Does anyone successfully restrain your basenji in a seat belt harness while traveling? Our sweet Pippi travels really well but hates the crate. I want to keep her safe if she's out of the crate, but she slips out of the harness (Easy Rider, size small). It was fitted by a PetSmart employee, and is adjusted so it seems to be quite tight. But she is slightly overweight, an issue we're working on since adopting her a month ago, and I'm wondering if her rotund midsection is giving her the leverage to back out of the harness. The car's shoulder seat belt goes through a loop and buckles as usual. To get out of the harness, she turns around so she's facing the back of the seat, puts her head down very low, and with one slick turn of her head, she backs right out of the harness, leaving it attached to the seat belt. It's very clever, but is not keeping her very safe. I'm wondering if the problem is threading the seat belt through that loop, and maybe it would work better to fasten something directly to the D ring of the harness (where the leash attaches).
Suggestions anyone?
Many B's slip harnesses quite easily. Some of them will just chew their way out. My boxer wears one, but there is a separate loop from the harness that the seat belt goes through. My B's travel in the crate though, because they do the houdini trick.
A few years ago a gal on the AOL basenji board was visiting CA with her Basenji. It was work related. She boarded her basenji. She said she paid more to the facility to replace their seat belt restraints than she did for boarding (they took the dogs somewhere daily.. I forget.. dog park or something). Good luck with that. I have tried 3 versions and gave up. Crates are the only secure way I have found.
I've tried several different harnesses over the past several months for my two basenjis. As you've found out, they slip through them very easily.
My last attempt at keeping them secure was with a seat belt buckle clip that attached to the D-ring of their harnesses and then into the seat belt holder. By the time I had got home both basenjis had figured out how to unclip the harness and I was back to square one again.
Now I'm looking for two crates that give them plenty of room inside, but will fit on the back seat of my car.
Lola has always done just fine, Booger would slip out in no time.
Callie used to slip out when I first got her. I put her in the front passenger seat a few times so I could keep an eye on her & stop her until she got used to it. However, she would only stay restrained in my car. If carpooling in a friend's car, she would slip out. Once, said friend was watching Callie & Lola for the weekend. She belted them into the seat, and ran back in the house to grab her own two dogs. Within 2 minutes, Callie had chewed all the way through the seatbelt & was running free in the car. I think it depends on the dog. The crate's the most reliable way I've found.
I tried putting Bella in the back seat once, never again.
Put the seat belt through her harness and while driving she turned herself around and got tangled up.
Stoped, fixed it up and off we went only to her yelping 5 min. latter, she nearly broke her leg this time:eek:
So now it's to the back that I wanted to keep clear, she's happy behind her safty cage.
This is her harness..
"Fluff"(Sheba) sits on the rear seat(on a picnic blanket) held by a strap attached to the child anchor point.
In this pic of them I'm using a chain her while working out if it will work(no weight with strap).
Maybe you could try a lead onto the ring, this would allow Pippi to turn around ect. if in a full harness.
How do you folk hold your cages into your vehicles?
There not just sitting on the seats are they(hate for it to move in a accident)?
Bungee cords work well for crates, provided you can anchor them down. My seats come out, so I can have access to anchor spots below.
I bought a harness from dog.com that is adjustable and works well at least on Gossy (akd Houdini-ette). Unlike most harnesses it doesn't have a slot for the seat belt but instead has a swivel D-ring on the back to which a strap is clipped and then the strap buckles in the seat belt lock. It allows the dog to turn around without getting tangled up (99% of the time anyway). The harness is adjustable as is the strap so you can also give the dog more or less moving room; the longest strap length prevents my beastie from climbing on the dash.
I've used it on short and long trips and it works great for us. And Gossy is nosy and jumpy when she travels and it still works.
@Alien:
How do you folk hold your cages into your vehicles?
There not just sitting on the seats are they(hate for it to move in a accident)?
I have a pair of crates for my cats that have a slot for the seatbelt to slide through which secures the crates to the seat. I'm looking to see if I can get bigger ones for the Basenjis (although Roxy has tried to squeeze herself into the cat carrier once or twice) that does the same thing.
I bought a harness from dog.com that is adjustable and works well at least on Gossy (akd Houdini-ette). Unlike most harnesses it doesn't have a slot for the seat belt but instead has a swivel D-ring on the back to which a strap is clipped and then the strap buckles in the seat belt lock. It allows the dog to turn around without getting tangled up (99% of the time anyway). The harness is adjustable as is the strap so you can also give the dog more or less moving room; the longest strap length prevents my beastie from climbing on the dash.
I've used it on short and long trips and it works great for us. And Gossy is nosy and jumpy when she travels and it still works.
this sounds like it may work for Pippi. She's not destructive in the car, and doesn't attempt to chew it all (doesn't need to chew, since she can save all that energy and just back out of it). She just lies down quietly right next to the harness and gives me a little smirk before going to sleep. I think I'll make a video and post it on YouTube! The entire process takes less than 5 seconds – a little longer if she accidentally falls off the seat when she turns around. I'll check dog.com!
I did only once try harnessing Bungwa to the seat belt. I left him when I got out to fill the tank and returned from the pay desk to find that he had not only chewed up his seatbelt but mine as well! A very expensive lesson (especially as it was a hire car!!
quick update, since this has been quite an ordeal for us…went back to PetSmart to return/exchange the EasyRider harness on our way to Kansas City. The employee involved her mgr in our conversation, since she had no idea what to suggest. We walked out with an American Tourister seat belt harness, and so far, so good. Pippi remained strapped in during our short jaunts around the city, and also during the 500 mile trip back home, whether from travel fatigue, disinterest, or inability to escape -- who knows! In the meantime, we'll continue to set her up in the harness and hope for the best!
