Travelling with Dog & Newborn

Phenix

not sure if this should be here or the parenting forum but bear with me!
basically myself and hubby are due our first baby in February. We have one dog (a rescue who is the sweetest, cutest, most handsome and placid dog ever ) we have him 3 years he's very well behaved, goes to day care 3 days a week, agility trainig and we bring him pretty much everywhere at weekends, park, beach, parents house etc.
we were at the phoenix park on sunday and hubby commented that when the baby comes, one of us will have to travel in the back wt baby and fuzzybutt will have to travel shot gun? we have a saloon car so our doggy usually travels in the back with his seat belt harness on so he's on one side of the back seat and i just presumed it would b ok to put newborn in their car seat on the other side of the car? he's a medium sized dog - prob collie sized so dosnt take over the whole car or anything. just wondering your thoughts on this? do any dog owing parents do similar? or would this be frowned up on?

TooManyDogs

My opinion is as long as the dog is well behaved in the car and can't reach the baby seat with his car harness on then I don't see any need for one of you to travel in the back so he can be in the front.

You could always put a crate on the back seat if it made your partner feel more secure, if you can't fit a metal crate on the back seat there's collapsable crates or tube shaped crates especially for cars, all come in different sizes.

borderlinemeath

You know your dog, and if you do it right you will socialise your baby with him so there won't be any difficulty with him.

However if you had to brake sharply or were (god forbid) in an accident your dog has more chance of being thrown about a bit on the harness than a person who is belted in with a 3 point belt.

My dog always travels up front with her seat belt harness on, OH has to sit in the back.

Two reasons, 1/ she always got car sick as a pup in the boot of an estate car so when she was fully grown we got her the harness with the intention of buckling her in on the back seat.

2/ We have one of those really annoying cars that goes " BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!! when you have a passenger without a seatbelt. For some bizarre reason it continues to beep when we plug in her harness belt into any of the rear passenger seats, but doesn't when we put her in the front. So we drive around with her sitting shotgun like lady muck in the front seat.

TG1

I can't help you with where to put the dog I'm afraid, but just wanted to voice a concern about putting the dog in the front.
My dog has a harness but is always clipped in to the back seat as I would be afraid If the worst did happen and I crashed my front air bag would smother or crush him as even though he is collie sized he is quite a bit shorter than your average human!
I don't know if this concern is correct, and anyone tell me if I'm wrong but at the moment I wouldn't put a dog in the front seat.
I agree with TooManyDogs in thinking a crate may be the best way to go!

borderlinemeath

TG1 wrote: »

I can't help you with where to put the dog I'm afraid, but just wanted to voice a concern about putting the dog in the front.
My dog has a harness but is always clipped in to the back seat as I would be afraid If the worst did happen and I crashed my front air bag would smother or crush him as even though he is collie sized he is quite a bit shorter than your average human!
I don't know if this concern is correct, and anyone tell me if I'm wrong but at the moment I wouldn't put a dog in the front seat.
I agree with TooManyDogs in thinking a crate may be the best way to go!

The crate would only be the safest option if it could be secured to the seat by seat belt or isofix fittings. If not in the event of an accident it could crush a child in a car seat. Even something like a box of tissues on the back window of a car can become a "missile" if there's an accident.

As far as car seats go, rearward facing newborn seat should be placed behind the passenger seat, that's the safest option. So having a large crate mobile in the back seat wouldn't be ideal.

Putting the rearward facing (newborn) car seat in the front isn't ideal either, while all car seats state that they can be put into the front seat if the airbag is deactivated there's still a huge risk of the airbag going off in the event of an impact and the back is far far safer.

As far as having a dog in the front, it would be safer having the dog rather than the child. Car seat trainers say that if putting a forward facing (second stage) car seat into the front seat that the seat should be moved as far back as possible and as high up as possible to avoid contact with an airbag if one goes off, although for a dog, he wouldn't have the height boost of a car seat so either as high up, or as low down as possible would be the safest I would think.

DBCyc

When the boot is full, I put our two hounds in the front on the floor and they lie down and sleep most of the time.

Otherwise, I leave them in the boot (of a hatchback) with a guard so that they cant jump into the car.

Loads of room then for Mammy and baby

TooManyDogs

borderlinemeath wrote: »

The crate would only be the safest option if it could be secured to the seat by seat belt or isofix fittings. If not in the event of an accident it could crush a child in a car seat.

If the OP does decide to buy a crate to fit a collie sized dog it will fit very snuggly wedged on the back seat behind the driver's seat so there would be no danger of it flying all around the car. If the OP was buying a crate to fit a toy dog then it would need to be secured.

borderlinemeath

TooManyDogs wrote: »

If the OP does decide to buy a crate to fit a collie sized dog it will fit very snuggly wedged on the back seat behind the driver's seat so there would be no danger of it flying all around the car. If the OP was buying a crate to fit a toy dog then it would need to be secured.

Not in the event of an impact it wouldn't. G forces in a crashing car will force the drivers seat forward, the crate is then mobile no matter how snugly it fits prior to impact.

I have extensive training in the area of childrens car seats, car seat safety and what can happen if there is a crash so a snug crate is still not safe really.

Sigma Force

Things have changed by the looks of it, we used to put the young one in the front with a rear facing seat (no airbag on that side at the time) and the dog in the back. Then when she got older I switched around, now she's old enough to sit in the front she gets the front seat, unless we have the collie in the car then the collie gets the front seat.

I guess which ever is safest, car safety features vary.

ferretone

Now you're starting a family, I would really advise trading in for a hatchback, and either installing the bars in the boot, or better yet securing the dog safely in a crate in there, and both would be ideal. Within a few years you'll be bringing little friends along with their childseats too, even if you don't go ahead and have another yourselves.

Also, in the event you are involved in an accident, emergency services are instructed not to remove pets from cars unless they are secured in crates, and I think there is no doubt that it is far safer for all passengers in the car if the crate is in the boot, and best of all held behind dog bars too.

There is no doubt this is a big change in all your lives, and I congratulate you and wish you all the best with it. But changing your car would be such a small change in comparison, and you wouldn't necessarily even have to spend any extra doing it, if you got a similar one, only a hatchback this time, and possibly even a combi.

ohmfg

My Sister has a dog, and a now two year old, from the time the LO was born she traveled in back with the dog on the backseat in his harness beside her. Like the OP, my sis's dog is the sweetest, kindest woofie in the world. The LO now spends her journeys "minding" the woof by constantly petting and rubbing his head and asking him is he ok. Keeps them both happy.:)

Phenix

hi
thanks for all the responces!! lots of information there. we were actually talking about hatchback cars recently...OH insitsts theres more boot space so that might be an option.
i think my hubby's main concern was the health factors with travelling with our dog so close to a new born, but ive since pointed out the LO is going to be living with the dog so 15-20 mins to the park and back isn't going to do anything! i think i have a different way of looking at it as i grew up with dogs and would think nothing of it!!
abut thank you all for the replys

ohmfg thats so cute

DBCyc

I wouldn't be worried about any health factors of your new born being close to dogs. There are studies out there that conclude that children who grow up with dogs have much lower risks of developing respiratory problems like asthma.

Your dogs will naturally sense your protective instinct over the baby and keep their distance in general.

In the car, the thing that you want to ensure that the dogs are safely secured in the event of sharp braking or an accident. That's where the hatchback is handy in that you can put them in the boot. Although the boot soon gets full with all the baby related paraphernalia! So with me in that case, dogs in the front (navigating ) and Mammy and baby in the back. We'll be upgrading to an estate soon for more boot space, so I would recommend looking at those too.

Its great watching your baby starting to interact more and more with your dogs as they grow up. Ours said "Suzie" the other day (our staffy) before she has said "Ma Ma" :eek: They'll be best friends! Best of luck!

Phenix

^
yea im so excited to see them interacting. we've always had dogs at home and love them to bits and a firm believer in as much interaction as possible
thats so sweet re ur baby - clearly Suzie is the favourite in ur house

DBCyc

Phenix wrote: »

^
yea im so excited to see them interacting. we've always had dogs at home and love them to bits and a firm believer in as much interaction as possible
thats so sweet re ur baby - clearly Suzie is the favourite in ur house

Nah I'm the favourite, she said "Da Da" MONTHS ago

Little_Focker

If your changing cars then I would go for an estate type rather than a hatchback - more room - we can fit our 3 big dogs in ours with loads of room for buggie etc.