Securing a crate in the car

lisa701

After 18 months of searching for a suitable crate to fit in the boot of my Corsa I've given up. The only options are a custom made one (at £300+) or one that fits perfectly but its too short in height for my dog.

I'm now considering getting a standard crate and collapse the back seats to fit it in. Even then I cannot find one that will fit perfectly, so if I go with this option I need to find a way to secure it in the car so it doesnt move around.

Any suggestions on how I could do this?

pawsies

Maybe it would be a better idea to just use a car harness?

lisa701

We tried him on the back seat with a harness at the shortest length but he could see out of the side windows and would bark at anything that went past. It made journeys stressfull for us all.

We were advised to move him to the boot which has worked a treat but I would much prefer him crated especially in my husbands car where the boot is much bigger but we have the same problem trying to fit a crate due to it being a hatchback.

Fosterdog

Most cars have somewhere you can attach hooks in the boot, we use the bungee ropes you can get with hooks on the end. We weave the rope through the crate and the hook it on to the car, usually one either side and two through the top to keep it fully secure. We first bought the cheapy ropes from the car section in a pound shop but they broke in a few uses so we bought a slightly better/stronger set for around £10.

I've never found the crate to actually move around on its own, I just do this as a safety precaution, if we crashed I want the dogs to be as secure as possible so I also harness them inside the crates so if we crashed and the crate broke open the dogs still couldn't run out into traffic.

lisa701

Thanks. How do you harness them inside the crate?

skintandscared_2

I didn't think you did harness the dog inside the crate?

And I presume one good reason for securing the crate to the car floor/seat in the back is not just to stop it sliding about, but also to stop it from decapitating you in an emergency stop/crash situation?!

krlyr

You could always look for a custom crate (or guards - the custom ones are much standard than those tubular style generic ones, I have custom guards in my car) secondhand to save money. http://www.agilitynet.co.uk/activepages/fleamarket.asp is a good place to look, and if you use Facebook there are lots of dog equipment 'for sale' groups you can scour. Plus Ebay, too. Even some of the manufacturers will sell second-hand or ex-display guards/cages cheaper.

lisa701

I didnt think you secured them in a crate but if you look at Fosterdog's post thats what they say they do. It makes sense because if there is an accident even the most substantial crate could be damaged and lifting it from the car could cause the dog to escape.

I'd love a custom made crate, would solve a lot of problems, but its not going to happen. Spent 18 months searching for one to no avail and the last quote I got was £450 which is silly.

Will have a go at fitting the one my mum has into my car and seeing how I can secure it.

niandsa

We have a Dog Bag from the RoofBox Company which our dog loves. It is a fabric crate that is tall in proportion to the width and depth dimensions, making it a compact option.

Our 14kg dog is perfectly happy in the small size and can see out as we drive along. It anchors into the boot using the attachment points at the rear of the back seats. Also with it being fabric it can flex a little and squash into a smaller space if necessary.

Not cheap but I would definitely recommend it.

lisa701

niandsa wrote: »

We have a Dog Bag from the RoofBox Company which our dog loves. It is a fabric crate that is tall in proportion to the width and depth dimensions, making it a compact option.

Our 14kg dog is perfectly happy in the small size and can see out as we drive along. It anchors into the boot using the attachment points at the rear of the back seats. Also with it being fabric it can flex a little and squash into a smaller space if necessary.

Not cheap but I would definitely recommend it.

Oooh that sounds like an option. Will have a look at that. Id thought about getting a canvas type crate but all the ones I saw had rigid plastic poles that didnt flex. Someone I spoke to had one with metal frame that could be bent to fit the space, but they couldnt remember where they bought it

blushingbride_3

lisa701 wrote: »

Oooh that sounds like an option. Will have a look at that. Id thought about getting a canvas type crate but all the ones I saw had rigid plastic poles that didnt flex. Someone I spoke to had one with metal frame that could be bent to fit the space, but they couldnt remember where they bought it

this does look good, but do you think its safe? i.e safer than strapping dog on back seat?

I want to keep my dog safe but my car is getting so dirty with the dog so trying to find a solution to put him in the boot.