Choose the best dog car seats for your furry friends (2024)

If you have a dog at home, you may often think of a long road trip with him! But your dog might not like the car ride, and you will not like cleaning up his mess afterward.

Don’t worry! This problem has a simple solution that is within your reach.

This article hopes to help you find the best dog car seats suitable for your furry friend(s).

What qualities do standard dog car seats have?

Dog owners know the trouble of having a buddy squirming, running around in their back seats, or, even worse, trying to get to their laps while driving.

A dog car seat is an effective solution to this problem.

But if you buy an unsafe, uncomfortable, or unsuitable seat, you’ll end up worsening the problem and making your dog restless.

Before researching which dog car seat to buy, you need to know what elements to look for in a standard product. We’ve compiled a list of criteria for you to consider.

Crash safety

The element that first arises is safety. When we’re in our seats, we’ll put on our seatbelts and adjust our back height to keep your ride safe. You cannot do this for a dog; therefore, safety must be present in the seat’s design.

Lucky for you, you don’t have to test the crash on the seat by yourself. The usage tag of each standard dog booster seat product should have the seal of approval from the Center For Pet Safety.

Even when you intend to add a dog car harness to the protection mix for bigger pups, those also have to pass the crash test from the Center before entry on the market.

Keep an eye out for the approval to make sure the seat provides your dog with proper care. After all, the best seats aren’t always the prettiest but the ones that help the dog survive a crash.

Dog size suitability

We recommend bringing your furry friend on your trip to the shop! Most pet accessories stores welcome this to reduce their product return rate.

There should be recommendations on the product’s description for the dog size and weight that best fits the seat. Even then, you can also determine from the get-go if the seat suits your dog based on intuition.

If you forget how much your dog weighs, we’ve prepared a list of dog weights by breed for reference.

Choosing the right seat size will provide your dog with maximum road comfort. And once your pooch is eased, it will stay in one place and not cause trouble.

Durability

This factor determines both the value of the product and the safety it provides.

Think about it: Would you rather have a car seat that’s cheaply made and only withstand a few shakes or a safe spot that costs a little more but stays with your dog for longer? A good car seat is a long-term investment, so don’t forget to check for product lifespan.

Also, a durable product can guarantee safety and ensure lasting comfort.

A dog can take from two days to two months to attach to a new household, so imagine the time it takes for a dog to get used to a seat.

Once your dog accepts its spot in your vehicle, detaching him from his usual seat will be hard.

Make sure that your choices are the additions to your ride and the ones that keep your dog company in the long run.

Find the best dog car seat

Search trustworthy sources

Don’t save your time by skipping reviews. Those lines can ease you off many testing and return trips to the store.

Sure, there will be seedings by the manufacturing company. You can weed these out from the genuine recommendations by checking the usernames above the comments.

Read the usage tag

Even the best seats can go bad in the wrong hands. There is much valuable information on a usage tag that you can familiarize yourself with, such as waterproofness, washability, dry-cleanability, and whether it’s dustproof. You can also find this safety information on leaflets and brochures for the product.

Knowing about the car seat’s material make-up can also help you find a seat suitable for your dog. If you stay with your dog for a while, you’ll learn its odd behaviors and certain things that it dislikes, and some of those irks will include textures. The tag can give you the fabric composition to check if it suits your pooch.

Look for deals with trial days

If you get a car seat deal that lets you bring home and test their products for a couple of days or even just an hour, you’re in luck! Those deals come few and far between, so we advise you to take full advantage when you have them.

Ride a few rounds with your dog, test a few brakes and slopes with your dog carefully put in it. Do everything (except for crashing your car) to test the car seat abilities and features, and give yourself the necessary experience and comparison materials.

Final thoughts on dog car seats

And there you have it: A complete guide to ensure the smoothest trip for your pet on your vehicle. Your little friend needs just a little bit more than the car seat to remain calm, but you’re on your way.

We hope that with all these tips, you can find yourself the best dog car seats and a happy dog by your side in your endeavors.

Kathy J. Warner is the chief editor of The Safety Restraint Coalition, a leading site on the topic of child restraint systems. She is a busy mother of two and a CPS technician for more than eight years. Her mission is to awaken parents to the importance of child passenger safety and show them the right practice.

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