best dog crate for a car?

[EKLay]

I tried the search function and didn’t find anything, but if I missed something please feel free to point it out.

We currently do not have a crate in the car for traveling with our dog. We have a special seat cover that essentially limits her to the backseat and use a dog seatbelt in conjunction with this. It’s hard to describe, but it’s almost like a canvas x-pen that is attached to the seat. It’s connected at the top and bottom to the front seats and the backseat, so it’s secure and doesn’t slip around. She can’t get into the foot/leg area of the backseat, can’t get out if a door is opened, but it doesn’t have a roof like a crate and she can see out the windows if she sits up straight. (Most of the time she’s stretched out snoozing, but she does like to look out the windows on short trips.)

We’ll be picking up our new puppy soon, and the breeder has explained that she only uses hard crates when traveling, gave us details, etc. We discussed our setup and have decided to go to a solid crate for traveling ourselves. Now I’m trying to figure logistics for crates and the back of our small SUV!

There is not a lot of space back there - the trip to pick up the puppy will be fine, as it’ll be just one dog, but we do quite a bit of hiking/day trips/single overnight camping already and plan to continue with those, so how do you fit two dog crates in a smallish space, not to mention supplies?

Our house crates are roomy enough for standing, stretched out sleeping and turning around, but clearly that is not going to work for car crates. I would assume you’d want a tighter space anyway, so in the event of a crash the dog doesn’t have a large area to get tossed around in, but are there size recommendations anywhere for crates for cars? Current dog is 75-80lbs, puppy will be lankier but in the 65-70lb range as an adult.

We use the metal wire crates for the house, but those look fairly flimsy for holding up in a crash, does anyone have a car crate brand they recommend?

Someone commented that we should just get a big crate and have them share, which I dismissed as a dangerous and somewhat stupid idea. I wouldn’t think to crate dogs together in a car because 1) I don’t expect them to share a house-crate, why would they share a car-crate and 2) I wouldn’t trailer 2 horses in the same stall, I assume dogs would be the same. Now I’ve had time to think a bit, I realized I did a lot of assuming very quickly, but the logic still makes sense - am I off base with this?

I joked that clearly the best solution is to just get a truck, to which my husband responded,“Give a mouse a cookie…” and we had a good laugh. In all seriousness though, a larger car is not an option, so any space saving tricks or other options for solid crates would be appreciated.

[lidador]

I looked into several dog-restraint options for the car about a year ago, and had trouble finding the kind of info you’re asking for, so I hope someone here has an answer! I’m now in a similar situation with a second dog on the horizon and only a hatchback to work with.

One thing I did read was that plastic crates tend to shatter in accidents, which I believe, so I’d avoid those completely.

Supposedly, car harnesses other than this one: http://sleepypod.com/clickit
don’t help significantly in an accident, and I’d consider getting one if we were frequently doing 1-3 hour (each way) trips, especially if it were primarily on highways. For trips longer than that, I would still prefer a crate.

There are some crates which come with a movable internal barrier, so you might be able to use one of those with two dogs to save space. (Or construct the barrier yourself.) Depending on the dogs though, I’m not sure they would actually mind sharing. I feel crates at home are a little different from a territory perspective. As far as separating horses go too, there are safety issues involved that you don’t have to worry about when transporting dogs. One dog isn’t going accidentally lose his balance and sever the tendon of the other mid-trip. So I don’t think it’s exactly comparable.

Did a quick search and found this guy: http://eastcoastcrates.com/index.htm who does custom crates for cars. He might be worth a call.

[scruffy_the_cat]

My fellow herding student is a retired firefighter and said he has pulled so many deceased dogs out of wrecks in wire crates.

He uses this crate system: http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3273

[Marshfield]

The one scruffy linked to will be installed in my next car. For now, I use varikennels in my suburban. My dogs do routinely double bunk in a crate. Two corgis fit very comfortably in an intermediate. But, I have a pack of related dogs. Their dynamics are a little different. Tempi has chosen to cosleep with her grandmother since four months of age.

[bdj]

It all depends on a couple of things, OP.
What make/model of “small SUV” do you have?
How big are the dogs? (for crate sizing, height/length may be more useful than weight)
How much of the back of your car are you willing to give up?
What size crate do/will the dogs use in the house? Can they be comfortable in a smaller crate for shorter periods of time? (My big guy has a 36" wire crate in the house, but will have a 30" Elitefield soft crate for trials because it’s taller than average and he doesn’t need the extra length.)

As an example, I pretty regularly travel with 3 dogs in my Toyota Matrix, all usually crated. One medium sized muttly thing, and two small corgis. Medium sized guy travels in a 36" triple door wire crate, one corgi has a 27" wire crate, and the other corgi has a 24" soft crate. I don’t double my guys up in crates - it’s not worth the trouble. Since I usually travel alone, all my stuff rides shotgun next to me, and there’s a bit of space along the sides of the crates where I can tuck other stuff. (I can put things on top of the crates, but I don’t like to, as it reduces visibility and ventilation for the dogs, though sometimes there’s no getting around it.) If I’m only traveling with two smaller dogs, I use the big crate as storage space and pack my bags into it.

Lots of my friends have built decks to rest their crates on - it gives you a bit of storage space beneath the crates.

The Variocage that scruffy linked to is lovely and wonderful (a friend of mine has one), but it’s beyond my means.

Whatever you do, check the dimensions of the crates thoroughly. The biggest reason why I pretty much only buy Midwest Triple Door crates? They’re slightly smaller than the “same” sized single and two door crates. Those extra inches can make a big difference! (And having 3 doors is nice - gives me lots of options for set up.) There are also “SUV” crates that are usually about the same length and height, but are slightly narrower so you can fit two in the back of one car.

[snowblaze]

Although I use wire SUV crates now, and like being able to see out the back window through them, the crates at the link below sound safer and are supposed to not make the rattling sounds wire crates can. Some of my dog agility friends swear by them.

http://www.rufftoughkennels.com/

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=EKLay;7723054]
but are there size recommendations anywhere for crates for cars? [/QUOTE]

The sizes that fit in your vehicle. Like another poster mentioned, every brand and model is slightly different and one inch here, two inches there make a big difference in that hatch door closing or not!

Another poster mentioned RuffTuff. The sales pitch is this crate is sturdier thus safer in an accident. Contrary to one poster, I hear most folks recommending plastic crates over wire for safety while traveling.

Really the best crate is the one that fits. Multiple doors on the crate can help it fit in different arrangements.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I use the airline kennel (i.e. plastic). My older ones are a lot stronger than the ones they make now, imo. My 70 and 84 lb Dobermans are fine in a 400. I want them laying down, not walking around. Sometimes I’ll bring the 500, but it’s a lot harder to carry into a hotel room. I can fit a 400 and 500 in the back of my SUV with the third row folded.

I wouldn’t use a typical wire crate (although I started out with using them and then a friend told me about an accident with them involved and I quit). Too loud and they bend relatively easily. I’m afraid what would happen in a rollover with an 80 lb dog bashing into it. Just my opinion.

The custom dog crates would be awesome. There are composite and metal versions.

A dog trailer would be even better…

[Hannahsmom]

The variocrates on the clean run link are awesome. Volvo has a similar type setup for their SUVs. I have wire crates but I agree they would not stand up in a wreck.

[arapaloosa_lady]

[QUOTE=scruffy the cat;7723217]
My fellow herding student is a retired firefighter and said he has pulled so many deceased dogs out of wrecks in wire crates.

He uses this crate system: http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3273[/QUOTE]

Wow. If I could afford that, I would. At this point, there’s no way I could justify paying $800 for a crate.

[EKLay]

Thank you for all the info - those variocrates would be fantastic if we had a bigger budget right now. We have a Hyundai Tuscson and the current setup gives the back seat to the dog, with the space behind that for camping equipment, groceries, etc.

Current dog is 25-26 inches at the shoulder, 38 inches from tip of nose to dock. She tends to sprawl though and takes up as much room as she can get. In the current setup she takes up the entirety of the backseat when on car rides - lays lengthwise the width of the car with her spine pressed up against the seatback and legs fully stretched out towards the front seats.

I anticipate her and the new puppy getting along well, just don’t know if it will be to the extent of them being happy sharing a crate on car rides or not. We might just have to do wire cages for now, until we see how happy they are sharing space and the puppy gets closer to adult size. I’m expecting the puppy to mature a couple inches bigger than her in terms of height/length, so I guess I’ll cross my fingers and hope they don’t mind sharing car space in the future!

[csaper58]

Which ever crate you choose, all the hard crates get stuffy inside. I find a couple of these, www.o2-cool.com/5-inch-portable-fan-fd05004?page_id=841 really make my dog more comfy. They make a special hanger, but I use an S hook and some string.

[Romany]

How about the soft-sided/pop-up ones, and the “fence” that fits in between where the crates are and where the driver is? Would that be a safe combination?

[Bicoastal]

Big posting day for me!

I see several sport folks with two soft crates side by side in the cargo area of their vehicles. I see the pros as being silent, will not damage vehicle interior or dog, and slightly squishable, depending on brand, to fit into a tight squeeze. I see the cons as absolutely useless in a collision, slippery, poor ventilation, and precarious confinement.

I think something would need to be blocked all around the sides to keep them from sliding during a hard brake or turn.

[bizziedog]

Another vote for Ruff Tough kennels. I have 3 (two intermediates and a medium) and love them. They are easy to clean, you can drill more air holes if you want, and there was a local agility person in a wreck that used these crates and she posted post wreck pictures…amazing!