Thanks everyone for your advice.
I know my basenji understands and he does listen to me but he has selective hearing. We are traning on it and he is getting better each day.
Basenji Car Safety
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Okay, I am definitely going with a crate for the car. And who knows, maybe at some point in time the sports coupe will be traded in towards a more dog friendly car. I had actually looked at the Honda Element at the Seattle Dog Show and liked it. But Honda is stopping to make the model, so I might look at something else. But the crate in the back seat will be it for now. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
You should do fine with the crate in your car. If I could fit one in the front seat of a MINI Cooper, you should do fine with yours!
…and ha! I too looked at the Element (and lots of other vehicles at Lure Coursing this summer :D). The big negative to me with the Element was how the seats folded - they fold to the side and partially block the back side windows so the only way you could drive with the back seat folded would be take them out (uh, no). When I seriously started looking/test driving cars at the end of August, I made all the dealers fold down the back seats so I could gauge how crates would work - some even offered to let me put the crates in the back while figuring it it out.
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I always take crates with me when shopping for a new car….ggggg, if they didn't like me seeing how they fit, I just told them if they wanted to make the sale, deal with it!
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Regarding putting a crate in the front seat: what happens in case of an accident when the airbag goes off…what effect does that have on a crate?
Also, it would seem to me (and I'm certainly no expert) giving a dog reassurance/affection..."oh, poor doggy, it's OK"...when s/he's in a nervous state would simply reinforce that nervousness. If you're talking to the dog in a high-pitched voice, telling him it's OK, aren't you telling him it's OK to be nervous?
When we were bringing our SOB dog (Some Other Breed; i.e., not a Basenji) home from the breeder in a crate and she started creating a fuss, a simple rap on the crate and a "tsst" from me and she settled right down.
I guess we were fortunate with Maxx...we used a seat belt harness with him and he never tried chewing on the harness or the seat belt.
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Regarding putting a crate in the front seat: what happens in case of an accident when the airbag goes off…what effect does that have on a crate?
That's a good point. In my car (2011) and in my brother's truck (2003) there is a key slot to turn off the front passenger airbag (mine also turns off the front passenger side airbag). Hmmm…I thought that was mandatory in the US now because of the possible need to carry a child safety seat in the front.
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We use a crate with Malaika and she's very happy to travel in it.
She is also trained to stay in the crate whilst i open the door, she then comes out and does a sit stay on the seat whilst we put her lead on. -
Hmmm…I thought that was mandatory in the US now because of the possible need to carry a child safety seat in the front.
Could be now, but our 2007 Dodge Ram pickup doesn't have an on/off switch for the passenger side air bag.
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Regarding putting a crate in the front seat: what happens in case of an accident when the airbag goes off…what effect does that have on a crate?
I have the airbag on the passenger side turned off. I rarely if ever have a passenger in there. We drive mostly in my hubby's van. But now I will have a passenger with me, so excellent that the airbag there is OFF.
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I can say with great certainty that the most expensive part of a 1973 VW beetle IS the passenger's seat belt.
Now I have a mini van and dogs ride in crates (kennel aire crates with the one inch spacing). I do miss that little yellow bug though . . .
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While we are on the subject, make sure you have a contact who can pick up your dogs if you are in an accident. I was in an accident many years ago with my jack russell terrier and while I had to go to the hospital, he couldn't go in the ambulance. I had to leave him with complete strangers as I had to get to the hospital ASAP. It is against the "rules" for a pet to ride in an ambulance!
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While we are on the subject, make sure you have a contact who can pick up your dogs if you are in an accident. I was in an accident many years ago with my jack russell terrier and while I had to go to the hospital, he couldn't go in the ambulance. I had to leave him with complete strangers as I had to get to the hospital ASAP. It is against the "rules" for a pet to ride in an ambulance!
old thread I know
but I am searching a bunch and trying to catch up read up anyway
thanks great tip I never thought of and I used to be a medic on rigs many many years ago thanks again
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I used to put my beasties in a harness in the passenger seat (with the airbag turned off). The harness works great if the dog settles down (I have one from dog.com that I like because I could also use it as a walking harness when we stopped for potty and I also had one that is designed with human-style seat belt material but it's way to heavy for our little basenjis) .
But Gossy became so excited about going for rides that she turned into an uncontrollable berserk devil so I finally bought a crate for transport. She's still a tasmanian devil but at least confined. Additionally if there is an accident the aide responders can just keep her in the crate until doggie help comes.
My 2003 LRT (little red truck) had a switch to turn off the passenger airbag. But I just bought a new Chevy Colorado extended cab - plenty of room behind the seat for 2 crates but the passenger seat is weight sensitive. So the airbag deploys only if a certain weight threshold is achieved and its more than 20 pounds so even if my beastie does ride up there the airbag won't deploy in an accident.
BTW - Gossy has figured out how to manipulate the zipper on the crate door so she can escaped from the crate while in transport this weekend. I'll have to get a little lock for the zipper. Little devil :p
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This is our driving situation now. I never got an SUV or vehicle I could put a crate into. What I was able to find, at Petsmart of all places, was a car barrier that fit my car! I have permanently folded the back seats down, as they are never used. Right in front of the folded down back seat is the metal barrier. It is secured by suction cups to the inner roof, and by metal bolts (not permanent) into the carpeting. As the car is a sports coupe, there is just enough room for Kipawa to move around, but not so much that he would go bouncing around if there was a fast stop. However, that said, if I know I am going to make a longer drive, I rent an SUV that is big enough for his travel crate.
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This is a very interesting read because we are trying to figure this out also. Crate seems to be the best way to go, but something else that interests us is a ZipLine harness..
There's a big chance it can still be chewed through I guess depending on your Basenji, but we can get it for a really good price and will probably try it out regardless
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I had a Kurgo Zipline Harness. Worked great on my mixed breed, but the basenjis wriggled out right away.
-Nicole -
I don't think it would work for Kipawa, my chewer extraordinaire! My seatbelt has been autographed by him.
But not all basenjis are the same, so maybe this is worth a try? -
Congo has a leash that hooks to the seat headrest in the back. We also have a puppy mat that covers the seat so that he doesn't damage the seat and it helps keep him in the rear seat.
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One suggestion - get some styrofoam blocks to build up a fake floor in front of the seat. That way the crate will be completely supported even if bigger than the seat.
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Our prior Basenji, Maxx, always wore a seat-belt harness when traveling and never chewed through it. Not so with Blaze! We've gone through several harnesses all of which Blaze has chewed through. We finally bought a travel crate for him, while Gracie continues to ride seat belted in.
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