February 4, 2012

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5 Doggy Links You Should Not Miss

December 3, 2011 By 2 Comments

Welcome tor our first Puppy Training Weekly Roundup!  So what exactly is our Puppy Training Weekly Roundup?  Well it all started way back when we decided to compile a list of top dog blogs.

Step 1 my list of top dog blogs is now COMPLETE!

Step 2 is to add the top 50 dog blogs to my Google Reader account. CHECK!

Step 3 visit Google Reader every day and read my favorite blog articles.  CHECK!

Step 4 add cute puppy picture to post to try and attract more readers/subscribers. CHECK!

Yellow Labrador Retriever Pupppy

Dublin A Puppy In Training Endorses This Weeks Roundup!

Step 5 at the end of every week share my 5 favorite dog blog posts from the week…SEE BELOW!

Why am I doing this?  There’s so much information blasted out everyday I thought it would be nice to see just a short list of my favorite readings from the week.  Now you don’t have to scan through 50 blogs and hundreds of posts to find the top 5.  Of course your top 5 might be slightly different then mine in which case you’re welcome to subscribe to all the blogs on the top 50 dog blogs list.

Puppy Training Weekly Roundup 1

  • Let’s Talk: Has Your Dog Had Ill Effects from Chicken Jerky? – There was a Chicken Jerky scare back in 2007 and it’s back again here in 2011.  The FDA has advised consumers who feed their dogs chicken jerky to carefully monitor their dogs for hours after feeding the treats.  We stopped feeding the jerky tenders to our dogs after the first scare in 2007, but just to let everyone know we never had any problems with the treats and our dogs.  We figure it’s better to be safe then sorry.
  • Bed Bug Dog Inspection – We knew bed bugs were on the rise, but after checking out the statistics in this article I’m thinking about moving Stetson from K9 Nosework training to Bed Bug Sniffer Training.  Seriously, check this out:

Consider that six years ago, there were 537 bedbug complaints and 82 violations (in other words, verified infestations); last year, complaints topped out at nearly 11,000, with 4,084 violations cited (nearly double that of the previous year).

  • Super Tough Dog Toys For Super Tough Dogs – So this one isn’t really a blog post, but Johann puts together some awesome Squidoo lenses and this one on super tough toys for super tough dogs fits our Labs to a “T”.  In fact, I’m not so sure these are super tough enough for my boys.  We’ll have to do some of our own experimentation and report back our findings.  Thanks Johann, Gracie, and Nancy for putting together this awesome lens.
  •  Top 10 Dogs For The Energetically Challenged – I’m sure there are many of you out there who are just looking for a companion to relax on the couch with you and watch football all day Saturday and Sunday.  Well here’s a list of dogs for those who enjoy the couch potato.  One thing I noticed that I found a bit funny was that many of the couch potato breeds have a tendency to be obese…go figure!
  • Five Training Tips For First Time Dog Owners – It can be a bit hectic bringing home that first puppy or dog.  This is a great article giving you five wonderful tips for the first time dog owners.  We always preach tip #1 – Be Consistent.  It is so important to be consistent with your puppy’s training.  If not, they will have a very difficult time learning any command or behavior you try to teach.

That’s a wrap!  I hope you found this weeks Puppy Training Roundup useful.  I’m sure over the coming weeks we may make some changes like add more posts or have fewer posts.

Anyhow, if you’re a dog blogger and you wrote a particularly interesting post this week then please leave me a comment with a link in the comment section below and I’ll definitely check it out.  Who knows, maybe I’ll include the link in next weeks roundup…there’s a thought (thinking outloud again)…if we start getting some great links to blog articles in the comment section maybe I’ll include my favorite link from the comment section from each week in the following weeks Puppy Training Roundup.  We’ll see…maybe a good chance for you guys to get an easy link back to your amazing posts!

Filed Under: Dog Training Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Another Puppy Vs Kitty Video

October 1, 2010 By 3 Comments

YAY!  It’s Friday!  Time for fun and laughter…maybe happy hour after work? :)   Anyhow, I recently came across another Puppy Vs Kitty video in my Google Reader news feed.  This one is the Ninja Cat vs French Bulldog puppy.  One of my friends just recently brought home a French Bulldog puppy and he is absolutely adorable (I don’t know if they have a kitty to play with him).  Whenever I see these cat and dog videos it always makes me think back to Tom and Jerry (and of course Spike the dog).  Anyhow, take a look at this adorable video of a puppy and kitty playing together.

By the way, my favorite part comes right around the 41 second mark in the video.  The move the kitty pulls is definitely very Ninja-Like!

Puppy Vs Kitty Video

Every time I see a video like this it makes me want to run to the animal shelter and rescue a kitty to play with my dogs.  If you’re interested in rescuing a kitty or puppy I highly recommend visiting Petfinder.com and search their massive database of homeless animals.  I used Petfinder.com to find and rescue my first dog, Linus and Australian Shepherd mix.

Happy Friday!  I hope you enjoyed today’s video!  If you have any questions please leave us a comment in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Dog Friends Tagged With: , , , , ,

Puppy In Training Timeline Part 3

March 2, 2010 By 3 Comments

The Puppy In Training Timeline is a series of articles chronicling my life with dogs and puppies.  Basically it’s the long version of my “About Me” page and helps to show the influences in my life that led to where I am today with my dogs, puppies, and my writings on the Puppy In Training website.

Puppy In Training Timeline Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | and beyond…

1997 – 2004 – The Dog-less years

A time without dogs.  In 1997 I left Tucson, Arizona and headed back home to Orange County leaving behind the two little puppies, Stinky and Pepper.  Maffy, our family dog was in his senior, senior years.  If you recall Maffy passed in 2002.  After a short stay with my parents I moved out to an apartment of my own.  Over the next 7 years I drudged away in corporate America and had little time to take care of a dog.  It was during this time that I was dog-less, but I still had dogs in my life…as a Dog Sitter!

I dog sat many different breeds including a Border Collie mix, Great Pyrenees, Mini Doberman Pinscher, Dachshund mix, Maltese, Miniature Poodles, German Shepherd, and Various Mutts (not too sure of the breed).  Here are a few of the dogs that help influence my decision to get my first dog.

Quincy the Miniature Poodle


image by Amy McCartney

Way back in 1997 I started working in corporate America and shortly after starting that job the CEO of our company got a Miniature Poodle named Quincy.  Back then I didn’t know too much about puppy mills and getting puppies from pet stores and neither did my boss.  Quincy came from a local pet store, but regardless of possibly coming from a puppy mill and having to live at the pet store for a short time he was and is an absolutely wonderful dog.  I’ve watched, house sat, dog sat, picked him up from the veterinarian, and dog walked him over the past 13 years.  He has a great little personality, he’s very easy going, and is very easy to take care.  Also, did I mention that he does not shed?

Every once in a while Quincy comes into the office and greets all the employees.  After watching and taking care of Quincy I new I wanted to get a dog of my own someday.  One other thing I like about Quincy is he doesn’t have that funny Poodle haircut.

Emfur the German Shepherd

image by jutuzga

Emfur was my brother’s ex-girlfriends dog. A purebred German Shepherd, he looked exactly like the K9 police dogs you see on television or working on the street.  He looked intimidating, had a deep bark, and weighed in at over 100 pounds.  I remember when he’d stay at our house my friends were sometimes scared to come in the door.  Emfur loved to bark at people at the front door and scared the poop out of people until they got into the house.  Once you were in the house he became your best friend.  The problem was no one wanted to come in the house after hearing Emfur’s roar.

Emfur was a very well-behaved dog in the house, but probably an even better watch/guard dog.  He was usually easy to walk around the neighborhood except for one time when I remember he nearly pulled my arm out of it’s socket.  However, most other times on his walk he’d do funny things like lay down on the ground when he saw some of our small neighborhood dogs.

I watched him several times at my condo and he had a fairly severe case of separation anxiety.  He didn’t bark or chew things, but when my brother’s ex would leave the house Emfur would sit at the front door for hours on end waiting for her to come home.  He was definitely a very faithful one person dog.

I’m sad to say that I heard Emfur passed away a couple years ago.  I’m sure Emfur is doing well playing with his friends at the Rainbow Bridge.

Kona the Dachshund Mix


image by jasontucker

In 2004 one of my best friends and his wife  lost their senior rescue dog, Barley to old age.  A few months later they adopted another rescue dog.  This time they got a puppy that was shaped a lot like a Dachshund, but may also have been mixed with a German Shepherd.  I was lucky enough to be a big part of Kona’s life.  In her early life I puppy sat Kona nearly every time my friends left town.

Kona was a great puppy and I believe I was a big part in her upbringing.  I remember working with her on car rides.  She used to hate the car, but today she jumps right in when it’s time for a car ride.

Helping raise Kona was one of the big reasons I decided to rescue my first rescue puppy, Linus.

Sam the Maltese

Maltese Puppy

image by yasmapaz & ace_heart

Not long before I picked up Linus from the Carson Shelter I met one of my co-workers dogs named Sam.  Although Sam had a little bit of separation anxiety he was a great dog and came to the office once in a while.  I never formally watched Sam, but during his visits to the office I would keep in eye on him now and then.

Sam had a great temperament and seeing a well-behaved dog in the office made me want a well-behaved dog of my own.  After seeing Sam’s good behavior in the office I was intent on properly training my own dog to be well-behaved in all social situations similar to a dog like Sam or like the behavior of a service or guide dog.

2004 was a monumental year for me.  It was at this time that I decided to take a sabbatical from work.  It wasn’t just a break from work, but a chance to change my career.  I wanted to learn more about web development/design and internet marketing.  It was during this time away from work that I would have a chance to get a puppy of my own.

Check out Part 4 of the Puppy In Training Timeline.

Filed Under: Dog Adoptions, Rescue Dogs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Puppy In Training Blog Carnival #7

February 25, 2009 By 6 Comments

Welcome to another edition of the Puppy In Training Blog Carnival. We have several great articles in this edition. It seems like we’ve got everything for the dog lover in this carnival from a cantaloupe eating Malamute, dog training tips, even some great puppy t-shirt artwork

On with the blog carnival!

Blog Carnival #7

One of the reasons I love hosting the Puppy In Training Blog Carnival is it introduces me to many new blogs and website that I never would have discovered on my own. One of those sites is Carl Jagt’s Saturday Morning Tee of the Week. I’m going to assume that the Saturday Morning part of the title has something to do with Saturday Morning cartoons? Hopefully Carl will chime in and explain the motivation for his site title. Robot VS Puppy is an adorable concept for a t-shirt..I’m actually considering purchasing a few shirts for my dog lover friends. BONUS Material: after the image there’s entire write up explaining the inspiration for the drawing. If you want to check out the adorable image plus other great t-shirt concepts visit Carl Jagt’s Saturday Morning Tee of the Week.

Article #2 is our cantaloupe eating Alaskan Malamute starring in I May Be Housing A Fugitive. Written in a news story style you have to check out the damage this Alaskan Malamute did to an unsuspecting cantaloupe that was sitting on the counter. It reminds me of my little Puppy In Training, Derby who is a master at picking things up of the ground, couch, and tables. We’re working on it and he kind of understands the words “Drop It”

Our third article comes from a familiar site the Training Fido blog. This week’s article is about clicker training: Clicker Train Fido to Sit. This article is a great introduction to clicker training and gives you the basics on what clicker training is and how to get started. We worked on clicker training for a short period of time with Linus. His first trainer wasn’t that into clicker training, but she gave us an introduction and the concept of the training technique.

If you’re reading titles then it’s fairly self explanatory what the Dog Training Step-by-Step blog is about. This weeks article is very helpful indeed and is titled Don’t let Fido Pull You. This is something I’m constantly working on in dog obedience class. It seems like some dogs like to pull while others don’t want to walk at all.

How Pet Owner’s Can Deal With Dog Aggression is a great article on…you guessed it how to curb dog aggression.  One thing I’d like to point out in this article is “Start Early”  This is good advice and it’s important to expose your puppy to different environments, people, and situations at an early age, but you must also be careful that you do not over expose your puppy.  Make sure all of your activities are age appropriate for your puppy.

This is the exact question I was asking before I picked up Linus from the animal shelter… Finding A Reputable Dog Breeder. Technically it’s not a question, but you understand. This article gives you 8 questions you should be asking any breeder before buying a puppy. After reading this article you will definitely have a good idea of how to find a good breeder.

That’s it for this issue of the Puppy In Training Blog Carnival. If your interested in submitting an article to our next carnival please leave a comment below or submit your information through my contact form.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Dog Tagged With: , , ,

Pet Evacuation Safety Tips

November 20, 2008 By 4 Comments

In light of the recent fires in Southern California it has come to my attention that I should have an emergency evacuation plan for my dogs. One of our readers sent us a link to an LA Times article that lists a few safety precautions to help prepare us and our pets for a disaster evacuation. Here’s the list from the LA Times article: Southland wildfires: When pets must be evacuated:

Pet Evacuation Safety Tips

Disaster officials recommend that you put together an emergency preparedness plan specifically for your pets. Various organizations such as Homeland Security, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the American Red Cross recommend the following:

  • Prepare a pet emergency supply kit. In watertight containers, pack at least three days of food and water for each pet and include medicine and veterinary records, first aid kit, collars with ID tags, a harness or leash, a crate or a pet carrier, and sanitation supplies such as plastic bags, disinfectants and paper towels.
  • Preselect shelter sites and resources. Prepare a list of phone numbers of local animal shelters and hotels and motels that take pets. Include the names and numbers of friends or family who can temporarily care for the pets. Have a buddy system with a good neighbor who would be willing to check on your animals in case you’re not home.
  • At first warning of an evacuation, act quickly. Bring pets into the house so you don’t have to look for them if you must leave quickly. Try to call ahead to arrange emergency shelter for your pet. Make sure your dog or cat has current identification.
  • If pets must be left behind … alert local animal control and, if necessary, give animal control officers permission — and keys — to enter your home to rescue the pets.

One other point I remember hearing/seeing/reading somewhere was that you should have a pet emergency card on your refrigerator alerting rescue officials of the pets in your house, their names, and any additional information. This can be very important information as I’m sure many animals would hide from:

  • A firefighter in full uniform
  • A stranger
  • When scared by natural disasters (fires, earthquakes, hurricanes…etc.)

If rescue officials know that their are two cats and two dogs in the house then they could look for all four pets.

Does anyone else have helpful pet evacuation safety tips?

We also recently experienced the horrible earthquakes and tsunami’s in Japan and the horrific aftermath.  If you’re looking for some more information on safety then take a look at our article on Earthquake Safety Tips For Your Pets.

Filed Under: Dog Medical And Safety Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Why You Should Not Chase Your Dog

April 16, 2008 By 4 Comments

I’ve learned a lot about puppies, dogs, and training over the last few years and one thing that has really stuck out in my head is never chase your dog!

I Had A Dream….

This bit of advice has stuck out in my head so much I’ve been having dreams about it. Last week I dreamt (is that a word?) about my guide dog puppy in training, Stetson, Walmart, and Walmart employees. For some reason Stetson was running around the store, loose and off his leash. All of the Walmart employees were chasing him trying to corral him.

Of course, Stetson thought this was a great game and continued to play keep away from all the Walmart employees. It was quite a fiasco with people sliding into displays, running into each other, and Stetson being the agile puppy narrowly escaping everyone’s grasp. Quite simply it was like watching the three stooges.

Why You Should Not Chase Your Dog

Did you learn a lesson from my dream? The moral of the story was do not chase your dog! Why? because he thinks it’s a game. If you chase, he runs away. I’m sorry to say that most likely he’s quicker than you. I’ve seen it many times at the park or on residential streets…people frantically chasing their dogs while the dog simply moves gracefully and speedily out of the grasp of their owners. So, what should you do to get your dog to come to you? Don’t chase them like the picture below!

Me Chasing Dogs

Run Away!

To quote Monty Python and the Holy Grail…RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! That’s right. If you want your dog to come to you run away from him. Once again he’ll think it’s a game, but now it’s his turn to chase you. Take a look at the picture below. Linus and Stetson have me in their sights and it’s only a matter of seconds before they’ve caught up to me.

Dogs Chasing Me

In my experiences running away from your dog or puppy is an effective way to get them to come to you. Try it sometime and let me know how it goes. When you chase does your puppy run away from you? When you run away from your puppy does he chase you? Do you know of any other effective ways to get your puppy to “Come” to you?

Filed Under: Dog Training Tips Tagged With: , , ,

Children Versus Dogs

January 18, 2008 By 13 Comments

YAY! It’s Friday and I wanted to end the week with a little bit of humor with the classic battle of Children Versus Dogs. This comes from an email I received from a friend who is about to have a baby. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and in this case I totally agree. The pictures really pit choosing the lesser of two evils (actually I really love my dogs and want to have kids someday….the pictures below just make you go hmmm…).

This comes from an email circulating around the internet so many of you may have already seen it. I’m sure even if you have seen it you will enjoy it again.

Life’s Decisions are never simple. Consider the following two choices:

SHOULD I GET A DOG?

The Dog Couch

…

…

…

…OR HAVE CHILDREN???

Fun With Kids

What do you think of the battle between dog versus child? I love these pictures. Let me know what you think.

Filed Under: Dog Humor Tagged With: , , ,

When Doggy Treats Go Bad

January 16, 2008 By 7 Comments

RosieI was adding Stetson’s profile to Dogster the other day and for those of you who know Dogster also know that when you first add a dog you usually receive several puppy pal requests. I took my time and read through each puppy pal request writing a little note and accepting each one at a time. While going through this process I cam across the profile for “In Loving Memory of Rosie”. Rosie is the little Chihuahua sitting in between the legs of the cocker spaniel in the image above.

Rosie’s Story

Straight from Rosie’s Dogster page:

In our hearts we know that our pet Rosie, a 3 year old Chihuahua was poisoned from Chinese made Bestro’s Jerky Chicken Strips #77849 00006 1 We have this contaminated bag. We have three Chihuahuas and one of them died July 21. Rosie started with vomiting and dehydration (she was drinking lots of water)and then we were told she may either have an obstruction or have been poisioned. Since our dogs are inside dogs and we are with them at all times outside we thought it was an obstruction. Finally the doctor at Elwood Animal Clinic in Glendora, California. said he was almost positive it was some kind of poisoning . They were going to scope her but before that could happen she died July 21, 2007 at VCA in Fountain Valley, California.

I don’t feed my dogs Bestro’s Jerky Chicken Strips, but I do feed them another kind of chicken jerky treat.

Poisonous Doggy Treats

I know, I’m a little late on the poisoned dog food and treats from China, but this little story got me thinking: Am I giving my dogs poisonous food or treats? I feed my dogs Canidae Maintenance Formula for All Life Stages (40-lb bag) and this brand of food never showed up on any poisoned dog food lists. However, I never really considered the treats I was feeding my dogs.

Check out my article about the food I feed give my dogs and also about puppy feeding schedules.

Waggin’ Train Chicken Jerky Tenders

I give my dogs different treats depending on what I think they might like, but I’ve been feeding my dogs Waggin’ Train Chicken Jerky Tenders Dog Treats (Dog Food) – 40 oz (That’s 2.5 Pounds of Natural Chicken Fillet) regularly for the past 3 years and they love them. I haven’t had any problems with these treats and thought…”hey, they’re chicken fillets…how can I go wrong with real chicken.”

Chicken Jerky TendersToday I started doing some research on the Waggin’ Train Chicken Jerky Tenders and found several scary stories and threads about the treats. First of all click the Waggin’ Train Chicken Jerky Tenders image which will bring you to the Amazon product page and take a look at the product reviews. Some of the review are very good, but there appears to be an equal number of reviews that claim this product poisoned their dog. This really scared me, so I decided to do a little more research.

Take a look at this Epinions forum: Found a great dog treat and it’s cheap! Don’t let the title of this article fool you. As you continue down the thread you will notice there are many unsatisfied people claiming that this product poisoned their dog. The forum thread is 21 pages long and there are many complaints stuffed in between those pages.

Are There Safe Dog Treats?

I still have about a third of my Waggin’ Train Chicken Jerky Tenders left and I’m wondering if I should try giving my dogs different treats. I know they love these treats and I haven’t had any problems with them for three years. My concern is what regulations does this company and others have to keep these products safe? Was this an isolated incident with a bad batch of Waggin Train Chicken Treats or is this a regular occurrence?

Even humans will run the risk of eating poisoned foods. Food poisoning in humans is not uncommon and I know that human food can also be recalled.

My question to you is do you know of a safe dog treat?

Filed Under: Dog Products Tagged With: , ,

Dog Training – AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program

January 14, 2008 By 9 Comments

Canine Good CitizenLast week at our GDA meeting I was told that we would have the opportunity to certify our dogs in the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Program. I have heard of this certification before and I know that many dog owners use the Canine Good Citizen training and testing as a prerequisite to therapy dog certification.

I’m very interested in getting Stetson the best training possible in preparation for his duties as a Guide Dog and the Canine Good Citizen Certification would look great on his resume. And if Stetson did not make it as a Guide Dog then I would definitely do my best to certify him as a therapy dog.

AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program

There are 10 test items in the CGC Program. Here’s the list:

  1. Test 1 – Accepting a friendly stranger
    • In this test Stetson has to remain in position while the handler (me) meets a friendly stranger. Stetson is pretty good at this and doesn’t usually break position when I meet a stranger.
  2. Test 2 – Sitting politely for petting
    • Stetson needs a little bit of work in this area. He doesn’t always stay seated when he is petted…something we’ve been working on, but as far as I can tell he may not have to remain seated for the test.
  3. Test 3 – Appearance and grooming
    • I groom Stetson quite frequently including bathing, brushing, brushing teeth, cleaning ears, and cutting nails. He should be fine on this test.
  4. Test 4 – Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
    • Stetson is pretty good on walks. He usually keeps a loose lead. He should be fine on this test.
  5. Test 5 – Walking through a crowd
    • Stetson is not bothered by walking through a crowd. He should be fine on this test.
  6. Test 6 – Sit and down on command and Staying in place
    • Sit, down, and staying in place is one thing we are constantly working on. Stetson should be fine on this test.
  7. Test 7 – Coming when called
    • Stetson loves coming when called. He shouldn’t have a problem on this test. My only worry is how hard he’s going to hit his head into my shins.
  8. Test 8 – Reacting to another dog
    • This is the big one. We really need to work on his reactions to another dog. Basically the handler (me) and Stetson will meet the evaluator and a dog. Stetson must remain calm and show no more than casual interest in the other dog. My Mom, Stetson, Linus and I practiced this yesterday and Stetson did great, but he sees Linus everyday. I need to work on this with dogs Stetson does not already know.
  9. Test 9 – Reaction to distraction
    • For the most part Stetson is not bothered much by distractions. He should be fine on this part of the test.
  10. Test 10 – Supervised Separation
    • Stetson is fine when he’s separated from me. I often think he will not even care when he leaves for his formal guide dog training. He just seems to have fun wherever he goes. He’ll be fine during supervised separation.

Why Doesn’t Linus Get Tested For CGC

Dog with DiplomaLinus is an awesome dog, but there are just some tests I’m pretty sure he’d never be able to pass in the Canine Good Citizens Program. Actually he is much better than Stetson on several of these tests. However, I don’t think he’d ever be able to pass Test 9 – Reaction to distraction. Linus is a bit timid and gets frightened easily by distractions. The examples listed on the AKC website are dropping a chair, rolling a crate dolly past the dog, having a jogger run in front of the dog, or dropping a crutch or cane. Linus shies away from these things which is a negative reaction and would most likely not pass this portion of the exam.

I have about a month to prepare Stetson and will find out most of the details on the test this Tuesday.

I’m looking for people with well behaved dogs to work on Test 8 – Reacting to another dog. If you have a well behaved dog and would like to work on this portion of the test with me then please contact me in the comments section of this article. By the way, I’m located in Orange County, CA.

For more information on the Canine Good Citizen Program visit the AKC website.

Are you interested in getting your dog CGC certified? Have you completed this program? I’d love to hear what you have to say especially if you are interested in or have already completed the Canine Good Citizen Program.

Filed Under: Dog Training Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

Secure Your Dog In The Car With A Safety Harness

January 13, 2008 By 3 Comments

Safety HarnessDuring my search to find a car suitable for my two dogs I began to think about some of the products I own that help keep my dogs safe in the car. Several years ago I purchased the Four Paws Safety Seat Vest Harness for my dog Linus. Linus is a very calm dog and for the most part just sits in the back or front seat of the car while I drive. This makes it very easy for me to drive even if he doesn’t have any sort of safety device on. However there are plenty of reasons you should consider a safety harness or some other device that keeps your dog in his seat.

The Dangers Of Driving With Your Dog

This information comes from a UK Pet Club website:

…RAC Foundation showed nearly 90% of all pet-owning motorists had been distracted by their animal when driving, and a further 11% had almost crashed into the car in front because they were too busy attending to their furry friends to look at the road… …Even pets that are normally well behaved could be frightened by something unusual and dive for the driver’s feet or lap… So what’s the best way to keep you and your pet safe in the car?

  1. All pets should be safely secured in the back, either with a harness, cage, pet carrier or behind a dog guard in the boot.
  2. Should you be unlucky enough to have a crash, make sure you don’t let a dog out of its carrier until it has calmed down, or it could pose a risk to other road users.
  3. To prevent your pet distracting you as you drive, get it used to the car by taking it on a series of short drives, gradually lengthening the time spent in the car to get them used to it.
  4. There’s nothing more distracting than an animal that’s being sick all over your upholstery. Feed it a light meal four hours before departure and avoid giving it large amounts of food just before you leave.
  5. Don’t let your pet sit in the front if you have a passenger airbag or it could be injured in an accident.

As I said earlier Linus is a very calm dog, but he is easily startled and would jump up to the front seat or my lap when he’s scared. Before I considered securing Linus in a harness he would usually stay in place riding in the front passenger seat. However, as a puppy he vomited on several occasions on my upholstery. Also, as mentioned you shouldn’t let your dog ride in the front seat if you have passenger side airbags. Just like with children a dog can be seriously injured by the airbag.

Guide Dog Car Rides

Guide Dog Puppies in Training need to get very accustomed to riding in the car. Stetson alway rides on the passenger side floorboards when we are driving (if he’s with a passenger he stays on the floorboards between the passengers legs). As a puppy I had to secure Stetson to the floorboards by trapping his leash inside the closed car door. I would do this by putting a knot in his leash then closing the passenger door on the knot. After about a month he became accustomed to the floorboards and would just stay down on his own during all of our car rides. The other option I have with Stetson is to let him ride in a crate while driving. I’ve only done this one time since I’ve had Stetson and that was because I had several dogs riding in my car.

Safety Devices

There are plenty of safety devices out there to secure your dog during car rides. Some I’ve used and some I have not.

  • Midwest 1636DD Life-Stages Folding Double-Door Metal Dog Crate – I bought this crate before I picked up Linus from the shelter. I continue to use the same crate with Stetson. It’s been very durable and much easier to travel with than the plastic shell crates (you can collapse the crate making it easy for travel). It also has a divider allowing your puppy to grow into the crate (if a crate is too large for a puppy then he will often piddle on one side and sleep on the other). Be sure to get the correct size crate for your dog. Also make sure your crate is secure in your car.
  • Linus with harness in carFour Paws Safety Seat Vest Harness – This is the safety harness I use with Linus. The picture to the right is Linus in the back seat of the CRV. It’s a little difficult to see the harness because the straps are the same color as Linus’s fur. Hopefully you can see how the seatbelt runs through the back of the harness keeping Linus safe in the car.
  • LARGE – RED – Dog Car/Truck Safety Harness – Adjustable Nylon Web with Quick Release Buckles – I came across this harness, but have not purchased or used it. I thought it was interesting that it connected directly to the seatbelt.

Barriers - Barriers will keep your dog from coming to the front seat of your car, but still may not protect them from an accident or keep them secure and under control.

The Four Paws Safety Vest An Harness

I highly recommend the Four Paws Safety Seat Vest Harness. Linus wears his harness in the backseat of my car. Just put on the harness, loop the seatbelt through the back of the harness, and snap the seatbelt into place. That’s it! Now you have the peace of mind that your dog will not try to sit on your lap while your driving, jump out the window, or bounce of the windshield in an accident.

I’ve had three problems with my Four Paws Safety Seat Vest Harness.Safety Hook

  1. When I first purchased it from PetSmart the size was not quite right for Linus. I’ve read that other people have had trouble with the size of this product (I guess the sizing chart is not quite accurate). Linus is a medium sized dog and weighs about 55 pounds. His harness is a medium.
  2. When Linus was younger he ate through the plastic snaps on the harness. Luckily he didn’t chew through the straps. I was able to take a Climbers Safety Spring Hook and use that instead of the plastic snaps.
  3. Recently after I snap on Linus’s harness and seatbelt he tries to get comfortable. You’ve probably all seen your dog circle two or three times before they lay down. This is a problem when the harness and seatbelt are on because your dog will get tangled in the seatbelt. I haven’t found a good solution for this issue yet

Linus in the Four Paws Safety Vest An HarnessThe picture on the left is Linus wearing the Four Paws Safety Seat Vest Harness. You can’t see the harness very well because of Linus’s black fur. You can see the red replacement Climbers Safety Spring Hooks I used in place of the regular clips.

Overall I think this is a great product and something you should consider using if you take your dog on car rides. It’s very important to keep yourself and your dog safe whenever you go out for a drive.

Let me know what you think. What do you do with your dog? Do you secure him during car rides?

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