STM and dog owners

boymamaco

I'm still in training mode with my pup 5 mo and figure I have enough time to work on the best car habits. I just started putting him in the way back of the SUV when we go for a car ride. But I'm thinking the stroller will be back there once LO arrives. So should I train him to be comfy in a harness on the back seat?

I can't have him on the back seat w/o a harness b/c he climbs into the front and tries to sit on my lap. Cute now but not when he'll be 85 lbs!

What do you do?

Rachey1082

We put our dogs in harnesses in the back seat.

atoz625

When we had our two dogs in the car, with the baby, AND needed a stroller, the stroller typically sat "in the car" behind one of the seats.  But, you may not always need the stroller too.  You could use a carrier like an ergo or something (what we did when we went to the beach with the dogs).  I maybe found myself cramped for space with the dogs, DS, DH and I in a CR-V maybe once or twice?  Also, in the beginning, the snap and go stroller is your friend, and it's very compact when folded.

boymamaco

Great, thank you!

lynn97

I have two dogs. One, a Yorkie, almost always rides in his pet taxi which gets belted into the car. The other, a Border Collie, gets tied on via her leash b/c she wanders everywhere in the car. DH let's her ride free with him but she just lays in the passenger seat with him.

nikkiandchris

Our dog is always in the back, and we have a gate that prevents her from jumping into the back seat. I feel safer with her back there in the event of an accident, and she would never tolerate the harness. She's also a spaz who would be in the baby's face the entire ride. So same as PP, when we ride with the dog and we need the stroller, it goes on the floor in the back seat. 

kateisgreat

I have doggy seat belt harnesses for my dogs to keep them safe in the event of an accident so they don't get thrown all over the car. We have a mini van, and put them in the back seat, it works out well. When we had a camry and the baby + 2 dogs, the seat belts were necessary because until the car starts rolling, they wander around the seats and would jump over LO, which made me worry.

JET29

We have a Ford Explorer and there's room for the stroller and dog in the back. But our dog is closer to 50 pounds.

EmeraldSea

I hadn't thought about it yet but we probably will keep him (our dog - he'll tap out around 80 too) in the way back. Not sure how often we'll have him in the car when the babe is in the car.. he likes to climb all over!

LnR70707

Our dog never goes anywhere if DS does.   He is high anxiety and scared to death of cars so we gave up on trying to restrain him with a harness years before we got to the kids point.   I'd try to train with a harness though, as it is always good to have options if you can.