Defender 90, Dog Harness?

[Leroy_Riding]

Okay, so some good news, home loan approved in principle without the need to sell the D90 :)
the other good news is, Im getting a puppy! whoo! She is a pure bred Border collie just like my other dog who is getting rather old and arthritic and who will live with my parents and there border collie where he can lounge in front of the fireplace in Winter, that and i think he loves my Father more than he does me. . . . bottom line I am not abandoning him, he is getting a new friend!

my boy right now loves the car, but there is no way at all he can get up into the back of the Defender, even before the rear draws went in, he still goes in my parents wagons with then (outback and Adventra) and he even struggles with that due to old age and his arthritis.

this brings me to the purpose of this question, being that my D90 is now a permanent 2 seater as the Draws are 95% finished carpeted with amp, compressor, invert-er all that fitted, so they aren't coming out. the top is a bit above level with the wheel arches(boxes) and is made of form ply so is rather strong (doesnt bent with me bouncing on it)
being a 2 seater i occasional need the front seat for a passenger, I always try to take my current boy with me whenever i can and the new girl will be no exception. I haven't even used a harness with my boy though which is bad and recently have been thinking I should get him one for when he travels with my parents anyway for his safety, it will be easy for there car as i can get one that attaches to the 'baby seat' restrain point.

wow I'm taking ages to get to my point 0_0
what are peoples suggestions for how to travel with my new puppy, keeping in mind she will very soon become a full grown border collie? there is plenty of space beside the fridge in the back on top of the draws(probably have to get her a cushion too ;) ), and while a puppy i can easily put her in, just may get a bit harder as she gets older/bigger which still should be okay, but how should I build/attach the restraint? Ill be getting the EZYDOG chest harness for her so she is comfortable, its more that how to attach to the car for her saftey?

Leroy.

[solmanic]

We just used to tie the standard leash off on the back door grab handle. The leash was just the right length that our dog (a Ridgeback) could get his head out the side windows when they were slid open. We checked and his nose stuck no further out than the side mirrors and the door handle was plenty strong enough to hold him even when he strained all his weight forward.

The back of a Defender is basically a ute with a roof on it so we didn't see much point in using any more elaborate harness. Might be a bit different with your drawers in but a Border Collie doesn't weigh anywhere near as much as a Ridgie so that back door grab handle should be fine as an anchor point.

[Leroy_Riding]

We just used to tie the standard leash off on the back door grab handle. The leash was just the right length that our dog (a Ridgeback) could get his head out the side windows when they were slid open. We checked and his nose stuck no further out than the side mirrors and the door handle was plenty strong enough to hold him even when he strained all his weight forward.

The back of a Defender is basically a ute with a roof on it so we didn't see much point in using any more elaborate harness. Might be a bit different with your drawers in but a Border Collie doesn't weigh anywhere near as much as a Ridgie so that back door grab handle should be fine as an anchor point.

I hadn't considered that, but how effective in an accident is that going to be? not only do I want my dog to be comfortable and restrained from getting in my way while driving but also to have some decent protection in the event of an accident.

access to the big metal door handle is still there too, I was looking at a few online, I like the three point harness's but it seems to be very restrictive for the dog. meaning they have to sit without moving at all, i do some rather long trips and am sure she will want to lay down for a large amount of these.

as far as harness goes, this is the only one to pass ACTUAL crash testing not just says it does:
Sleepypod® Clickit | Top performing Dog Harness | Dog Safety (http://sleepypod.com/clickit)
so ill be getting one of them, so whatever it is that attaches to the car needs to work with that, the rear seat belt is still there, but the lower mounting point is now covered and the belt its sits at the top, maybe i could take that off and attach a ring to it?

and for general harness use for walkies and playtime will be this:
Chest Plate Harness | Ezy Dog Harness | Travel (http://www.ezydog.com.au/chest-plate-harness/)

Thanks
Leroy.

[solmanic]

Yeah, we often wondered about the damage 50kg of Ridgeback might do in an accident. Granted, we had a 110 so there was another seat there to act as a barrier to us in the front. But for all the years we had him, the rear door handle did fine and I frequently checked to see that it wasn't working loose with all the strain. It always stayed rock solid.

Safety aside, our dog just loved being able to roam around the back and being able to access both side windows depending on what was outside to smell at. And at least tying off the leash was better than nothing - which a lot of people choose.

[Leroy_Riding]

Yeah, we often wondered about the damage 50kg of Ridgeback might do in an accident. Granted, we had a 110 so there was another seat there to act as a barrier to us in the front. But for all the years we had him, the rear door handle did fine and I frequently checked to see that it wasn't working loose with all the strain. It always stayed rock solid.

Safety aside, our dog just loved being able to roam around the back and being able to access both side windows depending on what was outside to smell at. And at least tying off the leash was better than nothing - which a lot of people choose.

I picket up some Harnesses for my Pup, and for the two full grown Border collies last night, went the EzyDog chest harness, seemed to offer the best 'support' for there transport in the Adventura its easy, can attached leads to there harnesses and then leads to the tie down points.

thinking I may add a Tie down type loop on the floor of the Draws to then secure my pup's harness too when she is in the defender with me. though that would only be to 18mm plywood, should I maybe look at utilizing a longer bolt where the draws bolt in to the old seat belt hole and put a 'tie-down' ring on that?. . means i have to cut a hole in my nicely layed carpet now though 0_0

any other opinions or suggestions?

thanks
Leroy.

[DiscoMick]

Put a harness on the dog and then buy a strap with a seatbelt fitting on the end. Attach one end to the dog's harness and clip the other end into the seatbelt harness. The dog can still move but, in a collision, is restrained by the harness to the seatbelt point, which you know is strong enough to hold the weight of a human, so its not going to break. Works for us.

[Leroy_Riding]

Put a harness on the dog and then buy a strap with a seatbelt fitting on the end. Attach one end to the dog's harness and clip the other end into the seatbelt harness. The dog can still move but, in a collision, is restrained by the harness to the seatbelt point, which you know is strong enough to hold the weight of a human, so its not going to break. Works for us.

That would be fine, but I don't have rear seat-belts or seats for the pup, and don't really want to set a precedent for her traveling in the front seat, then ill have issues when i need to take her and a passenger. and when they travel in the adventura they are in the back load space not on the seats, so again no seat belt clip. I already have seat belt straps meant for the harnesses, just where the dogs travel there is no seat belt.

thanks
Leroy.