Traveling with a dog

[Alexbv]

Hey guys. Not sure this is the place to ask this but I have an 80 series land cruiser and we travel and camp with the wife and my two kids on car seats. We are looking to add a medium size dog to the family but I was looking at recommendations on where or how to transport him safely and comfortably. We usually travel with the back fully loaded with camping gear so we were thinking in between the kids but would love to see how some of you do it.

 

[120mm]

In my wife's truck, we have the dog buckled into the middle belt with a special harness set up like this:

Amazon product ASIN B07RR89CV5
The intent is to keep the dog inside the vehicle in case of an accident, and minimize its' effect as a projectile.

If you are really, really concerned about safety of the dog and your family, a bolted down carrier is about the best, though philosophically, I'm not that risk averse.

In fact, when I'm driving my FJ55 or my 1967 Mustang convertible, the dog is just loose. She's smart enough to keep herself seated in the passenger seat, or curled up sleeping in the footwell. I understand that in case of a serious accident the dog is probably going to die, and it might become a projectile that will hurt me or another passenger, but I've accepted that risk in order to enjoy the company of my dog as a fellow adventure seeker.

 

[PNWLX]

We adopted a not-small Husky this past Spring that has been on several camping trips with our family of 4. We picked up a kennel for him that we can keep in the back of the rig. We pack around that and it works really well. I can't believe we can fit all of our gear whilst giving up about half of our cargo space. That said, it works since we can put small items like camping chairs, shovel, axe, etc. between the wall and the kennel. Other half of the rear-end still has room for the cooler, table, stove, clothes, etc. Camera gear, electronics, and snacks are packed between the car seats in their row.

We lucked out and he is content sleeping in the kennel at night when we are up top in the tent, was so worried I would have to carry him up!

 

[RHINO]

Forgive the non land cruiser pic, but I only have this pic of the Tacoma handy. They travel in kenels in both rigs.

 

[PNWLX]

Forgive the non land cruiser pic, but I only have this pic of the Tacoma handy. They travel in kenels in both rigs.View attachment 2877595

Nice setup!

 

[hudd07]

You could do something like this. My 80 lb Weimaraner fits on right hand side with a bed happily.

 

[JayMilla]

Dogs in crates works best for us. They get their own protected space, and no mess.

 

[silver tuna]

I personally wouldn’t have any problem strapping a kennel to a cargo carrier or roof rack and transporting a dog in it during the summer months.

 

[Alexbv]

You could do something like this. My 80 lb Weimaraner fits on right hand side with a bed happily.

View attachment 2884856

Nice. Yes, I was thinking I would have to get the drawer system and carry more stuff on the roof to make room. The wifie doesn’t like the idea of not being able to easily add the third row when we have family or nephews visit. The refrigerator also takes a lot of room but is needed.

 

[Jarred]

Forgive the non land cruiser pic, but I only have this pic of the Tacoma handy. They travel in kenels in both rigs.View attachment 2877595

Pretty good setup and looks comfy for both of them.

 

[Skniper]

I personally wouldn’t have any problem strapping a kennel to a cargo carrier or roof rack and transporting a dog in it during the summer months.

Dude WTF?...please don't do this to an animal/dog.

 

[MiamiC70]

Maybe, some should strap @silver tuna to his roof drive around in summer at 95 degrees for a few hours and “test” out his system.

 

[MycoManiac]

Maybe, some should strap @silver tuna to his roof drive around in summer at 95 degrees for a few hours and “test” out his system.

Part of me hope we missed the sarcasm. But there really are people like this around. We personally put the dogs in kennels for long trips. They’re free to roam in the back for short hauls.

 

[LINUS]

I personally wouldn’t have any problem strapping a kennel to a cargo carrier or roof rack and transporting a dog in it during the summer months.

Let’s strap a coffin-size box on a vehicle roof & see how you like even a ~30mi run.

Drill some air holes - all you want.
It’ll suck, I promise.

— Better yet, expect a ~30mph impact, what do want to be strapped to, if anything since we just saw you claim a roof kennel is ‘good enough’.

I sincerely hope that was a ‘bait-post’, otherwise you’re a full bitćha$$ - and if I ever saw that I’d call 911/get Animal Control online w/ your plate. No lie.

There is a HUGE difference in dogs that like a truck bed versus a full airflow crate on a roof. They all lay flat if it’s cold or more than ~20mph.

I live in hickville & am one myself.
- I see labs & rotties in truck beds at lights in town, but all us hicks never drop the dog in the bed when we go on the highways, that was gone with the Subaru Brats with the bed seats for people.

I really hope you can draw the line, but I fear you don’t- unless as I stated you were shyt-posting / drunk at that time. That was full BS.

My boxer who is a passive - aggressive shyt of a unclipped male gets at minimum a leash clipped to a non-choke chain collar, and goes nutz when his real harness comes out for trips he **knows** means the truck cabin for a long drive, or we’re going out to the boat launch & he gets a life jacket swap-out.

My dog harness in the truck when we really travel & even short runs where I beat up either of my junk ‘Yotas ::

Dog Car Harness | Impact Car Safety Harness

The ultimate dog car harness, the Impact car safety harness is crash tested for dogs up to 130 pounds. Backed by a lifetime warranty

www.kurgo.com

 

[silver tuna]

On second though maybe it wasn’t the best of ideas…it ruins your mpg.

Let’s strap a coffin-size box on a vehicle roof & see how you like even a ~30mi run.

Drill some air holes - all you want.
It’ll suck, I promise.

— Better yet, expect a ~30mph impact, what do want to be strapped to, if anything since we just saw you claim a roof kennel is ‘good enough’.

I sincerely hope that was a ‘bait-post’, otherwise you’re a full bitćha$$ - and if I ever saw that I’d call 911/get Animal Control online w/ your plate. No lie.

There is a HUGE difference in dogs that like a truck bed versus a full airflow crate on a roof. They all lay flat if it’s cold or more than ~20mph.

I live in hickville & am one myself.
- I see labs & rotties in truck beds at lights in town, but all us hicks never drop the dog in the bed when we go on the highways, that was gone with the Subaru Brats with the bed seats for people.

I really hope you can draw the line, but I fear you don’t- unless as I stated you were shyt-posting / drunk at that time. That was full BS.

My boxer who is a passive - aggressive shyt of a unclipped male gets at minimum a leash clipped to a non-choke chain collar, and goes nutz when his real harness comes out for trips he **knows** means the truck cabin for a long drive, or we’re going out to the boat launch & he gets a life jacket swap-out.

My dog harness in the truck when we really travel & even short runs where I beat up either of my junk ‘Yotas ::

Dog Car Harness | Impact Car Safety Harness

The ultimate dog car harness, the Impact car safety harness is crash tested for dogs up to 130 pounds. Backed by a lifetime warranty

www.kurgo.com

If you strap your boxer to the roof of your car then you have a roof-top-box

 

[alia176]

This is my setup but I am missing the two middle row seats. There's a platform in the middle row, where a fridge lives permanently on one side and room for a snack box, plus duffle bags on the other side. My setup isn't realistic for a family with two kids, obviously. Here's how the cargo area is setup to accommodate a dog plus a kitchen drawer setup. This is my GF's dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Whip it combo, about 50ish pounds. She loves this setup and finds it secure/safe. I do have a Milford cargo barrier, which I think is the first thing any SUV owner should invest in, a cargo barrier that is.

Honestly, I only have a single child and packing out the 80 like a f'ing game of Tetris really pissed me off when she was one year old. That's when an offroad trailer came into the pic and life was mobetta. The trailer was always locked and loaded and the 80 was much easier to pack out for a weekend. Things like a pack n play sucks up major amount of room and the trailer allowed us to bring a whole lot of s***. As our daughter got older, she simply graduated from a PnPlay to an adult size cot and we were inside a controlled environment, with a hard floor and off the ground.

So, its a huge compromise when camping with a family. The 80 now is used for daily moving style of camping, while the V8 4runner is the tow bitch for the camper. I realize this is a luxury, not a necessity but that's how I solved my frustration of packing my 80 like the Beverly Hillbillies.

Toroweap overlook, AZ

Point Sublime, AZ

Fast forward many years and this is how we go camping when it's just more than me. Daughter and friend sitting on top of the camper, waiting for roadside dinner to be served before we arrive at our destination that evening. Did you notice the two longboards sitting on the ground? Yeah, this is what happens when you have the room to haul fun toys!

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Hey guys. Not sure this is the place to ask this but I have an 80 series land cruiser and we travel and camp with the wife and my two kids on car seats. We are looking to add a medium size dog to the family but I was looking at recommendations on where or how to transport him safely and comfortably. We usually travel with the back fully loaded with camping gear so we were thinking in between the kids but would love to see how some of you do it.

The safest way to transport a dog is in a small crate. Emphasis on the crate being SMALL. A travel crate is not the same thing as a home/sleeping crate. The travel crate should be just large enough for the dog to lie down comfortably, and not larger. The point of the crate is to prevent the dog from flying around in an accident, from getting crushed, and from escaping the vehicle only to get run over, or end up dying a mile away after its panicked sprint away from the accident scene. All of these events happen very regularly with dogs that aren't crated or otherwise secured. Even without an accident, a sudden emergency braking situation can result in your dog becoming a 40-150lb projectile inside your vehicle. Not only can the dog get hurt, but so can the passengers.

Harnesses are a close second (certainly better than nothing), but they have to be properly rated/tested; the vast majority have undergone zero testing, or testing in braking from 10-20mph, which is utterly useless in the real world.

I love my dog, but traveling with her is a hell of a lot more challenging than being without pets. Photos of my setup can be found here: LX570 crate and drawer – Eat Sleep Woof - https://eatsleepwoof.com/projects/lx570-crate-drawer

 

[OregonOverlande]

Dog ride in back with kids cargo area. We just put a small dog bed in there. Dogs love wheelin.

 

[Corbet]

For some reason I’m very partial to this solution. Speski Classic Barrier- 80 Series - https://absolute-wits-end.com/speski-classic-barrier-80-series/

I have a platform to store gear under with a fridge and space for a 100lb dog above.

 

[doug720]

I made this for our hounds. Keeps them secure and they can look and sniff out the side windows, but can't get out.