# carseats



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

I would like carseat recommendations, preferably one that sits up high enough that Trooper can look out the window. 

Thanks all!


----------



## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

i wondering how old a dog should be until a car seat will be used


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Don't think it matters.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I have always just used a donut bed on the seat, and a good quality car harness that attaches to the seat belt. Kodi doesn't mind at all that he can't see out... He just curls up and sleeps.


----------



## NvonS (Jul 8, 2010)

Lily rides in a small crate that is seat belted to the back seat behind the passenger seat. It has a pad that goes half way up the sides. She just goes to sleep until I put the car in park. Then she is well rested for our next adventure. She stays safe and there is no risk of her becoming a projectile if I have to stop short.


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

I have the Solvit Jumbo Tagalong On Seat Booster (or something like that) that we have used for long trips. It sits up high, and Augie seemed very comfortable in it. Usually, for in town car rides or short trips, I put them in their small travel crates and seat belt the crates in.


----------



## Ruthi (Nov 10, 2011)

I use the solvit seat, that straps in around the headrest and seat. Gabby loves it. I have used it since she was little. She will look around a bit, and then curl in her seat and chew on a toy til she falls asleep.


----------



## Sonic and Aries (Feb 15, 2012)

I bought the PetCo Car Seat Booster (or something like that, I'd have to check for sure when I got home) for Sonic when he was 8 months old and about 10 lbs.. He never took to it, I'm not sure if he didn't take because he was too old at the time or if the seat fit was getting a little snug and he couldn't really get comfortable (although it says for dogs up to 20 lbs it seemed awfully small when Sonic was in it). Aries now uses it and loves it, but again I've started her at 4 months and around 4 lbs...


----------



## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I use the jumbo tagalong booster, too. Amazon.com: Solvit Jumbo Tagalong On-Seat Pet Booster, Standard: Pet Supplies

Jack is a bigger Hav and fits in it just fine.


----------



## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

Tucker has the Snoozer Large Luxury Lookout seat. We got the large so he'd have more than enough room to sleep and move around in. It has a drawers underneath that's great for storing poop bags, treats and his leash while traveling. The cover comes off if it needs to be washed and it comes with a covered cushion which can be washed also. We've traveled back and forth from NH to Fl many times and Tucker seems to enjoy the seat.


----------



## jemmax (Jan 3, 2012)

Hi

Max has this seat which he loves as it is high enough for him to look out the window - I like the mesh frontage and that it has a stow away drawer for all his stuff underneath....and it can be made into a bed as well.

Amazon.com: Snoozer Pet Stow and Go 3-in-1 Pet Car Seat, Black: Pet Supplies

Hope you find something among all our suggestions !

Jemma


----------



## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

Here is the Solvit Jumbo Booster Seat. We had the smaller, strap over the headrest version when she was a puppy but she outgrew it. Piper is 11 lbs and can lie down with plenty of room in the larger size.

It's hard to see here but her car harness clips to the inside of the seat


----------



## jemmax (Jan 3, 2012)

Julie that bed looks super comfy for Piper


----------



## RitaandRiley (Feb 27, 2012)

I have the solvit jumbo also. I thought sitting higher with a view would help Riley's carsickness. It didn't and he has no interest in looking out the window. So I think I'll get a car harness and have him sit next to me on the seat. I do like the car seat, it just didn't achieve what I thought it would. Piper is too cute,btw.


----------



## anaacosta (Sep 1, 2011)

I wrap the strap of her Sherpa carrier around the headrest and she loves it. She can see out the window or just sleep if she wants to.


----------



## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Does this mean the dog sits in a booster in the front seat and the human sits in the backseat? ound: How easy are they to take in/out if someone does want to ride in the front seat?


----------



## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

I've been putting cooper in a crate in the backseat and I push the front passenger seat all the way back which holds the crates in place. He never makes a noise and we drove all the way back from NC this way. If he needs to potty though he wines and I pull over, bring him to the trunk where his litter pan is. this has been working great for us so far. 

I'd love to use a doggie seat but is it as safe for the dogs as a hard crate - just in case??? Also, I'm concerned that I might be too distracted if I can just look in the rear view mirror and see his cute little face whenever I want.


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

anaacosta said:


> I wrap the strap of her Sherpa carrier around the headrest and she loves it. She can see out the window or just sleep if she wants to.


Oh my goodness - she is incredibly cute in her little sweater!



loriabigail said:


> I've been putting cooper in a crate in the backseat and I push the front passenger seat all the way back which holds the crates in place. He never makes a noise and we drove all the way back from NC this way. If he needs to potty though he wines and I pull over, bring him to the trunk where his litter pan is. this has been working great for us so far.
> 
> I'd love to use a doggie seat but is it as safe for the dogs as a hard crate - just in case??? Also, I'm concerned that I might be too distracted if I can just look in the rear view mirror and see his cute little face whenever I want.


If you have them in a car-type harness, attached to the dog seat, and the dog seat seatbelted in, I think it should be about as safe. One thing about the hard crate - I had Finn in it as a puppy and I braked rather suddenly and he hit his nose on the front of the crate. 



MopTop Havanese said:


> Does this mean the dog sits in a booster in the front seat and the human sits in the backseat? ound: How easy are they to take in/out if someone does want to ride in the front seat?


I never put my boosters in the front seat. I don't think that would be safe if the airbag were to deploy. Putting my booster seat in is a bit of work - that's what DH's are for!! :biggrin1: We have two - we had one in the back seat of each of our cars, so it wouldn't matter which car we wanted to take if we took Augie. Now we have Finn too, so one seat will have to be moved as I am not about to buy two more!


----------



## anaacosta (Sep 1, 2011)

thanks Linda!!!!


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

MopTop Havanese said:


> Does this mean the dog sits in a booster in the front seat and the human sits in the backseat? ound: How easy are they to take in/out if someone does want to ride in the front seat?


ROFL! I better teach Trooper how to call shotgun to give Christopher some competition, huh? Better get on that!

In all seriousness, though, my backseats have headrests too, so I can create any seating arrangement that floats my boat.  Just need to get him a seat so he doesn't think he gets to crawl all over me EVERYTIME we go somewhere. LOL.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MopTop Havanese said:


> Does this mean the dog sits in a booster in the front seat and the human sits in the backseat? ound: How easy are they to take in/out if someone does want to ride in the front seat?


That's why I use the donut bed and harness... they both can easily be tossed in the back if a "human" wants to ride beside me.:biggrin1:

The other thing you have to be SURE of if you let your dog ride in the front seat is that you can disable the airbag. An airbag will crush a small dog in an accident.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

loriabigail said:


> I've been putting cooper in a crate in the backseat and I push the front passenger seat all the way back which holds the crates in place. He never makes a noise and we drove all the way back from NC this way. If he needs to potty though he wines and I pull over, bring him to the trunk where his litter pan is. this has been working great for us so far.
> 
> I'd love to use a doggie seat but is it as safe for the dogs as a hard crate - just in case??? Also, I'm concerned that I might be too distracted if I can just look in the rear view mirror and see his cute little face whenever I want.


Yes, car harnesses are a safe way for a dog to travel. BUT it has to be a REAL car harness, not a regular "walking" harness. A good car harness will have a wide, padded chest piece to distribute any force over as wide an area as possible. Many also have some elasticized (limited stretch) parts to absorb some impact too. All have a reinforced slot on the back that the seatbelt slides through.

Besides safety in an accident, car harnesses have another benefit for some dogs. Kodi is not comfortable traveling in a crate. He tenses and scrabbles around every turn. Because the harness holds him snuggly in place during turns and stops, he feels more comfortable. Now, this is probably not true for all dogs, but at least in his case, he clearly prefers the harness. (I'm sure he'd like a booster seat too, he is perfectly happy in his donut bed on the seat, which means I don't have to get a big plastic thing in and out of my very small car. (Mini Cooper) Also, his preferred position while riding is with his nose resting on my arm. That would be hard if he were up in a booster seat!:biggrin1:


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

motherslittlehelper said:


> I never put my boosters in the front seat. I don't think that would be safe if the airbag were to deploy.


Yes! You have to be sure you can turn the airbag off if you let a dog ride in front. In my Mini Cooper, it automatically turns off if there is anything on the passenger seat that weighs less than 70 lbs. In other cars you can manually disable the passenger side airbag. If you can't disable it, it's not safe for a dog to ride there.


----------



## ClaireVoyant (Jan 26, 2012)

I use the Solvit as well. It sits several inches above the seat, so my car doesn't sense she's there, preventing the airbags from deploying in an accident.

I'm rethinking the harness though. I use her rolled collar in her seat because the harness tends to mat her coat. But I can definitely see how the harness would be much better at restraining her and distributing her weight across her chest instead of breaking her neck with her current system. Gee, I feel like a rotten mommy .


----------



## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

Django loves his. We bought it from In The Company of Dogs. IT's the delux version.


----------



## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

*Discount coupon code*

If anyone is thinking of purchasing one of these car seats, I got an email this morning with a discount code for free shipping and 10% off on all Solvit carseats, bicycle baskets and ramps from www.dogbedsandcrates.com
I bought Pipers seat from there and they were excellent.

code: "solvit10" at checkout

Sale ends April 16th at midnight


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

which size bike basket do you think would work??


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

just got one!! in Lavender! I've been looking and wanting a bike basket for a long time.
I like that this can be used as a car seat if needed and a carrier for if we ride our bikes somewhere that she can't get down and walk at!  I ended up getting the large. although wish I could have gotten the small as it was $10 cheaper! LOL
thanks so much for the discount code!! 

http://www.dogbedsandcrates.com/Pet-Bike-Basket-3-in-1.html


----------



## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

Maccabee already chewed through the tether that connects a harness to his Solvit Tagalong (Jumbo) carseat. I called Solvit yesterday to find out about ordering a replacement. The person I spoke with said she would treat it as "broken" and send me a replacement under warranty. After getting my address, she said, "I'm going to send 2, so you have an extra one." Excellent customer service!


----------



## Ruthi (Nov 10, 2011)

I have to put some bitter apple on mine to keep it from being chewed. I now have to buy another, since there are two.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Brody's car booster seat came today. It's the Solvit Jumbo tagalong. He jumped right in it after I assembled it. Then I went and put it in the car. I put it in the back seat and hopefully he'll be ok there. I took him out to the car and let him get in it with no problems, but we'll see how driving goes. I'd rather keep it in the backseat if I can since it'll be a pain to move if I want a person in the front seat! But if I need to I'll move it to the front.


----------



## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

misstray said:


> Brody's car booster seat came today. It's the Solvit Jumbo tagalong. He jumped right in it after I assembled it. Then I went and put it in the car. I put it in the back seat and hopefully he'll be ok there. I took him out to the car and let him get in it with no problems, but we'll see how driving goes. I'd rather keep it in the backseat if I can since it'll be a pain to move if I want a person in the front seat! But if I need to I'll move it to the front.


Maccabee loves his Solvit Jumbo Tagalong. His is in the backseat, and the only time I remove it is when we go on a long trip and take my fiance's car.

Maccabee chewed through the tether almost immediately (like the third time he was in the seat!). I called Solvit looking to purchase a replacement tether. The woman I spoke with was very nice and said she's send out a replacement under warranty because, "clearly it had broken!" Then she said, she'd send two, "just in case it breaks again." I saturated the first replacement tether with bitter apple and we've been problem free.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Ha ha I'll bet you'll be glad when the worst of the chewing phase is over!


----------



## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

One thing to think about: Maccabee hates the sun shining on him when he's in the car seat. I purchased a sun shade in the baby section at Target and that solved the problem. He doesn't seem to mind that his view out the window is partially obstructed.

Here is a picture of Maccabee in his car seat. Doesn't he look absolutely MISERABLE!


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

What a face! How adorable.

Yep...he sure looks miserable. LOL


----------



## Lisainidaho (Feb 1, 2012)

My pups use the Snoozer large size also. They fit in there nicely - I put them in harnesses and then they have their own separate seat belt connectors. I like it because I can move it easily from car to car. The only think they don't seem to love right now is that the cover is sort of a fleecy cover and they don't want to lay on that right now. I ordered a cooling mat from Etsy (another post on the forum suggested it) so I think that should solve the one problem. I tried two other setups and returned them before I found the snoozer. My puppies are 6 mos old so depending on how large they end up being I may have to have two car seats, but they can definitely see out the window.


----------



## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

Django loves his car seat. He takes a front seat every time we head to the vet.


----------



## Dory (Jan 4, 2012)

So Quincy cries and whines every time I put him in his Sherpa carrier to go in the car. He wants to stick his head out and then tries to wiggle his whole self out LOL. I ordered the Solvit seat yesterday and also got the car harness. I hope this helps. He doesn't seem to mind riding in the car so much as he just feels cooped up in the carrier not knowing what's going on. He's a nosy little bugger!


----------



## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

Dory said:


> I ordered the Solvit seat yesterday and also got the car harness.


You don't need a travel harness with the Solvit seat. There is a tether attached to the seat, which you also attach to your regular harness. If you normally use a collar, rather than a harness, you would need to purchase the harness.


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Depends on what kind of harness you have already. If you have the stewpot kind, it's not that great to use in the car. One with fabric all over the chest is better to distribute the force of the momentum of an impact if you're in a crash.


----------



## Dory (Jan 4, 2012)

Yeah, he just has a collar so we needed a harness anyway.

ETA: I bought the Solvit harness. I am so new to all of this! LOL


----------

