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Getting ready to hit the road with your dog? They’re great company for cruising—but how do we keep them as safe in the car as we are in our seat belts? It’s not always easy to know the best dog car safety practices, so we tapped an expert to give us some insight on the steps we can take and the best tools to use to ensure years of happy rides.
Dog Car Safety: The Basics
The number one rule? “Always restrain or contain your pets when traveling,” says Lindsey A. Wolko, founder of the Center for Pet Safety (CPS).
- Don’t drive with your dog unrestrained in the car
- Avoid letting your dog stick their head out the window
- Keep your dog out of the passenger seat
“Pet owners are largely unaware of the dangers of traveling with their dog,” she explains. And there are a lot of hazards.
For one, unsecured pets can cause distracted driving, which dramatically increases your chances of getting into an accident. It’s also true that an unsecured pet has a greater chance of getting seriously injured in the event of a crash—and they can become a projectile that hurts others, or flee the scene and get lost in the aftermath.
Windows are another risk. Dogs putting their heads out a window can be injured by road debris (“Have you ever heard a rock hit your windshield?” asks Wolko). They can also jump out of a moving vehicle, or give in to temptation and make a break for it at a stoplight.
Though there are devices that show dogs happily harnessed in the passenger seat, it’s also not a good idea to let your dog ride up front. Air bags designed for human safety are likely to injure an animal passenger.
In some states, these best practices are required by law, while others have proposals in progress.
The Best Way To Restrain Your Dog in the Car
So what’s the safest way to restrain your dog in the car: a crate, a car seat, a carrier, or a harness? According to Wolko, all can work—provided they’re rated for safety.
“We recommend harnesses, crates, and carriers for pets,” explains Wolko, encouraging pet parents to review the CPS-certified list of products that offer crash protection. They’ve independently tested and certified a handful of options, including the popular SleepyPod and Diggs carriers, as well as Gunner crates.
Those aren’t the only crash-tested options on the market—but it’s worth noting that just because a harness, carrier, or crate is marketed as being “for the car” or “for travel” doesn’t mean it would hold up in the event of an accident.
“We want pet owners to understand the difference between distraction-prevention products and crash-protection products,” says Wolko.
According to her, distraction-prevention tools make up the majority of restraints and containment items on the market today. Far rarer are crash protection products, which “can protect the human vehicle occupants and give your pet the best possible chance of survival if a crash occurs.”
The average pet travel product isn’t rated for crash safety, and nothing requires it to be—as Wolko points out, the pet products industry is highly unregulated, and it’s possible for untested or even unsafe products to make it to market.
If you choose a dog car harness, look for thick, padded straps
Car harnesses, sometimes called dog car seat belts, are different from regular dog walking harnesses. They have attachments that connect the harness and your dog to your car’s seat belt, and they need to be stronger than a walking harness to withstand the potential force of stopping at high speed. They’ll also often have thicker straps and more padding to distribute your dog’s weight more evenly.
Because they allow dogs the freedom to lie down or sit up on the seat, they’re a good choice for pets who enjoy the scenery and being in the mix. Acclimation training is important, though, to get your dog used to having their side-to-side movements restricted in the car.
While CPS-certified, crash-tested products like the Sleepypod Clickit Sport and Clickit Terrain are more expensive than your standard walking harness, Wolko feels they’re worthwhile investments.
“The due diligence conducted by the brand is extensive,” she says. “The cost of injuries that can be caused by not using a restraint or an inferior product can cost more than 25 times that price—just to be seen by the ER vet.”
Dog car harnesses should always be used in conjunction with a seatbelt lock.
Dog crates are a good safety pick with the right sizing
Dog crates for cars include hard and soft-sided models, and can be used on the floor of the backseat (for smaller pets) or in the cargo area of your car, where CPS recommends pet parents secure it with strength-rated anchor straps.
Size is critical for safety. “When containing your dog in a travel crate, bigger is not better,” says Wolko. “Your pet should fit snugly in the crate. A good guide is to measure the dog from tip of the nose to the base of the tail and add 6 inches when evaluating the size of the crate. If the crate is too large, it will increase the risk of injury.”
If your dog primarily rides in back, a crate is your best option for security. They’re also generally great for creating a calmer environment if your dog gets overly excited seeing other dogs or scenery on the road, or if they’re anxious about trips.
Dog carriers are handy for smaller dogs and cats
For small dogs, puppies, and cats, a carrier can be the safest option. These are more portable than crates and work for a variety of dog transport needs. Like the smaller crates, these should be put on the floor of the backseat of the car, behind the driver or passenger seat, unless the manufacturer recommends you secure it to the backseat, as with the Diggs Passenger.
They’re especially popular with dogs who like a den they can bunker into while traveling.
Dog car seats need LATCH/ISOFIX anchors
Dog car seats usually take the form of a padded bed or bucket that attaches directly to your car’s seat. CPS tested four car seats in a 2015 pilot study but didn’t determine any met the organization’s full standards for dog car safety when used without other safety gear, like a car harness.
If you do want to use a pet car seat, Wolko says, “The travel seat should connect to the LATCH/ISOFIX anchors [the ones you use for a child car seat], and you will want to use a CPS-Certified harness that connects directly to the seatbelt to secure the dog. Never connect your dog directly to the travel/booster seat—those connections are very weak.”
Dog car seats and beds can, however, be useful for a dog’s comfort, especially when paired with a car harness for safety.
Car barriers can’t help in the event of a crash
Though car barriers can keep a dog out of your lap while you’re driving, Wolko does not recommend barriers for a truly safe dog car ride. “They don’t prevent ejection or escape in the case of a crash. Additionally, most barrier products are not tested for safety,” she says.
Wolko also does not recommend extension tethers or zipline products, which increase the risk of injury for all vehicle occupants, including a dog.
General Dog Car Safety Advice
Always restrain your dog in the car
Whether with a harness, travel crate, or car seat, always restrain your dog in the car, for their safety and yours. That mostly means back seats or cargo areas. Front seats are a big no-no; even if your dog is secured with a car harness, air bags could harm your dog in a sudden forceful stop.
A truck bed isn’t a great place for your dog to ride either, but if that’s your only option, you can use a hard-sided crate and tether it down. CPS rated the Gunner G1 kennel as a top safety pick as of 2015.
Don’t leave a dog in the car in hot or cold weather
What feels like a mild day outside won’t feel so mild inside the car. The temperature inside a car on a 75-degree day can easily reach 100 degrees. And no, cracking a window won’t help.
For cold, don’t leave your dog in a car if it’s below 50 degrees out. If your dog has a shorter coat, you likely should err warmer than that for their safety. In some places, leaving your dog in the car is illegal. When in doubt and whenever you can, take your pup with you.
Paw and heads inside windows
Fresh air is fine, and it’s awfully cute when dogs put their heads out of the window catching the wind—but they can also catch rocks and other road debris out there, so it’s best to keep snouts inside the car when it’s moving.
It’s also a good idea to lock your car windows and child-lock your car doors in case your dog has a chance of accidentally touching a button and opening them.
Different pups, different needs
While some dogs will take to a variety of car safety options, some pets have more specific needs to consider when going for a ride. Senior or arthritic dogs can use support, such as a bolstered car seat or car seat cover, or perhaps an extra-padded crate bed or carrier will do the trick.
Escape artists can benefit from GPS collars (inside the car and out), while chewers and anxious pups can use distractions like puzzle or lick toys.
Acclimate your dog to safety devices
Whatever safety device you choose, it’s important to acclimate you pet to it. That can take a little time, but it’s worth it. A pup who isn’t used to their restraints can become a distraction while you’re driving as they try to adjust on their own.
The CPS recommends using the device initially on a few short trips, increasing the duration of those trips by five or so minutes every time. Use a positive, reassuring, happy voice during your trip and lots of pets and praise when you’re done. If your dog responds to treats, use them at the end of the training trip (not during) to avoid car sickness.
How We Chose
The products featured here were selected based on a combination of our own hands-on testing, a comprehensive look at customer reviews across a wide variety of retail platforms, and interviews with veterinary experts. We prioritized safety, durability, and advice from the experts at the Center for Pet Safety. We’re also guided by the experience of living and playing alongside our own much-loved and strongly opinionated pets, who are never stingy with their feedback.