Dog harnesses?

[MN 986]

Be sure your dog is comfortable with whatever setup you buy.
Years ago my wife and I bought a harness that attached to the seatblet and was called the 'Dog Sitter'. The dog seemed fine with it while driving, but I ran in to a shop for 3 minutes and when I returned to the car he had chewed through the seat belt, wrapped the seatbelt around his legs, and panicked to the point that he relived himself on the front seat.
We re-named the product the 'dog s*itter', and did not use it again.
(the car was an old beater, so no major harm done)

[yimmy149]

Originally Posted by MN 986

Be sure your dog is comfortable with whatever setup you buy.
Years ago my wife and I bought a harness that attached to the seatblet and was called the 'Dog Sitter'. The dog seemed fine with it while driving, but I ran in to a shop for 3 minutes and when I returned to the car he had chewed through the seat belt, wrapped the seatbelt around his legs, and panicked to the point that he relived himself on the front seat.
We re-named the product the 'dog s*itter', and did not use it again.
(the car was an old beater, so no major harm done)

Good point, there is way too much fun stuff to chew on in the Boxster. In warmer weather I usually take my dog out and tie her to a bike rack or similar if I'm going to run into a store.

As far as boots go, there are a ton of different ones out there, and just like people-shoes, I think you've got to find the best one for the terrain and temperature that the dog will be exposed to. Keep in mind that their paws are also one of the only places they sweat, so fur lined boots on a hot day is not very nice.

-james

[yimmy149]

Just to update, received the car harness (Dr Foster Smith 9N-3243) a while ago and did a test drive with the dog. Seemed to work pretty well, although I have my doubts as to how well it would hold up in a frontal crash. Some of it is made out of seat belt material, but it uses those cheap plastic buckles you see on backpacks, etc. The dog does slide around quite a bit on corners, I think she needs a racing harness.

Also, got some booties from dozenbooties.com, they seem like they will fit the bill. Beware that these are for sled dogs, so the "small" size is just right for my 70lb German Shepherd.

-james

[Kirk]

Based on this thread I just got booties for my dogs that are made out of some kind of felt-like material. They were $5 for a set of 4 at Petco. They wouldn't last if the dogs actually walked in them, the material looks too weak, but for use just in the car to keep them from scratching the leather I think they'll work great. I haven't had a chance to really try them other than test fitting them on the dogs...

Kirk