Hi,

I'm dithering and really don't know which way to go on this :rolleyes: Do I get a crate for the dogs to go in the back of car and if I do, do I want one that has 2 compartments or just 1, bearing in mind that Izzy has an injury to her cruciate ligament and maybe should be kept separate from her mum :(
OR
Do I get the tailgate and dog guard and hope that Izzy doesn't chew the bits she can get to :rolleyes: and behaves herself with her mum in the car.

I thought that getting an estate car would solve my doggy transport dilemmas, but it has just given me more to think about :D

I really like the tailgate option but something keeps niggling in the back of my head and tells me that a crate would be more sensible

Hi, I would go for a crate every time. used a guard with 1st GSD but he kept managing to dislodge it, actually had three different makes all 2nd hand but all got bent !!. got a crate and he was brill in it, how about getting one with a removable partition so you can just use it till Izzy is ok then take it out (until the next emergency).
Chris

I've gone the tailgate guard and dog guard route.  Great most of the time, just occasionally, when Tanzi scratches the plastic under the windows, I wish I'd gone for a cage.  However, the downsides of a cage are that you will loose some space for the dogs, and it'll be even more of a pain to move than a tailgage if/when you get a puncture and have to change a wheel - as happened a couple of days ago!

it'll be even more of a pain to move than a tailgage if/when you get a puncture and have to change a wheel - as happened a couple of days - don,t know how to make a quote go grey!!!

not always a problem, my spare wheel is under the car and the access nut is right at the very back of the back so is in front of the cage when the tail gate is opened.
Chris

The crate will keep the car cleaner, no nose prints all over the windows.   You do lose space though.  With two dogs you can get a crate with a removable divider, I find that works really well.

I was always advised that a crate is safer, as if an accident occurs dogs can jump out of open/smashed windows in fright. Me being a bit of a wimp, wouldnt travel without one, also if they are sick or anything, it is easier to clean than the car carpet. Takes up loads of room though,

I like the tailguard/dogguard to make the most of available space. Properly built ones like the ones from Barjo and MMG are very secure - I hate the idea of someone maybe being able to lift your cage out the car even if padlocked. The downside is of course the nose prints on the windows and possible scratches to the plastic trim - but then I find once I'm finished with a car it has very little resale value anyway :D

>I hate the idea of someone maybe being able to lift your cage out the car even if padlocked.

If anyone is that determined they could remove a tailgate or steal the car-my custom made crate canot be removed from my car unles it is dismantled(the mesh top& front removed & dropped down so no way could anyone remove it out of the back & it cannot be taken out via the side doors either
Depending on the size of the dog lifting a dog crate with dog(s)in it isn't easy & would deter most oportunist thieves

I've seen cars with cages that have been built to fit a particular type of car. It cost more than an ordinary cage, but you don't lose as much space. More expensive though ;) I tried the tailgate but every time my dogs leant on it it collapsed so bought a cage. It was 1/2" too tall to fit in that car, so had to go and buy another, smaller one :)

LindyLou, your dogs wouldn't be able to move a custom built tailgate, they are galvanised steel and screwed onto your vehicle. Actually I suppose that's another downside to tailgates isn't it - the screw holes.

The comment doesn't apply to custom made cages MM :)

OOps ;) I meant dog guard :D Mind on other things today, sorry :)I have seen the custom made tailgates and they would be better than the dog guard, but I still prefer cages :)

>The comment doesn't apply to custom made cages MM

Even lifting a couple of Cavaliers in a cage isn't easy especialy if the cage is fastened down as all none custom made ones should be to prevent them from moving in an accident or sudden braking. The RAC even make straps to fastened them down with

The bigger the dog the more difficult to lift the cage ! I would have loved to see someone try to lift out my crate our GSD used to travel in with her in it :D

Even better would be taking the Barnesbrook out. It unfolds in the car so it's larger than the opening. You'd have to collapse the crate with the dog in it. That could be a new trick for Blane. with him in the crate of course! :-D

Having had both I would personally go for a crate. As much as I loved the tailgate/dog guard combination, a crate would be far more secure in the event of an accident.

I'm afraid it would not.  There are no crates that I know of that have anything like a kite mark guanteeing any resistance to impact.  No matter how strong the mesh may appear the crate will only be as strong as it's weakest link which are the joints and when you look at these they are never particularly strong.  Probably anything strong enough to withstand the sort of impact that results from a car accident would be too hefty to lift :)  Add to this the fact that the area behind the passenger compartment in a car, be it boot or tailgate, is generally designed to actually crumple to absorb impact and safeguard the passenger area the whole idea of a crate saving the dog from injury in these areas is not in the least reliable.  In terms of safety, probably, the better option would be within the passenger area using a seat belt harness but then the harness would only be as good as it connections which seem a little flimsy on some models.  Not sure if any of them carry a kite mark.

Isabel,

I have been using a harness for my dog(s) for the last 3 1/2 years and have had them on the back seat of the car, but, there are other people in my family besides dogs, who do not take kindly to sitting on hair and mud infested seats, so after all this time of removing/reinstating seat covers just for the dogs I changed cars to an estate model, so that the dogs can use the boot section and the rest of the family can sit in cleanliness in the rest of the car :), and we can all fit in the car at the same time :)
SO hence the reason for asking opinions on crates/tailgates!

Denise

There is no need to explain :), mine are in a Lintran box in the hatchback for exactly the same reason, it's just I think we should not run away with the idea that paying more for a stronger looking cage, for instance, will give any more protection in terms of impact than it does. 

If the back, side windows blow out during an accident (roll) then there is nothing to stop the dogs being flung from the car with only a tailgate and a dog guard, hence the reason for my comment, which I still stand by :) I wasn't actually suggesting that a crate was strong enough to prevent impact.

I dont think my boys could fit through my side windows

But you are very right in what you say, the idea of securing a dog in a car is to stop it escaping if an accident were to occur.

I have a double crate with removable divider. I prefer this to the tailgate option for several reasons:

It protects the inside of the car from dirt, hair, and chewing.
No chance of the dogs breaking free
Can safely get each dog out one by one in a controlled fashion.
Does not have to permanent fixings so doesnt damage the car
If I am staying away from home I can use it as an "in house" crate

Lintran boxes anytime.  The car stays clean and the dogs are as safe as they can be.

There is no BSI/EN/ISO standard for a safety belt for dogs yet in the world.

There are a couple of makes that have been extensively tested in Sweden and the US and these are very expensive.

Seat belts are fine for short journeys and for dogs that do not chew the webbing!

However for long journeys and when dogs have to remain in the car unsupervised it is far safer in a custom made cage.

A cage means that you could use it indoors if needed and a dog can sleep in there.  During hot weather the tailgate and all the windows could be left open if you park whilst still ensuring your dogs security in a padlocked cage.

Custom made tailgates and dog guards are good as the latter will fix properly unlike the cheap models you can buy from some retailers that would collapse on the impact of a Jack Russell let alone a 30kg+ dog.

The disadvantage of a tailgate/dog guard is that of course the upholstery, electrics and windows are available to destructive dogs!  Your present dog many not be destructive but then next one might be!  Also, has already been pointed out, if a window is broken dogs can escape which does not happen in a cage.

Whatever you choose select a model that has escape doors at the front of the cage or in the dog guard in case of rear end shunts, you can then remove the dog(s) from the front of the car.

Whilst there are no BSI/EN/ISO standards for car crates either I have yet to read about any dog that was damaged by one in a crash or one that failed to contain the dogs during one.

The other thing to consider is the amount of travelling a dog does.  Mine do circa 40k a year so seatbelts would be out of the question and very uncomfortable for them.

I've had both and as already mentioned both have goods points.  I'm currently usin a crate as my new car has "air curtains" that go the length of the car so can't screw anything into it!