Hi all,

I am in the market to buy either a tailgate guard and regular dog guard to go with that ... OR a cage made for my car.

Which do you think is the better option? I know I want black mesh and it has to be lockable. I don't need a divider and I would prefer it to have an escape by the rear seats.. I have looked around and seen the options but can't decide which way to go with this!!

How easy are these made to measure cages to remove? Do they fold flat for storage? Is a tailgate guard easier?
Any opinions ? pros, cons?

~Sharon :)

Hi Sharon,

When I had my Rascal van I had a tailgate and bulk head made from mesh to fit it, which was bolted into the van. The tailgate had two doors, but the bulkhead was fixed. Now I have my Berlingo though rather than drill holes into the car I have had a Lintran box made to fit in the back when the seats are down and folded forward. This makes the box very big :D It is made from fibreglass and mesh, but is not able to be folded down in anyway, the idea is that in the event of having to break hard the box provides both me and the dogs with some protection, and I guess this wouldn't work if it folded down :)

Hope that is of some help to you

Grace :)

I'd go for a cage every time Sharon :)
Lara x

I didn't realise that the tailgate guard bolted onto the car... hmmm... don't like the sound of that.

Why would you go for a cage Lara?

:)

I have had tailgate and guard for 2 different cars and now have a cage for the new car.
I would go for the cage everytime now. They need two people to remove them from the car but if you go to stay with someone you can take out the cage and use it.
The biggest reason I had for getting a cage was I always worried about safety, with the guards people can smash the side windows at the rear and take the dogs out. My cage means they are completely locked in.
The tailgate does have to be bolted in place and they are not easy to remove.

"The tailgate does have to be bolted in place and they are not easy to remove. "

We've just removed our tailgate from our old car with no problems whatsoever. It's ust a case of unscrewing the screws. Admittedly, they do leave holes but not noticeable ones. I would go for a tailgate every time as it gives the dogs more room in the back.

Helen

Hi

Both my tailgates had springs on them that looped over the bolts and I could not remove them without a screwdriver and alot of strength. Always ended up ringing a friend.

Hi
We recently bought a tailgate guard from Barjo : made to fit the estate car.

It fits and unfits by a couple of wingnuts, and is very quick to put in or out.(But we keep it in)

We have found it ideal for parking up, and leaving the tailgate up, and the 3 dogs inside, as they get lots of cool air in the car. Also, as a previous poster said, it leaves the complete estate space for the dogs. (There's an escape hatch at the rear of the boot space,beneath the dog guard, so that we could get the dogs out onto the back seats very quickly, by dropping the split seat down. The tailgate guard has locking doors, and is good to get one dog at a time out, so that all three don't leap out and run off in 3 different directions!

We found a cage would be too restricting, in that we would have to keep removing it every time we wanted to go to Sainsbury's for the weekly shop, or Wicks for a bag of cement!!

I think it depends on your lifestyle, and what else you use your car for!

Sami

The cage I have now fits the entire space in the back when the seats are down, so the dogs have the full head room of the car as well as length. I agree with Nicolla that with the cage it can be used outside of the car a bit like a kennel :) The other thing I like about the cage is that it protects the inside of the car so when the dogs are left in the back with the rear door up, they can't damage the car should they get bored :D and there's no slobber to clean up from the backs of the seats ;)

Grace

I'd go for a cage for just about all the reasons that other people have already mentioned Sharon :)
Mines a lintran box which is white plastic with a black mesh door. It's safe (has a rear escape hatch), wipes clean and keeps all the dirt and hair inside the cage instead of drifting about in the car, and is light as a feather for lifting in and out if the middle divider is not in.
Mine would be easier to lift out if I needed the car for something else than unbolting things and taking down dog guards etc...
Safer in an accident. I had a dog guard in my Landrover and had an accident (not my fault) causing my dog to be hurled about and injured (sparked out completely ) I got a cage after that.
Lara x

I had a look at the Lintran boxes and like the idea of them, but me and my reversing wouldn't agree with them at all! Can't see round them. I bought one of those boot liners after getting sick and tired of trying to unweave dog hairs from the carpet... now it gathers in the corners instead for me to sweep out.

After reading the replies... I will go for a made to measure cage, I just have to decide which one! :P

Hi Sami

Maybe I'm strange but when I go shopping I put the carrier bags in the cage!!!!!!!!

Nicolla, that's what I plan to do too! hmmmmmm kids as well maybe???

Hubby even said that when we go on hol this year ( without dogs, going to Austria ) we can leave the cage in and fill it up with ...holiday stuff... and it will be extra secure.

Sharon,
The Lintran cages , as many other types, can be made to suit your needs :) The one I have has the plastic base and sides, then the bit that sits behing the seats is half plastic, half mesh, so I can see through it, and the back doors are mesh. It also has a mesh roof to allow the air to circulate. They do have a web site and are very helpful :)

Grace