Does anyone use a car harness for their dogs when taking them out in the car?  Usually when we take Poppy out in the car, I travel in the back with her, she's good and lays on the seat next to me, with me holding her lead.  But there will come a time when only one of us will be in the car.  We've tried her in a crate and she's not keen, and as she's now used to laying on the back seat, I don't want to disrupt her behaviour by getting her used to the crate.  I wondered about the harness but notice they only seem to secure the front of the dog by going across their chest and under their front legs.  If we were to brake sharply, would her back end still fly off the seat?

Grateful for any experiences/opinions on the use of the harness.

Thanks

Yes I use harnesses for quick journeys but for preference use the crate (but hate having to get it in and out )  The harnesses work quite well but the dog isn't as secure as in a crate.  If your dog likes to turn around to settle (and what dog doesn't ;) ) then they can tangle up in the fixings if you don't watch them ( or maybe mine are fidgets)

I use a harness with Anton as he likes to sit on the passenger seat next to me with a big grin on his face.  He loves his harness and as he's a puller on his lead I just leave it on when I walk him as he walks much better :d

I have one of these for my dog and they are really good. The one I have is a Hi-craft and is better than most of the others you will see. It has a clip that you fasten around the seatbelt rather than threading it through and a swivel attachment that allows the dog to stand up turn round and lie down without getting tangled up while you are driving. The lady in the pet shop I bought it from told me a friend of hers used one on a bernese mountain dog and they were in an accident and it held the dog fine, don't know whether it was true though ;-)  They sell them on petplanet.

I have the same make as you too.  They are really well made and as you say the dog can move around too.

I am glad you are considering a harness for your dog. My afghans have a crate, but also have harnesses and are happy in them. if I need to use them. May i also point out that you should not reserve your harness for times when your dog is alone. Having your dog on the back seat on a lead gives your dog NO CHANCE in an accident. Either its neck will be broken, or it will fly through the windscreen. Unsecured dogs get killed in cars, just the same as unsecured children. The dog could also be thrown forward, killing or maiming the driver/passenger.Seatbelts are there for safety, and we should all use them....adult, child, or animal.

My dog has been use to her car harness since she was a puppy, she loves it.
I have to buy another one now for my new puppy.
Should be fun with them side by side lol.
Like having two kids in back of car lol.
No room for anyone else though :)

I have the Hi-Craft one and the Ancol.  Hi-Craft fastens around the seat belt, Ancol clips into the seatbelt fastening.  Both have the swivel fittings and both my dogs manage to get tangled up while trying to turn and settle :rolleyes: the harnesses are fitted correctly and there is little slack on the leash part, but Bedlingtons are very flexible dogs :rolleyes: and my ratbags always manage to get tangled at least once on a journey, I think they do it on purpose ;) just to get the attention :devil:

We don't leave her on the back seat on her own - I sit in the back with her, holding the lead and with my arm round her.  We will use the harness on the front passenger seat if there is only one of us and in the back with one of us in the back with her.

Our dog cannot stand crates they make him car sick, so he has a Hi-Craft harness and he moves around on the back seat and hasnt got too tangled yet - It also works we have had to do a few emergency stops with him on the back seat and he barely notices. He has had it on the passenger seat before but he cant get as comfy on there as he likes to stretch out, so he goes on the back seat on his own

I see from the Lidl leaflet through the door today, that they are doing a dog harness for £1.99 from Thursday 21st July as well as reflective dog collars for £1.79 and a reflective dog vest for £2.99!

Harry25 I wasnt implying that you did let your dog travel in the back seat alone....I read your post carefully.I also said I was glad to hear that you were getting a harness. I was simply pointing out that your current practice of holding the dog with your arm around her is NOT SAFE. ( your post seems to imply that you think its is safe as long as you hold her...sorry if that was not your intent) However Sooooo many people think that it is safe , that each time this subject comes up I feel obliged to have my say. This is not only for your sake, but for others who read these posts.  Loads of people are foolish enough to believe that they would "never let go " of their beloved pet/child in an accident. Take it from me....they ALWAYS let go  and its not because they dont love ther child/dog enough :(  ....The forces involved in car accidents are huge, deceleration causes the dog/child to be forcibly ripped from the arms of the person "holding" them. My friend is a paramedic, and he sees this all the time with kids being killed and maimed. I am not having a go at you personally, but if I can make just one person understand that this is a foolish thing to do, then its worth people thinking I am a moaning old bag.
Please get your harness ASAp and make  sure your dog wears it at all times, regardless of whether there is a human in with her in the back seat. Also remember that it is deadly for a dog to be in the front seat if there is a passenger airbag. ( just like baby seats) If you want her to travel in front, deactivate the passenger airbag, or harness her in the back.