How do you fit all your dogs in your vehicle?

We generally put the dogs in the back. With this we've been able to comfortably travel with Fudge, Scamp and Taz (although Scamp usually jusmps into the back seat and lays on someone's lap). If I was taking Tika as well as the three boys I would probably put Tika and Taz in the back, Fudge on the back seat and Scamp in someone's lap. They probably could all fit in the back but they all like their space and there's no reason to risk a fight. They all travel well (bar Tika) though. If they behaved badly in the car I would maybe use a crate but then it woud just be one dog at a time.

We have an 06 Mazda Tribute


It is the PERFECT dog vehicle. It was either it or the Mazda 3 and we went for the Tribute largely because we had just got Quinn and wanted a good dog car.

There is very rarely more than 2 people in the car so the seats are all folded down for Quinn. With the seats down the back is just a big open area for her - she either sits or lays down leaning against the back of the driver's seat, but the room is there if she ever needs it. The one time we put her in her back with the seats up she was all weirded out because she had no room and nothing to lean against. She just travels loose but there's a lot of room for a few crates if ever needed.

Kind of like playing Tetris - crates go in one direction and get turned, pushed, etc. until everyone fits.

I've only got two, and a decent sized Volvo XC70, so they fit fine. I can also get Freuchie in with them too when we go to the beach.

DSC_0039 by Niseag, on Flickr
Not long after I adopted Maddy, so please excuse her gross coat still.

We have an '05 Kia Sportage. It's nice, but not really roomy enough for three dog crates in the sizes we need plus a human passenger. I wish we were able to crate them all in the vehicle, but it's really not realistic, and so they all ride loose. The girls go in the backseat and Ripley goes in the very back (no room for him in the back seat with the girls comfortably). I do have dog seatbelts, but they're useless to me as my dogs (esp. Dance) just get all tangled up in them.

I have a Honda Fit, which can fit two crates plus junk in the back. Mostly I only take one dog any distance though, so on quick trips up to grandma's with all three, Mushroom gets crated (because he's a jerk), Steve rides loose in the back, and Luce rides shotgun.

Belated picture of the sardine car



They are generally buckled in for travel. Here they are just waiting to be released obviously.

They choose their spots in the car and are buckled in there. Kim always takes back passenger, Mira back middle (ironic). Web is either back driver side or shotgun, depending on his preference at that moment and how much stuff I have. I keep two rolled crates on the backseat floor since I use them so often and that fills in the floor space and gives them more reclining room.

I don't particularly want a minivan but that's probably what I'll end up with at some point here...just can't beat them really. We do a lot of traveling (competitively and otherwise) so it will be nice to be able to give them each their own crate so I can leave them with stuffed kongs and open windows/hatch at major dog events when possible.

My Ranger has an extended cab, and Caleb's spot is behind the seat. In the Escape, we fold the back seat on the driver's side down and slide his crate in there. If we take that to a trial, etc, we fold both back seats down (it has a 60/40 split bench), and put his crate in sideway on the driver's side. We've found we can fit all my "dog show cr*p" better than way.

ETA- heads up to those of you whose dogs ride shotgun- passenger side airbags are just as dangerous for dogs as they are children. One reason why, when we were looking for the truck I have now, evn tho Caleb doesn't ride on the seat, I insisted on the option to shut that air bag off- just in case one of the grandkids were to be in my truck.

I have an early 90's 4 door sedan, so everyone is just in the backseat.

Next time I want an SUV or a truck that can fit at least two large crates or a custom dog box setup. I lean toward the Honda Pilot for SUV and Toyota Tundra for a truck. It'd be nice to have the furry destructo dogs fully contained.

2003 Toyota Corolla "sedan"
I have a car seat protector on the back seat. If I travel with 2 dogs, they're buckled. If I travel with 1 dog I alternate between buckling and crating. I'm paranoid about getting my car dirty after I thoroughly deep cleaned it... so I've not taken dogs with me often lately. And crates contain fur better!

This is the reason I can't get another dog! NO MORE ROOM!

When I was in a rollover car crash with my friend Avril was in the back in a crate. Do you think she would of been safe loose? I think she would of been dead. There was broken windows that she could of jumped out of, she could of been thrown around a lot more, she could of been sliced with glass, etc.

I have heard of crates busting open when ejected from a car, but I still think that's safer then them riding loose.

If it was up to me my dogs would always ride in crates, but I don't drive so they ride loose :/ My mom drives an Astro Van, and the dogs have free run of the car. The very back seat is taken out, but they usually ride on the middle seat or in between the front seats. Last weekend we were able to fit 4 dogs and 4 people in the car for 5 hours some what comfortably with a dobe and afghan being in the back in 400 vari kennels. A springer in the laps of the two in the back seat, and a dobe laying in between the two front seats.

Mum has a Holden Rodeo twin cab with a cover over the tray, they all travel in there.

I have a '95 Grand Prix coupe and Duke rides shotgun most of the time. I shove him in the back when he gets ridiculous - he thinks he needs to put his head on my lap. He's knocked my car into neutral twice now. I'm looking forward to buying him a seatbelt! I don't like having him in the front, or loose in the car period. When I have all three labs, Boomer and Duke take the back and McGruff rides shotgun.

R\we have a ford ranger. And there is just enough room behind the seat for Blaze. Solo sits on top of a subwoofer lol, we call it his bosster seat, as its the only place he can fit.

When the cap is on the ruck, they both sit in the bed of the truck, since the cap is on it, they cant escape. this is normally just in winter it is on, and when we are doing a road trip too.

I have a 2002 VW GTI, and I can fit a Frodo sized crate in the back. Unfortunately he can't ride crated in the car, he FREAKS. Absolutely freaks Really stinks because that is how I'd prefer he ride. We have a seatbelt for him though and Ryan and I have been working on getting him used to it, but he wants to twist is up and then starts to get really stressed.

I don't like him riding free at all, especially not after Ryan and I's accident.

I think we have a '10 Kia Soul and a 05' Mazda Five. The Soul is usually the one Sam goes in because it's the one I'm usually in, and he's either loose at my feet on the passenger seat, loose in the back seat, or of were going on a longer trip we fold down the little back seat (it's one of those 60/40 ones, I fold down the 40 part) I can fit his
24" crate in there with the door facing the front, and his bag with his car stuff behind.

The very back seats are always folded down in the Five unless we need them, so we just throw his crate in there and were good to go!

I am a bad doggy mom - I open the door of my '98 Honda Civic coupe and say "get the eff in the car."

I can fit Bear, Rage and Goose with all of them sitting in the backseat... on Mondays it's Rage & Liz off to training classes... when it's just my three girls + Goose I'm relatively certain I can fit them... I don't know, it's like a clown car in there.

Those of you having trouble with seat belt harnesses just how long are your seatbelt attachments? Mine is incredibly short (it can be adjusted longer). I prefer it short because it really provides more safety. My dogs can barely move around in it, they can literally only sit where I buckle them down, if we are going on a longer trip I lengthen it a bit so they can down and rest but it's usually never very long at all.

ETA: I feel crates give a lot more freedom to be thrown around within the crate... I feel with my dogs in a seatbelt they have as much chance as I do, if not more because they sit in the back...

This. My brother has an '01 Sunfire, and Rosey just gets thrown into the back seat with somebody. She will ride shotgun if nobody else is on the drive, though, as she behaves better shotgun then the back seat (she likes to be in the front to look out the windshield)

The car harnesses I have are regular harnesses with handle attachments on them that swivel. It helps with the twisted-upness a LOT. Murphy was the same way as Frodo, with twisting up and getting stressed out but he eventually realized that I was not going to let him out (although I did untwist him of course) and now he just chills in the backseat. He's never had a problem riding in the car though - crate yes, car no.

If he's not harnessed he likes to ride with his front feet on the console and back feet on the back seat and sniff the driver all the way to wherever we're going. :lol-sign: It's highly entertaining when I'm not driving.