We are hoping to buy a TT in the Spring & have had 2 previous dogs, a sheltie & a beardie & have never had a crate. We were wondering whether it might be a good idea this time, as we have to make quite regular trips to visit my father-in-law in cornwall, 300 miles. When the other dogs were small our children were at home to sit with them on the back seat & keep them company. now they have flown the nest , do you think it would be a good idea to buy a crate & if so which type do you recommend? any advice gratefully received. I can't wait to have another dog, as it is now nearly a year since Solo died.

I wouldn't want to drive without having my dogs restrained. I was told recently that it is actually against the law (can someone help on the truth of this?) So long as the dog can turn around, sit up, lie down, etc safely, but not get onto the drivers lap (which is against the law) a dog guard, harness or crate/cage would be advisable. If the cage is able to move around you may as well not have one :( Make sure that it is secure somehow. After all, you wouldn't want your TT to go through the windscreen if you had to brake suddenly, would you? My bosses CKCS used to sit on the parcel shelf until she braked once and he ended up hitting the back of her chair (she was driving!) He was restrained after that as she knew she was lucky. A little bit higher and he would have hit her on the back of her head, possibly breaking her neck Not that I'm trying to scare you ;)

From the Highway Code which is law for all road users by the way not just a"advisory code"

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/02.htm#42

43: 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 if you stop quickly.

Thank you lindylou & moonmaiden. Where do you obtain them from & which is the best kind to have, so that I can get one for when the puppy arrives.

LOL 100's of places ;)

Depends on what make & type of car, whether you want it to be a permanent fixture in the car or for use  out of the caras well

I've got 8 crates

One is a lintran transit box that is in the car permanently(it can be taken out of the car of course), one small crate in the lounge for the cavaliers to use if they want, one huge one in by bedroom that my BC sleeps in(big enough for a GSD plus a couple or three BC's, One large show crate, two smaller ones that I use for the cavaliers after bathing before shows & two old car crates that have been stored "just in case";)

They cost from £500+ for the lintran box to under £20 for the single cavalier sized one. They have been bought at shows, over the net & from the manufacturer(Lintran)who fitted it in my car

If you are going to any Championship dog shows like Crufts, Leeds etc, even some open shows you can "try before you buy" well at least see them, Pet warehouse stores etc

I would advise to have a good  at any crate you fancy & check them for rough edges etc

They come in all sorts of designs one & two doors, my transit box has an escape hatch at the back, another has a top & a side door

sorry, but until I started reading this forum I had never even heard of 'crates' for dogs!! Neither myself or friends have ever shown dogs & I don't intend to show this one, except maybe at the local fete. So I would probably only need it for when she is a puppy & I need to go upstairs & also for car journeys. Therefore I expect the basic crate would be fine.

A basic crate may be fine for home use but in the car you have to consider the dogs safety in an accident & the need to be able to get the dog out of the crate by at least two doors. I realised this after I had an idiot run into the side of the car & the dog in the crate in the middle of the car was effectively trapped as the door of the crate was on the same side as the damaged door & I had problems getting her out. Had the crate had two doors side & front it would have been a doddle.

Some of the cheap crates are less than perfect & poorly constructed. Hence my advice to have a look at the crates & try before you buy

My Lintran box protects not just the dogs(twin lockable doors,.removal divider, escape hatch, stay cool whitedides with mesh top & front)but also the car from dog hairs ! Expensive yes finctional very Easy to clean definitely !

Thanks moonmaiden for the advice, I will keep it in my puppy file & we will probably buy one sometime april. Was your dog OK, I expect they must have been very frightened. what breed of dogs do you have? I will look at the website for lindran.
Thanks again

Hi moonmaiden, I have just emailed Lintran & asked about sizes & prices, but won't buy until april.

My little rescue was fine & not really worried but it concerned me that I couldn't get her out quickly The collies were in the back & not really affected it was me that was blazing as  my car was only 6 months old !

If you have a normal car they are not so expensive (mine is an Impreza so the bog standard crates from any maker don't fit :rolleyes:& have to be specially made&  the lintran has been in mine for nearly a year & I can get two/three Cavaliers in one half & my BC puppy in the other with ease & if I'm not off to shows I have the divider out to give them maximum room.)No dog hairs in the car is wonderful ;)

glad you all got out safely. you must have your hands full with all those dogs! you say you have a BC, that is the breed of dog that Solo was, she died last June. We still love them , but feel that by the time the next one reaches 14 & needs to be lifted in & out of the car, she would be too heavy for us to lift. That is why we are going for a TT, looks a bit like a BC, only smaller & a lot lighter. We are going to go to the BC show in bracknell next weekend, because we really did love our BC.

I'll never be without a BC again I when just short of a year between losing my Brett & getting Rjj. Life is funny getting Rjj;s pedigree he's quite closely related to my Giff(who I lost 10 weeks before Brett). I first wanted a BC way back in the 1950's but i wasn't allowed one so had GSDs unntil 1970 when I got my first one

All mine have been bred to work from ISDS parents & 4 have been Black & White & one a quin colour black, white, tan with blue & red mottling. Rjj is a smooth coat lol minimum grooming required :D unlike the beardies I used to have ;)

Rjj still hasn't really got the hang of jumping into the car something which I muist really address . The cavaliers leap into the car lol any car really at every opportunity The only time they get physically put in the car is when we are on the way to a show

I have a friend who has had TT's like forever well 30 + years They are smart little dogs & not in the least bit like a terrier :D

At one yime I had two GSDs, two BC's living with me & 6 beardies in partnership LOL I seemed to spend all my time grooming :D

I have 2 cages for my dogs. I bought a nice big one that was 1/2 an inch too big for my car so I'd check that you get one one to fit ;) I had to buy a smaller one that fit my car, but not all my dogs fit in it. As I have an estate car I place the cage right behind the driver/front passenger seats and that gives my male dog the back of the car to lie down in. Both cages have 2 doors. :)

Just to thank everyone for all the advice & help & I wish I had known about this forum when we had our other two dogs.