I'm looking to see if anyone knows or could recommend a good crate for their car. I'm having a tough time finding one tall enough for my puppy that will actually fit in the car.
I don't know how I got through this with my last dog 10 years ago, I suspect I just kept her in the passenger seat until she was 'mature' enough to be in the back alone without destroying things. That is not going to work with this puppy, since I regularly have a passenger. She's almost 6 months, so it just needs to last until she grows up a little more, not her full adult size.
The situation:
Car is a small hatchback, but I want her in the backseat, not the trunk area.
The largest wire crate size that fits in the car "Medium" (30"L x 19"W x 21"H) - this is because of the size of the door/hatchback. I can't get something like a "Large" (36"L x 23"W x 25"H) in at all since it needs to go in assembled - this size would be great if it could fit.
The largest hard crate size that fits in the car (36"L x 25"W x 27"H) - this size is great for her! but it blocks my rear-view mirror which is a safety hazard and we have to scrunch up the front seats to make room. At first glance the size looks the same as the wire crate, but the corners are rounded, so somehow it fits where the wire crate will not fit.
Something like the 'revol' crate might be good in theory, since it doesn't take up so much space to assemble and could be put in the car unassembled, but it's 50 lbs AND $600, which is not great.
Basically - my puppy is a standard poodle so she has long legs, I don't mind her being in a 'smaller' crate for the car, but at this point I can't even get something bigger in the backseat unless it blocks my rearview mirror. Are there other options? Training to keep her from chewing the car maybe?
@raised2newlife Give a backseat hammock a shot. $40 or so on Amazon. It’s been super convenient for me and my pup (who’s smaller than yours). Doesn’t block anything and easy to work around when pup’s not in the vehicle.
@executorofhope Ironically, I always thought 'why do people want a hammock? just get a seat cover' Now I'm starting to realize people use it to confine their dogs to the back seat, so it's like a whole new world for me. Last dog just was so good in the backseat, I think I skipped learning all this stuff.
@raised2newlife Have you looked into Ruff Land? Not sure about dimensions but we have one for our 60 pound pit mix and it fits in the back seat of my Honda Accord and I can still see out of my rear mirror! It’s also pretty light; I’m a 5’4 regularly strong female and can carry it myself.
@raised2newlife My car crates block my rear view too, I use my side mirrors like a trucker lol. It works well once you get used to it. I use Ruffland Kennels which run $400-500 depending on what size you get, so it's less pricy than a Revol.
@raised2newlife We decided on a backseat hammock for our pup along with a crash-tested and approved car harness that attaches to a seatbelt. When she’s fully grown, that is. For now we use the hammock plus a chew-proof tether that clips to the back of her harness and screws onto the car seat anchor in the backseat. She’s taken to it pretty well, tho the swag belt buckle has some gnaw marks on it
@christiangirl2017 This is what we do for our pup since she was 5 months old and outgrew her car crate. The hammock prevents her from falling off the seat, and the harness and tether keep her from becoming a projectile in an accident. It took her about 20 minutes to figure out how to get comfy, and it took probably an hour for her to get comfortable with getting in and out of the back seat (with treats, and over 5-6 training sessions).
@abison Fingers crossed. I don't drive far, but we do drive often so this has been a hot topic at home. Usually like 2-3 trips a day, so getting something that is easy to use and transitions well to the backseat sounds nice. Also helps that the price point isn't several hundred dollars, so you can try it without too much regret if it fails.
@christiangirl2017 This setup sounds possible, I think it depends on how determined she is to get out, but it might work to keep her back there with minimum damage. I've had a seat cover for years, but hadn't thought to use a hammock to confine the space. The chew proof tether is a good idea - I used to have a chew proof leash, not sure why I didn't think they would make tethers that way too. Maybe the crate fitting drove me crazy.
@raised2newlife Please take a look at how the crash-tested harnesses require your dog to be positioned (very tightly strapped to the seat back and sitting up like a human would), in most cases it isn't feasible for large dogs.
@raised2newlife Crates are much more safe than harnesses/hammocks/etc in almost all scenarios (the exception being the Sleepypod harness when correctly used... which is not often possible).
Wire crates are extremely dangerous and not recommended.
The Ruffland crates are the best option in the mid-tier price range. It may seem like a lot, but they are absolutely worth it if you were to ever get in an accident, and they are very durable and long-lasting.
