Car Rides

[Guest kirkevonphilly]

Hi all,

 

Curious about how your greys behave on car rides. Our Prim is far too excited to lay down and stands, going window to window, in the back. What does yours do? Back seat, back seats down, what works best for you for the safety of your dog (and your own) while you drive?

[Guest kirkevonphilly]

Hi all,

 

Curious about how your greys behave on car rides. Our Prim is far too excited to lay down and stands, going window to window, in the back. What does yours do? Back seat, back seats down, what works best for you for the safety of your dog (and your own) while you drive?

...dupe post. How do I delete?

[Feisty49]

(Ask a monitor to delete the other post or edit it, and replace your words with a reference to look at this one.)

 

I have one Greyhound. I drive a Ford Escape SUV. The backseats are divided one seat behind the passenger, the other two seats go down together. I put down the two together seats so Annie has 3/4 of the cargo area, unless I'm traveling with luggage, then she has to share.

 

When we leave, she jumps in via the cargo door, stands until I get in the vehicle, then turns around a couple of times and settles down on her blanket-covered bed. Once down, and as long as we're moving, she gets up only occasionally to rearrange her body. If I've been traveling an interstate, she will get up to look out the back window when I get off. As long as we're moving at a steady speed, she pretty much sleeps or watches me in the mirror.

 

Annie has a distinct lack of curiosity. If we're traveling in the city, and it's warm enough to have the windows down, she might lift her nose to smell, but she almost never stands up to look out the open window.

 

Safety: I never have to worry about Annie trying to get in the front seat or climbing out an open window. I do have concern about an accident where she would go flying because she's not secure. I don't know how to address this concern so I don't dwell on it.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Feisty49

[Guest AimeeBee]

I have a small sedan and a large hound. I purchased a backseat "bridge" that covers the footwells and then put foam beds/blankets on top. George stands most of the time if it's city driving, he prefers to hover over my shoulder and chatter/breathe down my neck . Once we on the highway he usually settles and will lay down and nap, if I slow down too much or stop though he is back on his feet. He is not a perfect passenger, but he has gotten much better in the year I've had him.

 

Safety-wise, I try to put my arm across the space between the front seats if I have to brake suddenly and he's standing just so he doesn't fall. Mostly I just drive VERY carefully and take turns slowly. I know it's recommended that dogs not be loose in the car, but that simply is not an option for me until I get a bigger car.

[Time4ANap]

Try putting a dog bed in there if you haven't.

 

Rocket likes to stand in my van to look out the windows, but will lay down when I tell him to. In the car a Camry Sedan) he lays down pretty quickly and will sleep until the car comes to a stop or has a significant change in speed, like slowing down on a ramp.

[rsieg]

I went through this a while back when I got a second dog, and got a lot of good advice:

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/309777-two-greyhounds-in-the-car/

 

Ended up going with the back seat down.

 

As far as the dog getting up and moving around, I have gone with a "tough love" approach. The first two or three times out, I get onto a side street, go slow, and hit the brakes hard enough to jostle the dog when standing (hopefully not enough to actually make the dog fall down, but if you are on a side street and only going a couple miles per hour a slip into the footwell isn't too bad, esp if it has some pillows :-) I have had three dogs so far (two of them greyhounds), and all three figured out pretty quickly they need to lie down in the car and don't get up while the care is moving. Max still tends to get up if we are at a long traffic light, so then I creep the car forward and hit the brakes -- he gets back down.

[Guest Doggone]

I recently downsized from a CRV to a new FIT (both Honda). I don't know if previous FITs had this feature: in the 2015 model, the rear seats can either fold down, as in most cars, or they can be folded UP, as theater seats are, and locked in place. I lock them in the up position, put spare pillows to fill up the two wells, and lay a sheet over. Since I only have Autumn (@ 72 lbs.), it works great! She walks right in and lays down, since it's like her beds. There's no place for her to fall or slide, or generally get hurt, and IMO, it's a lot safer than the SUV, even though I used a car harness to secure her. Now I don't even bother, since she just lays down and rests or sleeps.

[Aidansmom]

I went through this a while back when I got a second dog, and got a lot of good advice:

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/309777-two-greyhounds-in-the-car/

 

Ended up going with the back seat down.

 

As far as the dog getting up and moving around, I have gone with a "tough love" approach. The first two or three times out, I get onto a side street, go slow, and hit the brakes hard enough to jostle the dog when standing (hopefully not enough to actually make the dog fall down, but if you are on a side street and only going a couple miles per hour a slip into the footwell isn't too bad, esp if it has some pillows :-) I have had three dogs so far (two of them greyhounds), and all three figured out pretty quickly they need to lie down in the car and don't get up while the care is moving. Max still tends to get up if we are at a long traffic light, so then I creep the car forward and hit the brakes -- he gets back down.

 

I wish this worked with my Aidan, no matter how many times he falls down while standing in the car he refuses to lay down. Drives me insane and makes me VERY nervous!

[Guest Houston1219]

It depends on the car we're in. When I had my old Buick Century, Houston would stand up the the back seat (he is practically as long as the car is wide!) and lean against the back of the seat to brace himself when turning, etc. He would lay down occasionally, but spring up at every stop light to see if we had arrived (every place we go is exciting to this guy).

 

When I got a larger vehicle (four-door Blazer) there was a bit of an adjustment period. I initially thought leaving the seats down would give him room to lay down and relax. Wrong. He almost didn't know where to go, so would be running from front to back, window to window, like a mad man and got thrown all over the place. Putting a dog bed behind the front seats seemed to help a bit, but he went back to wandering around and just tripped over it. Scratch that idea!

 

Next, we figured we would try the regular back seat (seats up) much like he rode in the Buick. Problem here was that while it's a bigger car, the seat is smaller, and the seat backs are shorter. So, we turned, he leaned, and into the back hatch the goof plopped. He was fine, but I almost swerved off the road panicking, and DBF almost died laughing at us both. Houston bounced right back up, and that's where he stayed!

 

He literally fell into the solution. Leaving the rather short seats up and putting him in the back cargo area works wonderfully. We put a bed back there as well. He has enough room to be comfortable, but not so much that he is running about the vehicle. We can still see him, and because it's not a huge SUV, he's really not that far away.

 

Sorry this is so long, it was quite the learning curve for us. Best of luck to you!

[Guest KayGreat]

I have a small hatchback with a fairly narrow back seat and a dog who often stands up - I put foam blocks in the footwells so he can't fall in if I have to stop fast.

 

http://www.orvis.com/p/solid-foam-microfiber-backseat-extender/90xr

 

Now all I need is foam blocks for my ears for when he spots another dog and barks like a maniac dog...

[Guest normaandburrell]

Iceman is very curious, and loves to see out. In our small SUV he rides in back and moves from side to side grinning like crazy. Eventually he gets tired and lies down. In the small sedan he has found he can lie down and still see out by just lifting his head up. I put something soft down in both vehicles to protect the upholstery and help him be more comfortable. I worry that I don't use a restraint but both vehicles are small so he would be somewhat restrained in case of a crash. Kind of like a horse trailer, the less room they have to move around, the less chance they will fall and be injured.

[locket]

Our Jack will stand while going where we need to, but he curls and sleeps on the way back. Sometimes he sits (!?) and usually he is just poking his nose in between the seats. We have a familial car so Jack just stands on the backseat. Sometimes on the back seat and on the floor to look better out the front window

[cleptogrey]

eventually they seem to get used to car rides and settle down. i've had all sorts of canine passengers over the years. my first greyhound just hopped in and was very content. my scottie acted like a cab driver owned him in a past life and was always ready to go for a ride. my welsh terrier vomited and pooped for 9 months! talk about car sick. annie,my current greyhound would not get in w/ out my knee directing her for the first 8 months we owned her at that time it was a matter of getting into the back seat of the 2 door civic. she has since learned, hops right in and settles down but always has a pained expression. she can only get in from the passenger side. if i try the drivers side it's like teaching her all over again what a car is. she and felix have "assigned seats". give it time, they all learn- even my welsh terrier got the hang of it.

[Guest kirkevonphilly]

Thanks for sharing, everyone! I've got lots of ideas and can't wait for the weather here in Philly to warm up a bit so we can go for some rides. I like the foam blocks that KayGreat posted.

[Guest BlueCatch]

Short rides, Catch loves to stand between the two front seats of my fan. Long rides, we put a captains chair down and put one of her beds there and she snoozes. Sometimes she uses the back bench if the carseats are out. She LOVES going for rides.

[Guest Megr0n]

We have a car harness for Piper that just clips into the seatbelt thing, so she's safe and secure no matter which car we take her in. It has an adjustable length, so we have it long enough that she can still move around but won't go flying forwards in the case of an accident. She typically stays quite still anyway, spends most of the trip just lying down and has no interest in looking out the windows whatsoever. I think the harnesses are a great idea though

 

 

[ramonaghan]

Sweep loses her mind with excitement at the prospect of going for a ride, but once she's in the car, she pretty much chills right out. She stays lying down unless we slow down a lot and she realizes we've reached our destination; then she's up and investigating. Fortunately she's never tried to help us drive. We have this bridge in our Subaru Outback; it is very sturdy and works great with a dog bed on top. We leave the backseats down since 98% of the time it's just my husband, Sweep, and me. For our Corolla, we have a simple hammock with blankets on top and it works well for keeping her from falling into the footwells in case of a sudden stop.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

As I plan on going for more road trips with him in the future, I'm trying to desensitize Claymore to riding in my car. I have a Prius, and there's plenty of space back there for him but not enough to where he can go flying. He has lost his footing a few times at sudden stops, but he's getting keen on the movements of the car and is slowly getting used to lying down. He likes to stand and sniff out the window (I open both rear windows a crack so he gets some sniffs), but eventually he gets bored and lays down. He gets back up, but it's sort of a cycle.

 

I've taken to putting my hand back there and petting him/praising him when he lays down, hoping that will encourage him to know that I like what he's doing. He's not interested in getting up front with me, but I do keep a scarf tied around the driver/passenger headrests. He's very cognizant of barriers (both physical and symbolic) so he respects it and doesn't test it. Sometimes he'll stick his snoot over it, but that's it.

[rsieg]

>>>I've taken to putting my hand back there and petting him/praising him when he lays down, hoping that will encourage him to know that I like what he's doing.

 

Probably better off ignoring him when he is in the back. He will consider petting a good thing, worth getting up and moving toward the front, especially if he is getting bored back there. I mentioned earlier here, if the dog gets up (and it is safe to do so) I tend to tap the brakes, just enough so he gets the idea he needs to lay back down -- better he learn that way than during a true panic stop :-)

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I am of a different camp, I let the hounds move around and even put their heads out the window. The three vehicles that I own are all for the hounds specifically:

1) Full size conversion van

2) 02 Jeep Liberty

3) 08 Outlander

 

The van has the rear seats removed and dog beds line the entire van. This is primarily for long drives (anything over about 2 hours).

 

The Liberty is my wife's vehicle and can fit one bed in the back with the seats down. She will roll the rear windows down enough for a hound to be able to reach its head out and enjoy the wind in the face. The problem is that the seats folded down the bottom of the window when down all the way is only about 6" higher than the back of the seat so it would be easy for them to go out the window if they tried, or even if they didnt and just lost their balance around a curve. This is why my wife only puts the window down about 8"

 

The Outlander is the best with the seats that roll forward and block the front seats, and at the same time the floor of the truck is nearly 3' lower than the bottom of the window. I have 2 beds in the back when the seats are rolled forward and I usually roll both windows down all the way so everyone riding can enjoy the wind in their faces.

 

I dont let the hounds have their heads out the window if I am going over 50mph, otherwise they are free to enjoy the breeze regardless of the weather. I have one girlie that loves to have her head out the window even in the middle of a blizzard! Fun to see me driving around in the winter with the snow blowing and the windows down.

 

Chad

[Guest FloridaGirl]

>>>I've taken to putting my hand back there and petting him/praising him when he lays down, hoping that will encourage him to know that I like what he's doing.

 

Probably better off ignoring him when he is in the back. He will consider petting a good thing, worth getting up and moving toward the front, especially if he is getting bored back there. I mentioned earlier here, if the dog gets up (and it is safe to do so) I tend to tap the brakes, just enough so he gets the idea he needs to lay back down -- better he learn that way than during a true panic stop :-)

Good point, however as I am a gigantic monster beast of a girl, I can easily reach my hand back there while driving and pet him. He makes no movement to get up. If he began to stir if I pet him, I would stop, but he enjoys the praise and stays where he is. I never talk to him or acknowledge him when he's standing. He doesn't get the "stop" thing quite yet, unfortunately. Even when gliding gently at a stop sign, that final "end of momentum" is often enough to throw him off balance. He's slowly getting the picture that lying down 1) gets him snuggles from his gigantic landlord and 2) causes less falling. Only time will tell if he's actually going to truly "get it"!

 

My stepmother had a beloved, wonderful dog (a heart dog for the whole family, and even all of my friends still refer back to her) who she allowed to ride RIGHT UP FRONT with her (back legs on back seat and front legs basically on shifter knob). I loved the dog, but I HATED how crowded and dangerous it was. I vowed to NEVER let a dog get anything more than a snoot past the front seats, so I am super vigilant when it comes to that. Also the prius has this special weird fabric that resembles microsuede - once there's a dog footprint on it, that's it! So I've accepted the back seat will have some issues (even though I have a cover and towels back there for padding) THE FRONT SEAT AREA IS MINE.

 

Also, please enjoy the sheep jumping rope emoticon. I don't think we have occasion to use it quite enough.

[Guest pmcq]

My greyhound wants to stand on the back seat. I got this backseat extender http://www.orvis.com/p/deluxe-microfiber-car-hammock-seat-protector/9r92 to give her more room and keep from falling into the footwell. She has only laid down once for about 2 minutes until I slowed down. She prefers slobbering on the windows.

[Guest jetska]

In the very early days, Mouse lied down on her side on the back seat with her back facing the front of the car. I had to put the brakes on and she of course couldn't stop herself from sliding in to the footwell! she has learned to lie with her legs facing forward now

[Guest daytonasmom]

Daytona LOVES car rides, even if it's down the street to the Taco Bell drive thru. He stands, sits, puts his head out the window, lies down, and has learned to brace himself for starts and stops. He tried sitting in the front seat exactly twice. (it's a nissan altima). He is simply way too long to fit up front in a bucket seat! It made me laugh to see him keep trying to get comfortable! We had one scary sudden stop where he lost his balance and tumbled a little, it scared the crap out of me but he was totally fine and not the least bit upset or scared to ride in the car again. He handled it much better than I did! I also drive a lot more carefully when he's in the car, same as with my son, even though he's 19 now LOL

 

Now if only I didn't always have nose-juice drips on the windows (inside and out) and along the rear quarter panels...

[Guest driser]

We have an SUV and can't even say the word "T-R-U-C-K" lest we set off the outrageously excited jumping 4' off the ground. But once we've been on the road a while he lays down on his bed in back aft. I have very mixed emotions about taking him places just for the stimulation of being out of the house. He loves it loves it loves it, but I live in city with crappy drivers and slamming on brakes is a weekly reality even when you leave plenty of room. Not safe for him and let's be honest, with modern car technology I could survive even a bad accident, but not survive being hit in the back of the head by a flying 80lb missile.