Transporting the dog

We have a 10 month old Cocker Spaniel. When she was younger she travelled in her crate on the floor of our 2016 Symbol, wedged between the cab step and the third seat. Now she's older she has a car harness in the car. In the van if we unclip the 3rd seat seatbelt the cushions fall forward whilst we are travelling. Any suggestions for safe transportation of the dog? She's medium sized and travels really well. I don't want to put her off going in the van if the cushions are moving about next to her. If we use the seatbelt clip she would have to sit on the floor. Any ideas? Thanks.

We use a fabric carrier for our Jack Russell and he loves it even on long runs through France, although we do stop every hour.

We jam it between the rear bed seats and it folds flat when not in use.

Not knowing your vans layout, this position may not be possible.
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Richard

In the "good old days" never had the problem with seats moving as on the underside of seat cushions there were 2 inch wide Velcro strips sewn on with the corresponding connecting part stapled/glued to the seat base,
Simple to do and should solve your problem.

David

Some friends of mine have two (very lively and excitable!!) full grown Cocker Spaniels and take them everywhere they go as they motorhome full time. They use a metal wired cage when 'on the road'. They've chopped and changed from mh to caravan a few times though and currently back to tugging...again!

A French couple i met some years ago in Slovenia who lived full time in their mh, had a huge dog (forget the breed now but it was really big) and they had turned their 'garage' into a kennel. However their van was a very large A class.

Thanks all for your comments. I think she's going to have to continue to use her crate. She doesn't mind it but can't see out of the window when she's on the floor. It folds up when we're not travelling and it's just another thing to do before we move. At least nothing can fall on her whilst she's in it!

StanRVan wrote:Thanks all for your comments. I think she's going to have to continue to use her crate. She doesn't mind it but can't see out of the window when she's on the floor. It folds up when we're not travelling and it's just another thing to do before we move. At least nothing can fall on her whilst she's in it!

Tag has a metal crate too, it folds up into a canvas bag and sits next to the fridge behind the drivers seat, when the van is static ,he's takes over the front seats and is happy to watch the world go by.
Boaby

burlingtonboaby wrote:

StanRVan wrote:Thanks all for your comments. I think she's going to have to continue to use her crate. She doesn't mind it but can't see out of the window when she's on the floor. It folds up when we're not travelling and it's just another thing to do before we move. At least nothing can fall on her whilst she's in it!

Tag has a metal crate too, it folds up into a canvas bag and sits next to the fridge behind the drivers seat, when the van is static ,he's takes over the front seats and is happy to watch the world go by.
Boaby

We have used metal crates in the past, but found them not to kind to the interior being metal. The fabric type is IMHO a lot better and lighter. No problem with Jack not being able to see out of the window, as we find it actually causes him not to settle, whereas the cage on the floor works a treat, even in the back of the car also.

Each to his own, but works for us.
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Richard

Good point Richard. We make sure it can't rub on the interior. We looked at the fabric carriers but think she would chew her way out! It may be a solution when she's a bit older.

We’re not dog owners but have owned a Symbol and now a Kemerton, so are familiar with the 3rd seat.  When you refer to the cushions falling forward I guess you’re talking about loose, scatter-type cushions, rather than the seat and back cushions of the seat itself.

I would think you could fashion a bolster cushion that can be strapped to the van seat. Alternatively a dog bed could perhaps be adapted in order to attach to the seat.  The straps could be Velcro, that go right around the seat or you could use D-rings fixed to the wooden base of the seat and use cam-buckle webbing straps sewn onto the dog-cushion/bed.

Apologies if I’m misunderstanding the problem but the 3rd seat is large, accessible, seat-belted and high relative to the window-line so seems an ideal place to secure a dog when underway.

Tim

We have a Symbol and a 13 year old Springer Spaniel. 
She travels in her bed on the floor, just ahead of the 3rd seat. She is restrained by a harness attached by a short lead, looped through the done up seat belt.

Thanks Tim. I don't mean the loose cushions. Unless we keep the seatbelt across the back of the 3rd seat the cushions which form the back of the seat fall forward. 
Thanks too to marbarsymbol, we will try that and see how she gets on.

Stan ... got it, the 3rd seat on yours must be a different design to what we’re accustomed to.  Other Symbol/Kemerton owners with vans of a similar age to yours may be able to advise better.  I suppose your seat is set up properly?  Keeping it together with the seatbelt sounds a curious design feature.

Tim

StanRVan wrote:Thanks Tim. I don't mean the loose cushions. Unless we keep the seatbelt across the back of the 3rd seat the cushions which form the back of the seat fall forward. 
Thanks too to marbarsymbol, we will try that and see how she gets on.

I know exactly what you are referring to Stan, mine fall forward onto the floor with moderate braking.

However, this happens because I’m a lazy * Inappropriate Word *! There is a retaining strap on the side of the back cushion/board which fixes to the side wall to stop this happening. I rarely bother with this strap hence the issue.

burlingtonboaby wrote:

StanRVan wrote:Thanks all for your comments. I think she's going to have to continue to use her crate. She doesn't mind it but can't see out of the window when she's on the floor. It folds up when we're not travelling and it's just another thing to do before we move. At least nothing can fall on her whilst she's in it!

Tag has a metal crate too, it folds up into a canvas bag and sits next to the fridge behind the drivers seat, when the van is static ,he's takes over the front seats and is happy to watch the world go by.
Boaby

Good point.     However we have a Pets at Home crate, no sharp edges unlike the other one we have in the wee car. Maisie our previous Border didn't mind a soft canvas crate, Tag dug his way out.   
Of it, we purchased the P at H crate in Aberdeen.
Boaby

Tie the lead to the rear bumper, & go on your hols, when you get there, you won't need to take him for a walk!!

Only joking, I love doggies actually!!

 oh no! Couldn't do that to her modleman. Although if we tied her to the front she could help reduce our fuel consumption! Again only joking! I want her to enjoy journeys in the van. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I think we're going to have to try various ideas to see what works best.

I'm sure not everyone will agree, but we trained our mutt to sit in her basket on the bench seat immediately behind the driver's seat, from which she never moves until told she can go.

If we had a head-on shunt or I had to brake hard, she would only be thrown a few inches before hitting the soft back of the seat.

In a side on collision she could be severely injured by a harness. She could be thrown a considerable distance sideways before the restraining strap stopped her, and the jerk could well do her a serious damage.

I think on balance she's as safe behind my seat as anywhere, and if we did have a none too severe accident we would not have to fiddle with undoing her harness before beating a hasty exit.

I don't think there is a right answer to this question. Like many others, it's what make you feel most comfortable.

Gromit wrote:I'm sure not everyone will agree, but we trained our mutt to sit in her basket on the bench seat immediately behind the driver's seat, from which she never moves until told she can go.

If we had a head-on shunt or I had to brake hard, she would only be thrown a few inches before hitting the soft back of the seat.

In a side on collision she could be severely injured by a harness. She could be thrown a considerable distance sideways before the restraining strap stopped her, and the jerk could well do her a serious damage.

I think on balance she's as safe behind my seat as anywhere, and if we did have a none too severe accident we would not have to fiddle with undoing her harness before beating a hasty exit.

I don't think there is a right answer to this question. Like many others, it's what make you feel most comfortable.

That is your choice to have a dog unsecured while on the move, but not mine.

I consider a cage is the only way or though a cage could also become a flying missile! As with most other things in the van while on the move.

But as you say if you are comfortable with it then go for it, just hope your dog does not get you in the back of your head or worse smashed on the windscreen.

There is no real easy answer.
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Richard

I think it’s a case of finding the right solution for the individual and the dog within the constraints of the layout of the van.

Our dog was quite old when we swapped from a caravan to a motorhome. For some reason travelling in the MH stressed him considerably whereas he’d quite happily travelled in the back of the tow car. The only place he wanted to be in the MH was in the cab around our feet. Obviously, that wasn’t on but he wouldn’t tolerate a harness nor was he going to take favourably to a crate for the first time in his life.

We placed a board between the cab seats which prevented him coming forward and put his bed on the floor immediately behind it. He travelled in his bed but was still stressed. It wasn’t ideal but I honestly don’t know what else we could have done. It was a work around solution and the best compromise we could achieve. That’s an example of why not everyone can use the same method of securing their dog.

I know all the reasons for securing dogs in vehicles but we have always had a problem with our mutely. We have tried several harnesses and clipping his lead to the seat belt. He chews through normal fabric harnesses and leads. He was fastened into our Saab and Golf with harnesses or clipped to his collar for a couple of mins  before he had chewed through the seat belts. We can only think this was something from his past before we adopted him. 
Not ideal but he now travels between the front seats in the motorhome with the bottom air vent blowing on him. It doesn’t seem to matter that he can’t see out. 
I left him with my wife outside a chippy on his lead. My wife was talking to some one and didn’t notice he had chewed through his lead and followed me into the chippy. Lovely loyal dog but has some strange traits from his past.

For info, a legal take on the topic

Rule 57 of the Highway Code states: "When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves if you stop quickly.
"A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars."
There is no direct law that will penalise motorists for not obeying the Highway Code, drivers could be fined £1,000 for driving without proper control of their vehicle if they’re pulled over by a police officer.

Martin

If a rule in the Highway Code says ‘must’ then it’s law. Otherwise, it is only advisory but to breach an advisory rule could still go against you in a court of law.

We have a chain type lead but he tries to chew that as well. For the sake of not upsetting mutely I am happy to let him travel as he does. He never moves when we are on the move. When we stop he walks to the habitation door waiting to see were we are. The Highway Code doesn’t allow for long term behaviour issues we have tried to cure. He is one of the family and will travel with us as much as any other family member.

We have a Great Dane, and in our Symbol, she is just restrained with leads which clip into seat belt.
There is no way she would get into a cage, and errr trying to force her into anything is near enough impossible.

Wow! A Great Dane in a Symbol! That must be a squeeze on a wet day. Hopefully it's not as bouncy as our Cocker Spaniel! She does like her crate and sleeps in it in the house, with the door open. I can imagine how difficult it would be to fit a Great Dane size crate into your Symbol, even if the dog would go in it!  I just thought it would be nice for our pup to be able to look out of the window. I think we're going to carry on using the crate on the floor. Thanks everyone for your comments.