Crate v dog hammock

[wyattwrd]

I have a 12 week old puppy who never sits still for long. I have some upcoming trips in the car with him and I’m trying to decide whether to use a portable crate or a hammock with him buckled in. My issue with the portable crate and is he is growing like a weed and I can’t keep buying portable crates his size. Any advice?

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@wyattwrd I transitioned my pup from a crate to just the back seat (with a cover) at around 3 months. Same issue - he outgrew his little crate, and my car can't really accommodate a larger one anyway. If your vehicle can fit a big crate, you can get one with a divider and adjust as pup grows. Crates are probably the best bet, if you can make it work.

In the car, my boy wears a harness, and I clip him in with a short leash that buckles into the seatbelt thing. He's great in the car - just lays down and snoozes.

 

[wyattwrd]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Does he settle outside your car? My puppy is still at the stage of when he’s outside his crate he’s go go go. I’m not sure if he is buckled in with harness and he’s tired if he’s learn to settle in the car

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@wyattwrd My puppy has sloooooowly started to settle in the house when he's outside of his crate. I capture calm when I can, but I think it'll just happen with time. He's def not as go go go as he was at 3-5 months (he's 6.5 months now), but he'll pace a bit and still look for mischief.

Outside, tho? Champion settler. If I stop on the walk to talk to neighbours, or if I drive to a farmer's market or downtown to walk and shop, he's really chill and will lay at my feet. Go figure.

 

[shakethenations]

@wyattwrd The crate will probably be safer; the car tethers are not actually made for safety, they’re more of a tool to keep them in one place. Here are the crash-tested options (they tend to be expensive).

 

[hounded]

@wyattwrd My concern with the hammock and seatbelt would be if he chewed on the seatbelt - not all pups will, but many do. Especially a concern if you‘re driving alone and can’t turn around to redirect him. If it were me, I’d get the biggest crate that will fit in your vehicle so that it will hopefully last until he outgrows the chewing stage.