Dog trailer or Estate car Which is best?

IrishHomer

Just curious to know doggie peoples preferances for taking dogs around in?

In the future i would like to get either an estate car or else a good dog trailer, i currently have a labrador and a German Shepherd.

Any thoughts on whats best (life long solution).

TooManyDogs

I've had both, here's what I found

Trailer Pros
1 - If your dogs like swimming you don't have to suffer wet dog smell on the way home from a walk
2 - Your car stays clean and hair free
3 - No dog hairs to embarrass you when you offer a neighbour a lift! (or dog slobbering on the neighbour for that matter!)
4 - Handy for the dogs to stay in overnight if you can't bring the dogs into hotel/B&B etc if your trailer has a lock

Trailer Cons
1 - Learning how to manover your car all over again - reversing takes alot of practice
2 - Your car becomes half as long again, so parking is a pain, hard to stop for milk on the way anywhere
3 - Allow an extra 10 minutes each side of a walk to hook/unhook up trailer and lights
4 - Need space to store the trailer

Estate Pros
1 - Just open the door/boot and load dogs, takes seconds
2 - Handy to have everyone in the one vehicle

Estate Cons
1 - Dog breath/smell/farts polluting the air
2 - You lose the use of your boot
3 - Unless you're very disciplined your car turns into a tip with dirt, hairs, slobber etc
4 - You can end up spending a fortune on equipment like seatbelts, cages, dog guards, window vents etc

At the moment we have an estate with dog guards because we live by the sea now and don't have to drive wet dogs around. I have barjo dog guards that I can lock so the dogs can overnight in it when we're camping. For me the estate works because I can't imagine loading the baby, hooking up a trailer and lights, and then loading 6 dogs.... it just wouldnt happen, I'd get thick and just go back into the house! Having said that, if I regularily had wet dogs in the car I'd get another trailer.

ppink

For me having the dogs in the car means:

wet hairy car which has to have a major operation to clean if you are doing anything apart from the dogs, especially carrying other people.

every item of clothes is covered in dog hair, even when they are not using the car.
long trips = wafts of hair flying around the car throughout the journey

ramps are required when they get older or have joint issues

every time the boot is open the dogs are in it, it is virtually impossible to keep ours out of it now. Sometimes they just hop in and lie down and watch us working:)

Trailer for me would be ideal. most of the places we go are either beach or woodland so no issue with parking and reversing is fine when you get the hang of it.

Cat Melodeon

We've three medium sized dogs (2 collies & a setter) and I have an estate. We used to have a dog trailer years ago but I found it very awkward - not in terms of driving it, which you get used to quickly enough, but for all the things TooManyDogs mentioned, especially parking.

I don't find it too messy having them in the boot. We have a daily run in the bog and they come out of it black and sodden. I've lined the sides and floor of the boot with tarps and rubber matting for easy cleaning and have a detachable dog guard on the back seat. They're usually so wrecked after their run that they lie down straight away and are no bother. The collies are very good and lie down every trip, the setter is mental and needs to be restrained, especially on outward trips, but there's a hook inside the boot that the lead ties on to handy enough, so I haven't had to buy any other equipment.


For 'dry' runs (trips to the vet etc) I can leave the buggy in the boot with them, there's plenty of room, but I have a cover for the buggy too and can throw it into the back seat if needed. We might run into trouble if the family gets any bigger, but for now, baby, me, husband, 3 dogs, buggy and shopping all fit in quite comfortably. It's only a wee Fabia, something like an Astra would probably work out even better.

TooManyDogs

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

We might run into trouble if the family gets any bigger, but for now, baby, me, husband, 3 dogs, buggy and shopping all fit in quite comfortably.

I'll have to get you to call out to me the next time I pack up my car for a camping trip, you sound like you have it sussed! Trying to fit in me, hubby, baby, 6 dogs, buggy and shopping is a bit of a tetris job! And I have an skoda octavia - huge boot!!!

ISDW

Personally I hate trailers and would never put a dog in one. I just think about what would happen if we were in an accident.

An estate with crate/s in it would be better I think, not right up against the tailgate, again, in case you are rear-ended.

I have a van for my dogs, with crates in it, no dogs are allowed in the seats at the front.

lrushe

I have 3 dogs, small, medium and large size. I drive a Kia Sorento (jeep), I bought a boot liner for it which has a waterproof side with a rubber back and take it out every now and then a wash it down with a soapy brush and hose. I will say there is that doggy smell in the jeep as my dogs love to swim but we usually use the jeep for all our messy jobs and we have a second smaller car for non dog related journeys!!!

mymo

I have a hatchback(clio, so not big), I have boot liner(hooks over head rests so covers most of boot) and getting a dog guard soon, over the summer I have made trips to the beach with two adults, 3 kids(age 12, not all mine, and not small), 2 dogs(one med, one small), picnic basket, assorted kids equipment, towels, wetsuits and dogs stuff(towel, bowl, water, bribery treats, brush for the sand).
Now that was fun getting all that in;)

That said I would prefer a hatchback or estate to a trailer, just feels safer to me, and I can see whats going on. I clean the car about every two weeks, leave the windows open whenever I can, have seat covers that are washed regularly, the dogs are in it daily.

I do sometimes put a bit of shopping in with dogs(not steak or any meat I have learned the hard way:eek:)but no real probs. I know a couple of people use those nylon crate type things in the boot, but thats really for smaller dogs.

Take the liner out when the dogs aren't in it, I find that helps with the smell.

jap gt

i have one of these for the gun dog, you can get them big enough for two dogs aswell

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/dogs/1524100

TooManyDogs

mymo wrote: »

I do sometimes put a bit of shopping in with dogs(not steak or any meat I have learned the hard way:eek:)but no real probs.

I did too! My JRT ate the corner off a packet of flour.... it went everywhere!

jap gt wrote: »

i have one of these for the gun dog, you can get them big enough for two dogs aswell

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/dogs/1524100

I have to say that personally these tow hitch boxes terrify me. I'm terrified of those cars being rear-ended. My trailer had a steel chasis and structure, heavy to haul around but I felt it was safer.

mymo

TooManyDogs wrote: »

I did too! My JRT ate the corner off a packet of flour.... it went everywhere!


I lost a large pack of steak, and 2 lots of mince before I realized, the mince was from the butcher and the dogs ate the bag an all in the 5 mins it took to get home(thought I'd left it somewhere both times), caught them with the steak, in a plastic pack. We had beans on toast a lot that week:p

olaola

Get a boot liner, and if you can leather seats. Everything is washable and it takes no time to clean up.

joolsveer

I would be worried that the dogs would be affected by exhaust fumes if I used a trailer or tow bar box. I have two harnesses so they travel on the back seat which I have covered with a fleecy throw.

portgirl123

i have heard of dog trailers been unhitched and stolen from back of car with dpgs in it

Toulouse

I have an almera hatchback and I regularly transport rescue dogs in it. Would never even consider a trailer.

I use a boot-liner and then a water-proof cover on that in the boot. Waterproof covers and crates in the back seat and a seat cover and crate in the front.

Car is a bit worse for wear but nothing too bad and if it's only your own dogs then I'd go with the car option.

Heard a horror story of a greyhound travelling in one of those trailers once. Somewhere between home and the track the bottom fell out of the trailer. Wasn't discovered until they arrived and found the grey with a foot in each corner. Dog won the race too but really, it could have been a disaster if he'd fallen out on the motorway.

The Paws

I have a smallish car and I always have my dog at the back sit. I know it smells a bit when my dog is wet/muddy/sweaty etc after a walk but I love it!! it makes me feel so alive!!! I make sure the dog doesn't seat at the front though. I know I will have problems when bringing people for a lift.

I never tried a dog trailer and I would worry about not knowing if the dog(s) are ok in it while on the road eg the door open or the mini wheels fall off etc!!! Will they be frozen in it during the cold winter months?

I have a problem with people who put their dogs in the boot but hey that's life!
( i saw a man who put his dogs in it and it didnt want to be in it and it cries, cries and cries - that cry never left me when I was a little girl. it was so horrible)
If the car have an opening on the top part of the boot - you can take it off - some cars do have them. then that is ok.

Thats the price you pay for having a dog at the end of the day really.

Good luck!

ISDW

A couple of those posts have reminded me that very recently a dog went missing, somehow the door on the trailer came open and he got out, or fell out somewhere along the road. They only discovered he was missing when they got to their destination. Story had a happy ending, he was found safe and sound, but still a scarey story.

I also hate seeing dogs put into boots, hatchbacks no problem, saloons with a closed in boot, no way, dark, no ventilation, again the danger of rear-ending.

Toulouse

Agree ISDW, I hate seeing it too.

I have a hatchback and have a dog guard up so loads of room for the dog and I can see him in the rearview too.

tk123

I have a jeep but he sits in the back seats so I can still carry stuff around in the back with the cover across it - eg bits and pieces of servers, my laptop bag etc in it. Our setup is probably a bit over complicated but it works for us. The back seat splits so the single seat is folded down and his harness is connected/plugged in to the seat belt.. he gets into the back with his ramp then scoots under the bar for the cargo blind thing into his place then I pull the blind over to hide all the junk and we hit the road.

pitbull_fanatic

i have a jeep and they love goin into the back! got quare looks with my dogs sitting in the back seat wit my baby so instead of being reported by ignorant neighbours i got me a jeep. loads of space for 2 dogs buggy and shopping!i will admit they stink the car out on the way home from the river but i leave the window open a bit on the way home and a spray of airfreshener when i get out and its grand. have a plastic lining thing they lie down on that i put down when they wet. hairs dont bother me because...well...its a boot. thats wat its for! they love lookin out the window at the people behind us too! trailers are askin for trouble. ice RTA even sharp corners you can lose a trailer. ii dont trust dem!