Safety should be one of your main priorities when traveling in a car with your dog. Most pet owners treat their dogs like their own child. Just like kids, your furry baby needs to be secured well inside your vehicle, preventing injury for the both of you. Letting your pet climb into your vehicle and sit unrestrained throughout the trip is a disaster waiting to happen. A crash can propel your dog which can potentially cause fatal injuries.

One of the recommended safety precautions you can give your four-legged best friend is a dog car harness. When dog restraints are used correctly, your dog will be kept in place, and you will be worry-free even on long road trips. There are even multi-purpose harnesses available that you can use as a walking leash. Keeping your pet calm and in place can keep him, the driver, and the whole family safe.

Factors You Need To Consider

Determine why you need it.

Dog restraints are more comfortable and sturdy compared to collars, that’s why more and more people are opting for it. However, choosing the right one can be daunting with so many available options out there. Determining why you need it is an essential factor you need to consider. Car harnesses for dogs are a great way to ensure that your pet is safe and secure when you’re on the road.

The right size.

Another critical factor you need to consider is the harness size. You need to buy one that suitably fit the size of your dog. Usually, the size varies from extra small (31 to 36 in) to large (53 to 60 in). But there may be little differences among manufacturers.

Fit.

It is recommended to measure your furry friend first before purchasing a car restraint. All dog car harnesses come with a size chart, diagrams, and measurements. Your pet’s neck, chest, and girth areas all have particular sizes. Buy the bigger size if your pet is in between sizes, you can easily adjust the harness through its straps.

Safety ratings.

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Major manufacturers of dog car harnesses, claim that their products went through rigorous crash tests. Keep in mind though that at the time of writing this article, there are no safety and performance standards yet on these products. However, the Center for Pet Safety is expected to provide industry-wide criteria and standards pretty soon.

Changing harnesses.

Puppies use smaller harnesses compared to older dogs, so expect to change its size as your dog grows. It’s just like when parents buy baby safety seats, where they move to convertibles and booster seats when their kids outgrow the car seat.

Do your research.

Do not buy the first thing you see just because it’s cheap or looked cute. Also, if you don’t take your time, there’s a big chance you will end up with the wrong one and spend more. Make sure to do your research first and read reviews online before making any purchase. Remember that your pup’s safety is at stake here. You also don’t want to put your pet at a higher risk. You may have saved a few dollars, but you may have put your dog’s life in danger.

Dog Car Harnesses vs Seatbelts

Most of the time, dog owners interchangeably use both terms. However, these safety types of equipment for pets are different from each other.

Dog seat belts are like leashes that you can attach to your pet’s collar and hook into your vehicle’s seat belt. They keep your dog from moving around during the ride but will not ensure protection in the event of a crash.

On the other hand, dog car harnesses are the appropriate safety equipment. They are placed around your dog’s chest using straps or a full vest made of fabric. Not only will they keep your canine stable during a crash, but the force is also retained throughout his whole body, similar to your vehicle’s seat belt.

Walking Harness vs Car Restraints

You may think that a walking harness looked just like a dog safety harness, then think again. Traditional walking harnesses are not safe to use when traveling with your dog in a vehicle. It is in fact highly dangerous since they are not created to endure the pressure from your car’s seat belt. They are likely to break and can choke your beloved pet or worse, send him flying.

Car trips with babies are challenging enough, but how do you keep your dog safe and happy in the car? Many people use boarding kennels or pet sitters. These are great options, but sometimes you have no choice but to take your dog along with you for the ride.

What if you’re moving? Maybe you’re taking a cross-country trip or can’t afford a pet sitter. Or you may simply want to enjoy a vacation with your dog.

While the vast majority of child safety seats have been thoroughly crash tested and approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the same does not apply for pet safety seats. As a matter of fact, the CPSC has no authority over those products, since they aren’t considered consumer goods (i.e. not for human use).

Even so, there are many safe pet restraints on the market. We’ve reviewed several of them on BestCarSeatHub.com.

Why bother with pet restraints?

Though most of us buckle up automatically when we get in the car, most people don’t even think about it when riding with their dogs (or cats). You’ve probably seen a dog hanging out the passenger side window or a cat lying on the back dash of a car.

Sure, they’re having fun watching the world pass by, but accidents can take us by surprise. One minute you’re happily driving down the road, and the next you’re either slamming on the brakes to avoid a collision, or another car speeds through a red light at the intersection and crashes into your car.

An unrestrained dog can not only be badly injured, but they can also become a projectile object and injure you or any other passengers. Buckling them up helps keep everyone safe.

Pet Restraints Mean Fewer Distractions

A 2012 study estimated over 400,000 people were injured as a result of distracted drivers. Another study from AAA found over 60% of dog owners engage in distracting activities with their dogs in the car.

In other words, if you ever text while driving (we hope you don’t) AND your dog is running around or getting into your lap, you’ve just doubled the distractions and are twice as likely to injure yourself and your dog in a crash.

Don’t be another statistic. Make sure your dog is buckled up too. But don’t put them in the front seat. Air bags can seriously injure dogs. The back seat or hatch area is the best place for your dog.

Types of Car Restraints for Dogs

There are several options available depending on the size and temperament of your dog. Though they come in several different designs, they can be classified into these categories.

• Safety harnesses
• Carriers / kennels
• Crates
• Booster seats

Harnesses come in all sizes, but tend to work well for large dogs and dogs that don’t mind a close-hugging restraint. For some great recommendations and in-depth harness reviews, read more on our blog.

For dogs that don’t like tight restraints, crates are a good option so long as they are tethered in the vehicle. Smaller dogs often enjoy riding in carriers / kennels and dog booster seats.

If you are a dog owner, you’ve probably taken and posted lots of cute pictures on Instagram. You must have also looked at the Instagram accounts of many other dogs and asked yourself how they became so huge and reached the pinnacle they are right now. You don’t have to worry anymore. You can follow the following tips if you are interested in increasing your dog’s Instagram popularity.

Be flexible while maintaining your brand

Now you are sick and tired of dreaming; you just want to swing into action and begin the journey of transforming the fortunes of your dog online. It’s possible for you to come up with an idea for the personality and design of your dog’s account, but then you might discover that the idea doesn’t seem like the best for your dog. Feel free to change things in the beginning, but the moment you get hold of something that works just stick to it.

Exercise some patience and be prepared – this is important when looking to take great shots of animals

Being Instagram famous all boils down to taking great photographs that draw the attention of everyone. But getting the best out of children and animals isn’t that straightforward at all. You might need to take at least 10 photos of your pet before coming close to perfection.

Also, having to take photos of the same dog all the time (even if it’s the most amazing) can become boring at some point. This is a normal occurrence and the only solution is to incorporate some flexibility and creativity into your photo shoots. For instance, use different backgrounds or allow your dog to use different accessories and wears for each shooting session.

Be organized and plan ahead

It’s important to maintain a well-curated feed that has an appealing and organized visual representation. Ensure that the account is well laid out cohesively, with a storyline that consistently reflects your brand.

Develop a tone of voice, likes and comments

There are times when we stare at our dog and wonder what goes on in their minds. But transforming those thoughts into well-crafted Instagram captions is a different issue to strengthen desire of the user to write the comment and likes regularly. Writing captions is not an easy feat. You need to churn out great captions all the time if you must increase the popularity of your dog’s Instagram profile.

You can borrow ideas from other Instagram accounts getting lots of engagements.

Engagement is vital and requires patience

Instagram is home to many dog enthusiasts and lovers. You need lots of engagements to increase the popularity of your dog’s Instagram profile.  Try to attract more friends from Facebook and other social networks that they liked and commented on Instagram posts of a dog.

Be warned: if you care about increasing engagements for your posts, you will need to devote several hours to work on the account. You should spend a couple of hours each day liking comments, responding to question, etc.

Adopt a strategy that helps you save time

It is important to organize your Instagram activities. You can begin by prioritizing the accounts you are following and try to leave some comments on their posts weekly. Then you can focus on hashtags and other things.

If you have an Instagram account dedicated to your dog, we would be interested in learning your tricks of using it to drive your dog’s popularity through the roof.

Your dogs are one of those fragile cargos you have to consider bringing with you when you’re traveling. As you have them seated in place, they won’t really have any control on what’s to happen next inside the vehicle which makes them both a threat and a nuisance for other passengers.

If you want to ensure that everything is in place before you even travel with your pet dog together with other people in your car, you have to know what you should be preparing first hand for safety and convenience.

More likely this could be your very first time to travel with your furry friend and you’re planning to get the most out of your vacation that you’re also planning to have the whole family go with you. Well, it’s not that easy to get everybody get along when they are already inside the car especially if this is the first time to have a pet come along your trip. But, with enough preparation, you’ll be able to fix everything.

Don’t Forget the Basic Supplies

• The initial thing you have to always keep in mind before traveling with your pet is to be able to pack all the accessories and equipment to keep your pet dog safe and comfortable while traveling with you by car.
• Don’t forget the dog tags, collar, safety harness, water, food and all of the supplies needed to suffice the needs of your pet companion throughout your travel time.

Deciding on Pet Restraints

You’re probably wondering what type of restraints will best suit your dog when you travel by car. Well, this will definitely depend on your own preference. Although most pet owners who also own a huge vehicle would prefer to bring closed carriages or crates with them to place their pets for safe keeping, you can also prefer to make use of safety harnesses to be attached to your car seat.

Take note that you shouldn’t be bringing your pet with you on a trip without any safety restraints on. A dog on the loose inside the car can definitely be a cause of vehicular accident and may as well cause injury to other passengers in case you meet any unfortunate events on the road.

Make a Stop and Rest

Mostly long trips can be very exciting in its first hour, but if it takes longer than that you and your passengers may find it quite boring and tiresome which means that you may have to take a stop or rest for awhile. This behavior as well applies to your pet dogs.

Once you make a stop, ensure that you check on your pet to see if there’s anything that they need to keep them comfortable in the next few hours of your trip.

Just in case this is your dog’s first time to travel you can also consult with your vet on other particular safety measures needed for traveling as well as meds that your dog can take in case they’re not used to travel. Having said all that, you should now be ready on your trip and all you need to do is to pack up your stuff and your pet’s supplies so you can all get excited.

You probably love your one and only companion when traveling which could be the reason why you want to ensure his or her safety whenever you travel with your very best friend pooch. There is nothing more helpful than being able to obtain access to a complete guide for searching for the right harness that you can safely use for your doggie.

Take note that the safest harness is always the best choice for your travel pet companion.

Big dogs or small ones can enjoy traveling with you time after time and at the same time they can also show you that they’re really enjoying the whole ride as they wag their tails happily spending the whole travel time with you.

Your doggies are really interested to discover what type of experience they’ll have with you when it comes to accompanying you form destination to another. To be able to make the most out of your trip, you as a pet owner should ensure that everything is in place including that special safety seat for your pet companion.

• Now, the reality is that when you ride with your doggies and you don’t have them restrained properly in their seats, you are not only keeping them from being safe but you are also compromising your own safety.
• Aside from the noisy passengers and a crying toddler, your pet companion can also be a cause of distraction.
• To prevent this from being a cause of any possible accidents while you’re on the road, it’s best that you keep your pet restrained with the appropriate harness to be installed in your car.

The good news is that it’s not that hard to find harnesses online or offline nowadays as there are a lot of companies selling them.

However, your challenge is searching for the best ones that can assure you that your pet is protected from injuries that may be incurred due to any unfortunate events that may happen while you’re on the road.

You should also be aware that in most states that you travel to, they have laws regarding distracted driving and you should be aware about such restrictions and regulations.

It doesn’t matter where you get your dog harness from. What’s important is that you have to obtain the one that’s right for your dog. There are manufacturers that claim they’re product is completely safe but the truth is that they’re not that engineered and designed for the safety of your dog and you have to have a keen eye on these things. You have to consider the size of your dog, the materials that the harness is made of and the safety features of the harness as well.