Transporting Dogs in the Car

You may have a lifestyle that involves hours in your car, and you like your 
dog to go with you. If that's the case, we hope you won't be like Deanna.
She loved her little shih tzu, Scarlet, so much that she did everything she
could to help Scarlet feel secure, including endangering herself and her dog
by allowing Scarlet to sit on her shoulders while she was driving. Scarlet
would fall asleep and slide down Deanna's back so she had to hunch over
while driving -- a very uncomfortable and dangerous position. Deanna's
daughter, Kim, who also loved Scarlet very much, cured her of her
shoulder-sitting habit. "I just wouldn't let her sit on my shoulders," she
said. This reflects a profound training method -- your kind and firm
expectations and follow-through.

Many people have developed the habit of letting their dog ride in the
passenger seat next to them. This is a mistake, mainly for safety reasons.
If you have a fairly large dog, your view can be obstructed. If you
encounter an emergency and need to brake suddenly, your dog could get
injured by hitting the windshield or by the air bag. If you have to make a
sharp turn, your dog could end up bumping into or falling over you.

Your dog is safest in the back seat. Use either a special harness for your
dog that hooks on to a seat belt, a doggy car seat that elevates your dog so
he or she can watch out the window, or a leash that attaches to the seat
belt. All of these items can be found at a pet store or on the Internet. If
your car is a station wagon or sport-utility vehicle, the best way to
transport your dog is in the far back of the car using a crate or a grill to
create a safe, convenient compartment for the dog. This is how Lynn's dogs
ride in the car, and they love going everywhere with the family, no matter
how long the trip. They're so quiet, it's easy to forget they're back there.
All it takes to get them ready is to ask, "Would you like to go to the
movies?" Or, "Should we go to the bakery?" Or, "Anyone want to go to Tahoe?"
and both dogs are standing with noses to the door, ready for an adventure.

If you have a pickup truck without a camper shell, you have only two
options: in the cab with you with the leash attached either to the door
handle or some other device that keeps your dog from reaching you, or a
crate in the pickup bed securely fastened with bungee cords or something
similar that will prevent it from tipping over or sliding. Unfortunately, it
is common practice for some people to keep dogs in the back of a pickup
either loose, which is illegal in some communities and a totally
unacceptable option for safety reasons, or to use a commercially available
device that allows the dog to be secured in the pickup bed without being
able to reach the sides. If you have an accident, the device could break and
your dog could tumble out of the truck to certain death or severe injury,
not to mention the serious hazard to traffic. Also, keeping a dog in the
pickup bed can be very damaging to the dog's eyes with debris flying through
the air. In hot weather, unless you have carpeting in your pickup, the metal
will heat up to an unacceptable degree and hurt the dog's feet. It's an
excellent idea to transport a dog in a pickup with a camper shell with
adequate flooring (not the metal bed itself) and with windows on the side
for ventilation, or a window between the cab and the camper shell, so the
dog can feel close to you.

Start training your dogs early if you want them to get used to traveling in
a car with you. Use one of our recommended forms of containment or a crate.
Leave a bowl of water in the car, along with some type of animal product
such as a baited bone or a hoof. And lock your doors; if your dog is well
socialized, valuable, and friendly, he could become a dog-napping victim. In
hot or even warm weather you must never leave your dog in the car, even in
the shade. Even with windows cracked open and in the shade, the temperature
inside the car can be fifteen to twenty degrees hotter than outside, and
your dog can die of hyperthermia.

If dogs could talk, we think they might say: "Riding in the car is almost as
much fun as going for walks with you. Thanks for taking me along and keeping
me safe."

Reprinted from: Pup Parenting: A Guide to Raising a Happy, Well-Trained Dog
by Lynn Lott, Jane Nelsen, and Therry Jay © 2006 Rodale Inc. Permission
granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold
or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their
website at www.rodalestore.com