Travelling with a dog?

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nicxf
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Travelling with a dog?

Post by nicxf » Sun Jan 19, 2014 2:49 pm

Hellooo,

I've just got myself a new travelling companion, a little Lurcher dog. Problem is, she's not really mad keen on the van yet. I'm going to be working on it over the winter with lots of exciting short journeys to interesting places so hopefully she'll get used to it as a fun place.

What I was wondering is, do any of you let the dog travel in the front, or is it safer to always have them in the back? She is strapped in safely with an ancol car harness, but I have wondered if she'd be happier up front with me (obviously still strapped in). She should just about be able to curl up on the front seat and she'd easily fit sitting up.
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helen&tony
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by helen&tony » Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:38 pm

Hi
The safest way is a proper dog guard, or cage, but if you have her harnessed, I can't see why she can't be "Co-Pilot" in the front.
Cheers
Helen
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Dr Fingers
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by Dr Fingers » Sun Jan 19, 2014 6:14 pm

Personally I wouldn't want the dog up front when driving (that's me doing the driving, not the dog :D ,)it's just a bit too risky for me.

Martha, our lab, travels behind front seats (mid seats are removed) with proper dog harness clipped into rear seat belts. She can stand with her forelegs on the cubby box and watch where we're going, or just curl up on the floor.

Derek
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by daveblueozzie » Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:11 pm

The general advice is that neither people nor objects, including animals, should be unrestrained when travelling in vehicles.’

In Britain, motorists can be fined and may be subjected to penalty points for driving without due care and attention, if an animal in the vehicle is distracting the driver.
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by Wendy'n'Alan » Sun Jan 19, 2014 11:33 pm

Heidi travels in the bongo in a fold up canvas cage which we use as her personal tent/kennel when we camp. The first time I took her out in it I had to stop to make sure she was OK as she was so quiet in the back. We did a week I the forest of dean and she loved it.
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Dr Fingers
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by Dr Fingers » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:57 pm

Wendy'n'Alan wrote:Heidi travels in the bongo in a fold up canvas cage which we use as her personal tent/kennel when we camp. The first time I took her out in it I had to stop to make sure she was OK as she was so quiet in the back. We did a week I the forest of dean and she loved it.

We have one of those as well, but Martha not happy unless she sleeps in the van with us :(

Derek
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nicxf
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by nicxf » Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:28 pm

Thanks guys, all useful. I did wonder about the safety aspect if I let her travel up front. Had another trip today and she settled much faster, so hopefully it's just a case of her needing to get used to the motion and being strapped in! Not quite sure yet what to doabout sleeping arrangements, I guess put the front seat flat for her or something? What do you guys do, that don't have awnings or crates? Usually I sleep on the rear and middle seats along one side, with the other side folded to a table, with the other rear seat flipped up out of the way to make room for the portaloo! But I've now had that seat removed and am thinking of putting in a little cupboard unit instead so I can shut things away from inquisitive noses!!
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by helen&tony » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:53 am

Hi
Sleeping really depends on the dog...they like getting into the most ridiculous places....It's amazing how a fairly large dog can sleep on the front seat. We had a small lurcher, a border collie cross, and a doberman GSD cross, and we had a type 2....the dogs all seemed to change places in the night, and one night we couldn't find the lurcher....mmmm....we thought that she must have got out of the door when one of us went out....no....she had wrapped herself round my head on the pillow...feet either side of my head :roll: ....BUT,she could variously be found in the passenger footwell or on the passenger seat....the collie was in the bed, and the GSD under the bed!....some nights all 3 managed to squeeze in the bed!!!!
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Helen
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by alan » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:13 pm

we got her basket from home put it on the front seat and she fine there to you get up for a pee in the middle of the night then you got to get her out of the sleeping bag and back in her basket.
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by New Forest Terrier » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:21 pm

Agree with Helen it all depends on the dog. Some travel peacefully in the back, which is ideal. Others don't.

My last dog, a small fluffy terrier, was car sick in the back of everything. In two previous cars he always had to travel in the front as he was OK if he could see out. In the Bongo he was fine on the middle seat, on a cushion as he could see out of the window and had a lot of space. He also slept happily in his bed on the drivers seat.

The lurcher I have got now, travels in the passenger seat in a safety harness, attached to the seat belt. As long she can see outside she is fine. In the back she gets bored and has worked out how to slowly pull on the seat belt to give herself the slack to move round and go thieving into carrier bags for anything edible. Since the middle seat was reversed for the conversion she can reach over the back of the seat to harass the driver, which is not acceptable. Sitting next to me she is under control. Fixed too tightly out of sight she can wiggle out of any car harness. Being lurcher shape, wide ribs and narrow shoulders nothing holds her if she wants to escape. For sleeping its anywhere that is warm, preferably under a duvet or blanket.
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helen&tony
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by helen&tony » Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:58 pm

Hi
Oh, boy...lurchers...The world's fastest couch potatoes....Our first one would sleep anywhere...as I said, she'd sleep round my head....Her name was Solstice...but I nicknamed her "Hairy Houdini"....answer the door to a caller, and I'll swear she'd get through the letterbox!..... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Helen
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by Jillygumbo » Tue Jan 21, 2014 8:07 pm

Cfor travels on the middle seat in a harness plugged into the seatbelt holder, so no slack! She sleeps on her blanket on the floor next to the bed. I too fold one seat forward and sleep on driver side. Just replaced bench rear seat with gull wing so I can have other side folded up so I've got somewhere for the loo AND the dog! Gets a bit tight. Dog's happier next to me.
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Dr Fingers
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by Dr Fingers » Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:22 am

Interesting.. you've managed to switch to the fold up rear seats then?

Can't think why they ever discontinued them..

Derek
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by Jillygumbo » Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:17 pm

Dr Fingers wrote:Interesting.. you've managed to switch to the fold up rear seats then?

Can't think why they ever discontinued them..

Derek
Yes, they're brilliant so far and I don't know why they stopped supplying them with bongos. Still has belts for 3, one in middle.
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nicxf
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Re: Travelling with a dog?

Post by nicxf » Mon Jan 27, 2014 1:07 pm

Thanks everyone. Sounds like we might need a Lurcher thread to share all the pics of our speedy sleepy dogs!!
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