We humans take it for granted that we buckle our seatbelts in the car, but this topic is often neglected in the case of animals. A mistake that can have fatal consequences.
Since we all love our four-legged friends and don’t want anything to happen to them, we should deal more with the topic of safety in the car.
In this article I will introduce the purpose of a car dog seat belt and show you the top 5 products. So your darling can ride safely at any time.
My dog harness favorites
The big car dog seat belt test
Clix car safety harness
The Clix safety harness is a very strong harness made from the same material as a normal car seat belt. The strap is processed throughout so that the harness has no weak points, even at the buckles.
So that the harness does not cut in, it is softly padded with neoprene. Pressure points or even cuts are a thing of the past. Due to the high wearing comfort, the harness can even be used for everyday walks.
If your dog wears the harness, all you have to do is plug the buckle into the desired socket in the car. The same sockets are used as for human seat belts. So you don’t have to install anything extra. There is also the option of pulling the car’s normal seat belt through a loop in the harness provided for this purpose. These flexible buckle versions give you complete flexibility and you can choose the variant that is most practical for you in the respective situation.
The manufacturer Clix also ensures that the harness is never too short, even for larger dogs, thanks to the various buckle-up options.
EzyDog dog harness car with seat belt
This dog harness for the car consists of two parts. The harness is single and can therefore also be used for walking. A loop made of safety belt material with a carabiner is supplied for this purpose. This loop can be attached to the normal seat belt in the car and thus secures your dog from being thrown around in the car.
The loop is very stable, but the carabiner that is attached to the harness is a weak point that is most likely to break in the event of a violent impact.
The harness itself distributes the pressure very evenly, leaving out the dog’s neck. So you don’t have to worry about your four-legged friend choking on the brakes, even if you brake hard. Incidentally, this is also the most important reason for never (!!!) tying the dog to the leash in the car.
The chest plate is large and ergonomically cut so that it adapts well to any body shape. The reflective seams on the harness ensure good visibility on night walks.
Pets’nDogs safety harness for dogs
This car dog seat belt is actually just a seat belt. A harness is not included with this product.
Nevertheless, it is worth taking a closer look, because this car seat belt is particularly practical. The buckle for fastening goes directly into a very stable belt that can be adjusted continuously. So you can set the perfect length for your dog and adjust it at any time. The edges of the belt are rounded so that the belt does not cut in, even when taking a sharp turn or braking hard. For more flexibility, elastic bands are incorporated into part of the belt to cushion movements.
To attach the strap to the dog’s harness, the manufacturer uses an ultra-light yet strong safety carabiner that cannot be accidentally opened by the dog. The carabiner is attached to the belt with a 360 degree joint so that your darling doesn’t strangle himself when he turns around in the car.
Reflectors are sewn into the fabric of the belt, which ensure good visibility when leaving the car at night.
Iokheira Dog Seat Belt
Also this product is a seat belt without harness. In addition to a typical buckle for seat belts in cars – for example on the passenger seat – this belt offers a second fastening option. With the help of an additional buckle, the belt can also be attached to the attachment for the child seat, for example on the Isofix station or in the trunk. This gives you maximum flexibility and you can decide where your dog should go in the car, depending on what else you want to take with you in addition to your dog.
The high-quality nylon fabric ensures good stability and maximum safety while driving. The reflective threads incorporated into the material are particularly practical for night walks, for example at a motorway service station. So you don’t have to take off the dog seat belt for the car and put on a leash.
The length of the belt can be varied between 50cm and 80cm and thus adapted to different dog sizes. A special safety carabiner, which is ergonomically shaped and attached to the elastic part of the belt with a 360 degree joint, completes the overall package.
SlowTon Dog Harness with Safety Belt Double
The last product in our test is again a harness including a safety belt. The former consists of a latex mesh fabric. The material is permeable to air and prevents your four-legged friend from sweating excessively under the harness.
The Double safety belt consists of a length-adjustable nylon strap that is very robust and resistant. Part of the belt is stretchable and thus gently cushions strong driving manoeuvres. On one side of the seat belt is a buckle that fits into the designated sockets in the car. On the other side there is a carabiner that is hung in the harness.
Because the harness and the dog car seat belt are separate parts, you can also easily use the harness to go for a walk by attaching a normal dog leash.
Putting on and taking off the harness is very easy. The same goes for buckling up. This is why this SlowTon product is also ideal for laypeople.
Purchase advice
Why do you need a dog seat belt?
My dog is part of the family and I just want to have him with me anytime, anywhere. But it should not be missing on weekend trips and vacations either. But my darling is also often with me in everyday life. Of course, since not every travel destination can be reached on foot, I had to look around for a suitable means of transport for my four-legged friend.
Because if a dog is taken in the car, then it must be properly secured. This principle is self-evident for every pet owner, because after all we do not want anything to happen to our furry friends. The road traffic regulations also stipulate that animals may only be transported securely, otherwise there is a risk of a fine or even points in Flensburg.
Securing the load – in this case the dog – is also always in the interest of the driver. A jumping dog that moves freely in the car distracts from the road. In the event of an accident, it can also happen that the four-legged friend is thrown through the car. So it makes sense to securely fix your darling in the car in terms of your health.
Another safe way to transport your dog in the car is with a car dog guard. This separates the trunk from the driver’s cabin – the dog cannot jump around in the car, but can still move freely.
If your dog jumps around in the back seat, you should definitely put a car seat cover in it. This prevents your four-legged friend from spreading his hair on the seats or leaving muddy paw prints on the seats.
So it was definitely clear that my dog had to be protected. But what’s the best way to do it? Classic transport boxes are a safe option, but not every dog likes being locked up in a small space in a lattice cage. Especially if you have a large dog, there is often the problem that there is no box that is big enough.
So I looked around and came across a dog seat belt for the car. These are constructed differently, but in most cases they can be attached to the car’s normal seat belt sockets. Some belts are only hooked into the already existing seat belts for people.
Who are dog harnesses not suitable for?
Most dogs prefer seat belts to carriers because they can move around the car more freely and don’t feel trapped. However, there are also candidates for whom a car dog seat belt is not a good idea.
For example, if your dog moves around a lot, it can get tangled in the harness and possibly even injure itself. If you’ve ever buckled your seat belt in a car and moved jerkily, you probably know the feeling of the seat belt getting shorter and shorter and stopping. This mechanism, which is actually supposed to protect your four-legged friend, can become a problem for some dogs.
You should pay attention to this when buying a seat belt for dogs
1. Length/Size
A correct fit is crucial for the car seat belt to work as it should. It is therefore important that the length of the harness can be adjusted so that your dog neither has too much freedom of movement and jumps on your lap, nor too little and can hardly move.
Some products include crockery. Here, too, the size has to fit. A harness that is too small rubs and can cause painful chafing for your dog…