Road trips with big dogs...in a sedan type car.

[BuddyRoo]

We have two big (85-95lb) dogs. And a Ford Taurus. I used to take my dog everywhere but I used to have an SUV. We made a road trip last month with the dogs in the Taurus and I think it was kind of miserable for them because there’s just not enough space on a back seat of a sedan for both to lie down.

We are getting ready to do another trip back home this weekend…same car, same dogs. I’m looking for ideas for stuffing the foot wells with…something? to give them more of a flat space to stretch out.

Anyone have tricks for this? Right now, my best idea is to use a cooler behind my seat (my knees will be at the dash!) and put a dog bed over. Then stuff the other side behind DH with pillows or something. I dunno. Just trying to think of ways to keep the pups more comfortable.

Miss my SUV!!!

[atlatl]

Drs. Foster and Smith, I think, has a thing that you can put in the floor of the back seat to creat a platform.

I am compelled to point out that everyone is safer if the dogs travel in a crate which will help keep the dogs from getting hurt if you have to stop suddenly. Also keeps the dogs from becoming projectiles in the car.

[BuddyRoo]

I don’t disagree with the crate. However, there’s no way we can fit a crate for the dogs in the back seat. Just not big enough. These dogs are 27 and 29 inches at the shoulder respectively. They are tall and big. The crates that we have couldn’t possibly fit in the car and we couldn’t fit two smaller ones in if we had to.

[betsyk]

I took a 50 and 60 lb dog in the back seat of a 2-door Corolla from Wisconsin to Boston a couple of times. They were never snuggly bff types, but they did work it out so that one was lying down and the other was sitting, and they’d trade off. I tried to make lots of stops along the way so nobody got too cramped from sitting still.

[2tempe]

I might go way out on a limb and suggest that you might investigate renting an SUV for the trip…
Otherwise try the cooler on one side, and maybe a carry-on size suitcase on the other.

[Over_the_Hill]

Take a piece of plywood and cut it to fit (snuggly) from seat back to seat back and the full length of the seat. Install four legs on the front of the plywood that reach to the floor. Cover with a heavy blanket, then dog beds. Worked on many trips with an Afghan and a Borzoi.

[Kadenz]

@BuddyRoo;7268167

Right now, my best idea is to use a cooler behind my seat (my knees will be at the dash!) and put a dog bed over. Then stuff the other side behind DH with pillows or something. I dunno. Just trying to think of ways to keep the pups more comfortable.

DH and I did this last summer, on a 2000-mile roadtrip with our two 80 pound mutts. I have a roomy hatchback, and in normal day-to-day, I just lay the backseat flat for the dogs, so they have the entire back area. But on this trip, we were taking so many supplies and stuff that that wouldn’t have worked.

We did exactly what you propose - we packed stuff in the foot area of the backseat, and covered the entire area with a big old blanket. It definitely gave the dogs more room. I think we used a duffel bag of clothes stuffed in one foot well, and a pile of pillows/blankets in the other.

Mine are buddies, they pretty much pile on one another if one or both are sleepy. We gave them plenty of stops to stretch their legs, and they didn’t really seem to mind at all. I know from surprising experience that my boys are much, much better travelers than many other dogs; but in our case, it worked just fine.

I completely understand the crate dilemma: DH drives a Dodge Durango SUV, and if we put both crates in the back of that, they would take up the entire back of the truck. In my car? I don’t think even one crate in my dogs’ size would fit.

[Wayside]

@Kadenz;7268460

We did exactly what you propose - we packed stuff in the foot area of the backseat, and covered the entire area with a big old blanket. It definitely gave the dogs more room. I think we used a duffel bag of clothes stuffed in one foot well, and a pile of pillows/blankets in the other.

I also did something similiar driving between Wisconsin and Maryland with my rough coated Collie riding in the cab of a stick shift Ford Ranger with me. Stuffed my duffel bad and a few other soft things on the floor in the passenger side and covered it with a blanket to make one large “platform” so that he could lie down comfortably, which he did.

[evenstar]

[QUOTE=Over the Hill;7268275]
Take a piece of plywood and cut it to fit (snuggly) from seat back to seat back and the full length of the seat. Install four legs on the front of the plywood that reach to the floor. Cover with a heavy blanket, then dog beds. Worked on many trips with an Afghan and a Borzoi.[/QUOTE]

I have a work friend who did this to travel from NC to IN to visit her parents. She has two boxers. They were much happier having the padded shelf to lie on during the trip. She put her suitcase and as much as would fit into the trunk, and kind of stuffed the other things she’d need during the trip under the shelf she’d built. It worked great for her.

[BuddyRoo]

Thanks for the ideas guys! I will admit that I hadn’t given it much though last month when we did this trip and felt pretty guilty by hour 3 (of 10). My old guy just couldn’t get comfortable and young guy was splayed out taking up the entire back seat. Spent the majority of the trip with the lab’s butt on back seat, standing on the front, and breathing in my ear. Would like to make it more comfortable this time…for all of us.

If I end up doing much longer of a trip (and have the cash) I’ll rent something bigger, but it’s not in the cards this weekend.

[Cinnybren]

Kid size bean-bag chairs can be a great fit in the wells behind the seats and then cover with a blanket. My bro and sis-in-law do this on trips with Lucy-dog, their 100 lb. Labraback (Lab/Ridgeback).

[bits619]

Yep, we will be driving 16 hours (over two days likely) this winter with 2-3 dogs. Last year we had three dogs with us as well, but this year the 70lb weimaraner will be taking the place of the now deceased Aussie. The other two dogs are 45lbs and 15lbs. There’s a high of us taking my car (sedan) again instead of MrB’s Element. The element isn’t as comfortable to ride in, and is stick shift, which I don’t drive.
But the thought of 130 lbs of dog plus our luggage in my car is really making me dread the drive so we’ll see!

What we’ve always done is pack the footwell with squishy items and cover it all in a blanket, tucked in around the edges… Like everyone has suggested.
They did alright, lots of walk breaks and I would hold my little one on my lap when I wasn’t driving to give the back seaters some room. They managed alright, even the Aussie girl who was 11 at the time.
The dogs (and taking more than two with me anywhere) are my main reason I’ll be searching for an suv in the near future…