Trusting A Puppy in the Car

[StateOfMine]

Well... Flint is growing very fast and the car kennel I have is almost too small for him. I can't fit a bigger one in my car either. I think by the time he is 6 months old, he will be too big for that kennel (that's about a month away). So my plan was, because I have to bring him to work with me at least 3 days a week because no one can watch him and I can't afford that much boarding and day care (I work nights), to tie his leash to something in the car that makes sure he has to stay in the back of it. He would be able to lie down, sit up and stand up, but not roam around. I have a cheap tarp so I thought about laying that over the floor with some towels and a blanket over it. They are the same ones he sleeps on in his kennel currently, so I would hope the familiar smell would tell him "okay its time to lay down and wait for my owner to come back and let me out to pee."

Is this all pipe dreams and a very bad idea? I'm not sure what else to do otherwise. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

[Panama]

Would he be in the car just for the ride to work or stay in the car while you're at work?

 

[StateOfMine]

Would he be in the car just for the ride to work or stay in the car while you're at work?

He will be in the car the whole time I work, but I do use my breaks to check on him/walk him every two hours.

 

[Ddski5]

What is the amount of time in the car while you are at work?

What is the difference of Flint being home in the crate vs being in your car? At work you can take a break, go out and let him out to pee? He doesn’t sleep mostly through the night at home?

There were times I would bring Ragnar to work with me and he would stay in my truck for 8hrs and during my breaks/lunch, I would go out and play/potty him. I always thought that he would rather be in my truck than home alone in a crate. Two breaks before lunch, lunch, one break after lunch and then home.

I think you will definitely have to watch the weather temperature and the do gooders that may see him out there and report you.

Personally, I don’t see any reason why not if that’s what you have to do. It worked for me when I had to do it.

 

[JanS]

What is the difference of Flint being home in the crate vs being in your car? At work you can take a break, go out and let him out to pee? He doesn’t sleep mostly through the night at home?

This is what I was wondering too.

I've personally always gotten them used to the routine of being crated at home when we went to work and they would go to their crates before we even left for work. Of course our shift were staggered a bit so they were never left for more than 6 hours.

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[Panama]

I think you will definitely have to watch the weather temperature and the do gooders that may see him out there and report you.

Yeah, this is what I'd be worried about, and some dirtbag breaking a window and taking the dog.

 

[StateOfMine]

The difference between home and work is 8 hours in the kennel but able to walk/pee every 2 hours vs at home in the crate for 10 hours and he holds it. I drive an hour one way to work, and Flint is only 5 months old. I didn't want to do that to him.

My work has very bright lights in the parking garage, police that patrol it often and they know and love Flint since I've been taking him with me nearly since I first got him. One officer has 4 dobermans at home! The temperature will be low, but once it starts to hit below freezing I will give Flint a jacket as well as blankets for warmth.

My concern is will e destroy my car while I work if not kenneled at 6 months old. He is getting too big for the kennel I have and my car can't fit a bigger one.

 

[Ddski5]

My concern is will e destroy my car while I work if not kenneled at 6 months old. He is getting too big for the kennel I have and my car can't fit a bigger one.

Neither one of my Dobermans have every chewed or destroyed any furniture at home or in my truck. You can provide a nylabone or a kong with treats in it to keep him occupied but I suspect he will do a lot of sleeping.

If you work nights and sleep during the day, it would be good if you found a way to drain his energy during the day so he will sleep most of the night.

 

[Ukesox]

My current Dobe would have destroyed the car & in fact at 9 months she “re modelled” the back of the passenger seat
10 minutes into a 20 minute drive.
Something I’ve done in the past may be of use to you re the car kennel as an option. As my dog grew couldn’t find a ready made car kennel that would fit the rear of my hatch back car so I made my own to exactly fit the available space, which gave me enough room. You could also do the same thing for the rear of your car. I dismantled an XXL wire play pen, shaped it as needed & fitted the sections together (including a door) with cable ties. It might not be as robust as a commercially available car kennel, but it would keep your dog from chew the upholstery & you could cover it with a blanket which would give Flint more security than in the open rear of a car.

 

[Kswoodssue]

Sasha would eat the sweater and chew the end off the kong. THEN she would discover how to pull stuffing from the seats. I strongly discourage the leash tie. Sasha would chew it in 2. I also fear strangulation. That is what my Dobe would do.

 

[Rits]

What make and model car do you have? You'd be surprised at the kinds of crate setups people manage, even in smaller vehicles. I currently have an XL Ruffland in my 03 Honda CRV. I can fit a second XL in the trunk but do not have it yet!

 

[StateOfMine]

What make and model car do you have? You'd be surprised at the kinds of crate setups people manage, even in smaller vehicles. I currently have an XL Ruffland in my 03 Honda CRV. I can fit a second XL in the trunk but do not have it yet!

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan

Amazon.com

That's the kennel I have

 

[Rits]

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan

Amazon.com

That's the kennel I have

Ah yeah, looks like most are only able to fit a L Ruffland in one. The XL is Length: 40 3/8" Width: 22" Height: 29 7/8" which is what both my girl and my boys travel in.

If he is well behaved it shouldn't be a problem but I'd worry with Idaho winters that it would be far too cold even with a coat.

 

[Two Dobes]

Have you tested him and let him 'sit' in the car not in the crate while you run an errand? I would start with driving to a store, and leave him in the car, then get out and watch where he can not see you. Or go inside, (cause they typically will watch you until they cannot see you anymore) then come right out and see how he is doing in there. If you decide you will be taking him to work, test him a BUNCH before you start. I have only had 1 Doberman in our history of owning 7 dobes, that chewed up my husbands truck seat covers.....GLORY! And we were standing outside the truck at a strawberry stand, so were RIGHT next to the truck, but not watching her. She is the only one we had ever had an issue with. Keep it brief, and extend the time out of your car, while watching him. Just a thought.

 

[Kaiser2016]

We used a standing barrier with Kaiser in the cargo area in the back of an suv and he ate through the seat belt that was holding the barrier in place He knocked the barrier down and moved himself into the drivers seat He did this around the age of 4 or 5 though...years, not months

 

[Kswoodssue]

Saw a Pit Bull in a car at Walmart parking lot tonight. Somehow he kept setting on and off the car alarm . No idea what he was doing.

 

[StateOfMine]

Have you tested him and let him 'sit' in the car not in the crate while you run an errand? I would start with driving to a store, and leave him in the car, then get out and watch where he can not see you. Or go inside, (cause they typically will watch you until they cannot see you anymore) then come right out and see how he is doing in there. If you decide you will be taking him to work, test him a BUNCH before you start. I have only had 1 Doberman in our history of owning 7 dobes, that chewed up my husbands truck seat covers.....GLORY! And we were standing outside the truck at a strawberry stand, so were RIGHT next to the truck, but not watching her. She is the only one we had ever had an issue with. Keep it brief, and extend the time out of your car, while watching him. Just a thought.

He comes to work with me already but he is outgrowing his travel crate. But testing him for short periods is a good idea.

 

[Ravenbird]

He comes to work with me already but he is outgrowing his travel crate. But testing him for short periods is a good idea.

The sooner the better. I took Asha everywhere in my truck and car when she was a puppy. The truck has one of those "half" back seats and I put a piece of plywood cut to fit so she couldn't fall down where peoples legs would go. I used the divider from my wire crate and fastened it between the bucket seats so she couldn't get in the front, put a bed in there for her. It's her second home now. The car, Honda Odyssey, we removed the back seats and put in two large crates for the two dogs for going to trials. As a puppy, Asha would whine and bark loudly when I left her in the truck and went into a store so for a while I kept my errands as short as possible. I was afraid someone would report me for something she was so loud, but she got over it and now just barks if someone comes too close. Since I live way out of town, I try to do all my town stuff in one trip, so she got use to all the different parking places, different atmospheres, some places she could get out and go in, some places she never got to get out. To this day she goes everywhere I go except in the summer when it's too hot to leave her in a vehicle.

 

[Ravenbird]

And to add, we have zero vehicles with back seats now. 3 people could fit in the front seat of my truck, but the Suzuki & Honda have bucket seats in front and no seats in back. Dogs evidently rule.

 

[Rits]

And to add, we have zero vehicles with back seats now. 3 people could fit in the front seat of my truck, but the Suzuki & Honda have bucket seats in front and no seats in back. Dogs evidently rule.

Hey, they are priority! Thats how our house is... our master bedroom got immediately used for an office/dog training room and the smaller bedroom is where our bed is. Then the walk in closet in the master bath got converted into a kennel room/dog training storage.