your dog in that has mesh or holes in the plastic to let them see outside and breathe. This type of dog car restraint is more suited for smaller dogs and also dogs with a calmer temperament that don’t mind being in confined spaces. Most dogs have to be crate trained from a young age to be happy travelling in a crate. There are two main types of dog travel crates – fabric based ones (soft crates) and plastic based ones (hard crates). They both do a similar job and it is really just personal preference for which one you end up choosing. Here are my top choices for each dog travel crate type. 

The Best Soft Dog Travel Crate

A soft dog travel crate is perfect if you want something really light weight and something easy to store away. My recommendation for a fabric dog travel crate is the Arf Pets Dog Soft Crate which you can find the current price on Amazon here. It is fully collapsible to a flat pack design which you can easily store in a cupboard in your house. It also has fabric handles which makes it easy to carry your dog around while he/she is inside. Another great design feature is the five way ventilation system with zipper mesh windows which ensures the comfort of your dog during a hot car ride. 

The Best Hard Dog Travel Crate

A hard plastic dog travel crate is a great option if you want something more heavy duty, especially if you have a puppy or a dog that might chew through a fabric alternative. Also if you are planning to fly with your dog you should consider investing in a plastic crate as these are the type that are generally approved for plane travel however you will have to do further research on the airline’s website. If you want to find out more about IATA approved crates be sure to read the detailed article I wrote here. 

The hard plastic dog travel crate that I have chosen for this article is the Aspen Pet Porter Heavy-Duty Pet Kennel which has won the Amazon’s Choice award and you can find the current price by following the link here. The top section of the crate comes in a range of colours such as dark grey, light pink, hot pink, red, mint green etc. which is a great feature if you are interested in design. It also has good ventilation with holes on all the four side walls of the crate. Finally, there is a secure metal latch door for easy entrance into the crate for your dog and a locking system which will ensure that your dog will not be walking around the backseat of your car. 

#4 Dog Seat 

The final type of dog car safety system is a dog seat. This type of dog car restraint is only for tiny or small dog breeds that would be able to fit inside the small design and not climb out of it. They look much like a picnic basket with comfy fabric inside and straps that secure the seat much like a child’s booster seat. The added bonus of these dog car seats is that they are suspended in the air once they are attached so smaller dogs can spend their time looking out of the window. Most dog car seats also have a dog seat belt attached internally to the dog seat. 

The dog car seat that I recommend from Amazon is the Kurgo Rover Booster Dog Car Seat with Seat Belt Tether. You can find the current price on that here. It is a sturdy design with a removable and washable liner. The exterior is waterproof and has zippered pockets for extra storage which can come in handy for all your dog supplies. (We all know how much we need to pack for our beloved pooches when we go for a car trip!) There are also secure steel buckles and straps that tie around the back of the car seat. And a bonus dog seat belt too!