Transporting Dachsies

[Mark]

When you travel in an auto with your Dachsies . . . what precautions do you take?

[dutchman]

I know people who transport dogs to shows on a regular basis and they always use kennels. The Head of Emergency Medicine at the Colorado State University who taught my pet first aid class recommended using an airline style carrier. He was worried about the restraint systems that clip into seat belts. He felt there had not been enough testing on them and as many people know a seat belt that is not properly adjusted can cause major interanl organ injuries to the person wearing it. At the VTH they see many dogs who have jumped from moving vehicles when not restrained and who have been sent flying out of windows or into dashes, windshields or other occupants of a vehicle when accidents happen. Don't forget to secure the kennel in some way so it won't become a fly object in an accident. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm preaching I just hope we can all avoid hear aches over losses like Ruby Tuesday's.

Tom

[bigotis]

Okay, I will be the first one to admit it. We take no precautions. Bad habits are hard to break. We started off in a kennel and Otis would not tolerate it. He already HATES riding in the van when we are going over 40 mph. He tucks himself tight under the seat. (Security). When going under 40, he sits on my lap. I think about this and feel guilty about it ALL THE TIME. But I know if I put him in a crate at this point, he would be terrified!! I know, better to put up with crying and fear than having him injured or worse. I can only suggest that NEW PUPPIES be trained RIGHT away to ride in a crate.

There. Now you all know what a bad mommy I am.


Otis's mommy,

Anita

[Augie Dog]

the harness we use has a seat belt loop. if we did not use it, these guys would be a hood ornamint!

[assisivk]

I must admit that I am not consistent. Casey rarely travels... just to the kennel if I'm to be away. Willie comes with me more regularly... sometimes I'll take them both out for a little drive because they like it.

With Willie... he refuses to go into a carrier. Absolutely refuses. I got him a harness that fastens to the seatbelt and he hates it. Just hates it. With Casey... I've always had difficulty with any collar or harness.... because his neck and shoulder muscles are so developed to compensate for his missing leg, a collar just slips off of him. And a harness... it moves around and impedes his movement... he's actually tripped himself in a harness. I learned these things pretty quickly with him. Whenever I need it.... I use a choke collar on him... it's the only thing I've found that works. He's good on a lead if it's just him with me. But that doesn't help in the car.

So... if they're both travelling with me in the car, I put them in the back seat and drive carefully.

If it is just Willie, I used to start him off in the back seat but he'd climb through the seats to get to the passenger seat.... where he falls asleep.

They are quite content at home and we're in the country... so quite honestly, I don't take them all that often. And I'm just not as consistent as I could be with the harness.

With Diva... the only trip I've made with her is the trip home and that was in a carrier. Because of her particular issues, whenever I have to take her anywhere, I'll use the carrier. And not develop bad habits.

[Kumar]

Little 4 month old Kumar has ridden in a Crate since day one.

[doxie_newbie]

I'm going to be getting a sherpa bag for my little one I think. They have an attachment to the seat belt so that if we are ever in a car accident that he will be safer.
Also I plan to use the crate from time to time as well, just have the bag as an alternative for those short trips or visiting someone.

[debo]

The crate/carrier I use is called a Furr-rari...a soft side animal carrier that is light weight to carry. I strap it into the car with a seat belt to make sure that Frieda doesn't take any unnecessary rides!:circle:

[Roobyrocks]

They always ride in their crates... period. I think I posted this before, but Lynn had a friend once who's puppy was killed during an accident... it was in a lap and hit the dash. :(

[Jennie]

My guys go to work with me every single day, and they travel in one small plastic crate together in the back seat. They have the drill down - out we go, Bailey in first, he goes to the back and settles down, in comes Baxter, goes to Bailey, and they curl up to sleep the whole way.

When we first tried this, Bailey did fine, but Baxter did not tolerate the crate at all. They were crated separately at that time. Out of desperation, I put them in the same crate to see if it had any effect, and they've been fine ever since. They do great!

[lotsadox]

I use seat belts on mine. I use the Hug-A-Dog and strap them in. It keeps them in place and prevents them from being thrown around in case of an accident.

[joeysmom]

Since JOEY's surgery in December '02, JOEY is always restrained when he rides in the car. When my husband drives and I'm the passsenger, I will hold JOEY securely in my lap. If I'm the driver, then JOEY rides in the crate so he doesn't jump around in the car.

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

so much I put them in the tote then on the floor of the back seat. they are never happier then when in that bag. :angel:

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

We always use a crate. However, on long trips we'll take him out to sit with the kids for short periods.

[Joyce]

Dudley is always in the crate. No matter how long the trip he just lays down and naps. He is the best traveler. But it is funny if we say we are going certain places. Like my Mom & Dads he knows just when we turn in the street. He wakes up and does a little excited cry as if to say don't forget me now that we are here. One day we said we were going to my Moms and took a different route & he got really upset, like saying hey you are going the wrong way. Doxies are so smart.
Joyce::D

[Jennie]

My boys have a sense of direction as well. No matter what route I take to work, they know when we turn into the parking lot. As we enter the employee lot, they start to perk up and as soon as we cross into the guest lot (where the kennel is located) they start to whine. This happens every single day, no matter if I came from home, my sister's, or made a stop on the way. They know the turns into the parking lot for sure!

[yolanda]

I always crate dogs when I go any place. In fact in the back of my van is a very large wire crate that stays in the van. I also have small airline crates that can be seat belted into the seats. The dogs are like children to me. Would you take a small chiild out in a vehicle without proper restraints?

[Cindi]

4 dogs, 3 crates. I have a minivan with the middle seat out. The back seat has the back folded down and the 3 crates are bungied on top of the back seat. 2 dogs in a 200 crate, and then 2 100's finish out the arrangement. I picture what would happen in an accident with either the little dogs flying through a window or running around the street with me unconscious....and not letting anyone touch them....not going to happen. At least in their crates, even if the crates come unbungied from the seat somehow, they can be lifted out in one piece hopefully.

Now, when the the 5th dog comes, I will have to do some rearranging.

Cindi

[Jacqueline]

Taffy rides in her carrier, and when it is just us, there isn't a problem. She knows that if she isn't in the carrier, the car in not moving. (Better trained than the kids were....."Don't make me have to pull over......"). But when daddy's in the car, head pops out, pretty soon she wants out and in my lap while I am driving. Fight, fight,fight. :dizzy:

I really do think he believes I put up with this when we are alone....NOT. I've told him to not let her out of the carrier, that she is sooooo much safer inside. Maybe I should make them BOTH ride in the back seat?????:rofl:

[doxunzX3]

About 95% of the time they are all in one crate. Unless Ivy isn't feeling good. Then we crate Zor separate from her. I sure miss my old van that was totalled. It had heat & air in the back of it. This one doesn't so the crates have been moved up to the middle seats. They love to ride loose but we don't do it to often. Only on short back road trips. In the winter they don't get to go to much any where. So Ivy will beg us to take her for a ride. Some times we take her around the block. I know we spoil her but she just loves to go.
If they are loose it is on some one's lap. I get jealous because I am always the driver. I want to hold a doxie too.

[MicheleS]

Sophie rides quite often. She hates the crate but I put her into it anyway. That's for my safety as well as hers, because if she were loose, she would keep climbing into my lap while driving. She doesnt mind too much, though because going for a ride usually means going somewhere fun!

[FourOrchards]

Ally has a harness that attaches to a seatbelt. Otherwise she'd be on my lap driving!:eek:

[Pandawags]

I need to start using something. Panda gets so upset if she can't
sit next to me by the drivers door. I know that's bad. It will be hard
to train her at this age but I NEED too.

[Barb R]

I use a harness and leash on Rocky. I tie a knot toward the end of the leash and slam the leash in the car door (knot just outside the car door). I allow enough leash to allow him to sit or lay comfortably in the seat.

If there is a lot of leash hanging on the outside of the car door, I open the window and thread it through the window, then close the window.

[Jacqueline]

I have carriers for both dogs. Daisy goes into hers, into the back seat, and gets seatbelted in. Taffy, who is an escape artist, is in hers and in the front seat for now. I have to get her and Daddy, who will let her put her head out, trained....and then she will be in the backseat, seatbelted in, too. I don't want any accidents. I hate...HATE airbags, and if I could find someone to turn them off, I would. If the darn thing pops out and hits me, it's probably all over for me. And I don't really want the girls in front in the line of fire, either.

No loose dogs in the car. When we travel with Caesar, my Senegal, he is in the bag, in a cage, and he is secured in, too.

[Leslie]

My dogs always stay in the backseat the dorrs always locked and windows always up!

[Tammara]

Never a question. Since day one coming home, 1 crate two dogs. We bought a large crate when they grew to their full sizes, but they cry in it, so we went back to the medium one. Maybe if we take a long trip again, we'll use the large, but for our errands, they just snuggle and are happy.

They love the crate so much, that when we know we are taking them for a ride, we have to put on the correct collars, BEFORE we get the crate. Once they go into it, we can't PRY them out to get their dog wire collars off. We also can't say the word RIDE, without taking them for one.

[Brooke]

We have a "lookout" that has a harness attachment to the seatbelt. This was he's free to sit and lay down or look out the window and is out with us...but protected. We really love it.

[oscarforevermom]

My rules are - a collar with ID tags plus a leash- & a wire crate. I keep a small one in the car for short vet trips, etc. I keep bottled water & a dish in the car too...just in case.

For any long distance travel - we use one big wire crate that they all are in together. They are great travelers...and love to do a dachsie pile while on the road.

[Paul Coover]

Well, I can answer with many different options. But we have 6 dachshunds, so I guess that will always be the case!

Kebo, Riley & Willy do not go in the crate. Joanna, Pork Chop, and Auggie do.

[Suzanne R]

They always ride in their crates... period. I think I posted this before, but Lynn had a friend once who's puppy was killed during an accident... it was in a lap and hit the dash. :(

OMG, how awful! That sure reinforces the seat belt and/or carrier situation. I'm sure carriers/crates are probably the safest. That poor friend whose puppy was killed . . . awful!!

[Tucker's Mom]

At 10 weeks old, Tucker made a very lo-o-o-ng trip with us from Mayfield, KY to his new home in Michigan - 13 hours in his crate. 2 hours of crate time/20 min. of potty, exercise, water and a few kibbles. We continued this routine all the way home and he was a little trooper. So, needless to say, he now associates going "bye bye" with a ride in his crate. It's the only way that I will travel anytime with him in a vehicle. :puppyluv:

[3doxies]

I crate Casey. (He's a wild man in the car.) I tie Tyler's leash to the head rest of the front seat so he can be beside me. Otherwise, he'd be trying to get in my lap.

[LibertytheDoxie]

I couldn't deciede between none or other, so I went with other. My wife or I (depending on who is in the passengers seat) has Liberty. She'll usually just ball up and sleep in your lap the whole trip, she sometimes well crawl into the back seat and sleep on her pillow but that is very rare.

[Christena]

We travel often with ours. Josh and Auggie wear the harnesses attached to the seatbelt. They can sit, lie down or sit up and look out the window. Gabe is crated as he chewed off his harness! Gabe is not thrilled about the crate at first but gets quiet after we get going and he realizes we are not letting him out. He sleeps in his crate at night too; one night we let him on the big bed, after he was somewhat potty trained, and he snuggled a while then got down and got in his crate so he is happy in it.

[Dackel-Mom]

I have no choice but let them roam in the back of my car. (RAV4) I took the rear seats out, put my expen as a gate between the front seats, a body pillow in front of that and then there's barely space for the four of them (Dane, Shepherd and 2 dachsies at the moment.) Maisie mostly travels on the front seat with us. Either sitting on my husband's lap or on the seat. So far, so good. ;)

[cweldon]

I have a car seat that boosts Maxie up so she can see, and also has an attachment for her harness. It is padded (she's a skinny old gal), and has a mesh front. I love it!

Catie

[Susa]

I use a harness and a car seat.

[longtimecouple1]

I have a booster type seat, with a suitcase base, which boosts them up, it has a clip on a strap, very securely sewed into the seam. Because I use it for both of them I bought a short coupler. They both ride in the seat together at all times in the car, and love it. I bought it at Improvements, a catalog I received in the mail. It was the best investment I made getting ready for Coco. They can move a little, and sit up and look out the window, but they are in there very safely. It has soft mesh sides and front. The front rolls down but since they are clipped in, it doesn't matter. I keep it rolled down at all times. The suitcase base is great, I keep a water bowl, food bowl, spare leash, and a bag of treats for special trips. It can also be used on planes, as it is within the required size, and has wheels, so you can just pull them from car to plane. I haven't used it on a plane yet, but have on road trips.

[Suzanne R]

I have a booster type seat, with a suitcase base, which boosts them up, it has a clip on a strap, very securely sewed into the seam. Because I use it for both of them I bought a short coupler. They both ride in the seat together at all times in the car, and love it. I bought it at Improvements, a catalog I received in the mail. It was the best investment I made getting ready for Coco. They can move a little, and sit up and look out the window, but they are in there very safely. It has soft mesh sides and front. The front rolls down but since they are clipped in, it doesn't matter. I keep it rolled down at all times. The suitcase base is great, I keep a water bowl, food bowl, spare leash, and a bag of treats for special trips. It can also be used on planes, as it is within the required size, and has wheels, so you can just pull them from car to plane. I haven't used it on a plane yet, but have on road trips.
Wow - yours sounds GREAT! Where did you get it, and how much??

[MorenaChula]

Mocha rides in her carseat. However when I first got Mocha she rode free in the car.

[Melisande]

Dragon has a little doggy seatbelt that attaches to the regular seatbelt. He sits in the backseat only, he loves looking out the window.

Eventually I want to get him a booster doggy carseat, but I just never seem to get it. I need to, I think he'd love it. This is the one I have my eye on.

http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=4002&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=445&iSubCat=446&iSubSubCat=447&iProductID=4002

[Terri]

OK- having just read everybody's answer I am thoroughly ashamed. I ALWAYS used carseats with my kids when they were baby's so I bought a carseat for Cody. However, its this little dopy thing that attaches to the console between the 2 front seats in my Honda CRV. Once he's in it he either sits in it or lays down, depends on his mood I guess. There is a short leash which attaches to his Hug-a_Dog harness. I thought it was pretty risk free and he is nearly always sleeping in the car but now I'm thinking the air bags might still get him in an accident, even though originally I figured he was in between them. So now I am thinking he needs to ride in the back seat in a carrier and I know he will hate that - but he travels too much too take the risk now that I've thought about it. He goes to doggie day care twice a week and that's driving into the city.:faint: (He usually rests his head on my wrist while I drive) I'm going to miss that, a lot...)

[Terri]

EEK - The picture that posts - is Cody in his carseat- I really am embarrassed. I don't think you will hear from me for a while.

[ownbydoxie]

Buster uses a crate but we lined it first with towels then place his bed that we bought into it....

[doxiy]

mine sits in my lab or she is behind the seat in back on floor on a pillow so she dont fall of seat.

[Louise56]

I have a doggy car seat, not sure how safe they are but furkids can see out the windows. Also a snap to snap to the collars. They are not safe to use in front seat in front of air bag.

[patty23]

We took a trip up to Lake Ontario and mine were all in kennels. We have 3 airline kennels and two big metal crates or kennels whichever they are called.With 8 , used to be 9 doxies we have to use them. I did see a lady a few mos. ago driving with her little poodle on her lap and the dog hanging out of the window, I thought this was the most stupid thing to be doing.

[The Boyz' Mom]

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff216/theboysmom_photos/carSeat3.jpg

A Look Out car seat with harness and attached to seatbelt. I used to drive with them loose but became too nervous about it and then I found the Look Out seat and they love it because they are high up and can see out.
Now they are never loose in the car!

[Weeweeniekennel]

My ride in crates And I have the crates bungied down so they don't slide around and the ones that sit on top of the other I have some shelve liner between them to keep them from sliding off the top. I make them ride in crate because if ever in an accident and they should get out of the car no one could get them or they could run into the road and get run over. :( at least in a crate they would be safe and I know where they are I also have my name and address written on them and if they are microchipped and the dogs name

[ImJustWingingIt]

Daisy was a wonderfully calm traveller until...the invasion of the men and women in white lab coats...meaning that she was great until we took her to the vet to have her spayed. Ever since, whenever we get in the car/truck, she becomes very anxious and can't decide where she wants to be. If I leave her unbuckled, she constantly goes back and forth betweeh my son and me, over the console, into my lap, trying to get between the steering wheel and me, then back to my son, all to start the whole process over again...and over, and over, until we finally reach our destination.

My husband is a high school band director and the kids enjoy the stories he tells about our baby girl. They were some of the first ones who met her with us taking her on a away-game trip for a ballgame, where they petted and loved on her, oohing and ahhing. I tried to take her to the band room so they could meet and play with her and she could get accustomed to them, but that didn't work too well because all she'd do was squat and...uh...urinate. She's such a urinator! (Is that a word???) We can't seem to get her out of the "Yes, I know you're bigger and I concede to that, and in order to reiterate that fact, I'll just squat and pee so you'll know I understand the chain of command," phase. I JUST HATE THAT!!! Will she EVER outgrow that? She's nine months old!!! You can tell that after she does her squat, tuck her head and tail, and pee, she's ready to be played with and I feel it's good for the kids, sometimes to get to see and play with her because some of them don't have puppies or loving dogs with which to play, and having her around is good for them, not to mention good for her to grow accustomed to being around crowds and other people. HOWEVER...she's become so bad during the trip to and from the school, that I just don't do it anymore. I'm afraid her jumping back and forth between my lap and the seat will cause me to have an accident. I can't get her to train not to do that.

So...we are now on vacation in the Smokie Mountains-Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, and our cabin is pet-friendly. We brought her with us...yes, we weathered the 3 1/2 hour drive with an anxious, nervous, upset little gal, but we did survive. I bought a harness into which the seat belt hooks and keeps her in one place. Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? She's free to sit or lay down on the seat/blankets, and enjoy being around the family as opposed to being in her kennel all the way to our destination. Maybe it's not so good...she cried, whined, yelped, and was so anxious the whole way up here that it was not only pitiful, but stressful on us to know how anxious she was...not to mention the fact that the high-pitched yelping really tends to get on a person's nerves after about an hour and a half of it. The second day here, she let us know she didn't like it, but after a few minutes, she would finally settle down and go to sleep. WHEW! I hope she begins to see this as a good thing and not so much as a bad thing. She's settling down in the cabin, not nearly as nervous...sleeping in the bed with my husband and I, though, but that's okay...it's a King size! LOL! She's relaxing a bit inside and has decided to play a little more. It's been good that we brought her but it bothers me that she's been so traumatized...of course, it traumatizes her just to put her inside the car! She thinks she's going back to the vet!

That's a long-about way to say, "Yes, we use a harness while traveling in the car/truck!"

LOL!

[PetMother]

We have the crate in case they become too rambunctious. Otherwise Buddy gets my lap, Macy will fit somewhere with him (she loves Buddy and he takes care of her!) and Sammy gets the back seat to himself with his fleece blanket.

[peanut0315]

I'm not gonna lie. Peanut isnt restrained when we take trips. He can usually be found in 1 of 2 places. Either on my shoulders, so that he can stick his little nose out the window or he sleeps on my lap. Rarely, he will sleep in the passenger seat, on a blanket or towel. I know this is bad practice, but he HATES being restrained. He cries like I'm beating him and Im a pushover when it comes to him :) He's a mini, and I suppose he thinks he has just as much right to be in the driver seat as i do!

:oops:

[NyteMirage]

I have a crate for my doxie, but when I go to pick her up Saturday I'll probably cuddle with her on the way back to Louisville so she's not scared and so she gets to know me.