~*Shell*~ Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Hey all, I'm in the process of buying a brand new car and I really want to be able to protect the seats from the pitter patter of (not so) tiny paws. After having taken the seat covers off my current car to discover paw prints on the seats (it happens when you have a wet and muddy dog!) I would really like to protect the seats of my new car. Zero currently wears a ruffwear harness and then has a leash-thing which attaches him to the seatbelt clip and it really works for us. The backseat buddy doesn't allow for being able to use the seatbelt clips without unzipping it and exposing the seats (which i don't want to do with a wet and muddy dog!). I was told to attach him to the head rests but in the new car, the headrests are designed to pull out of the seat without much force at all so the back seats can sit up against the front seats when they're folded down (without the head rests). This means that if we're ever in an accident, chances are he will come loose and injure himself. Are there alternatives to the backseat buddy that are of the same quality but allow me to use the seatbelt clips? I've searched online and can't find anything. As an alternative, someone suggested that I attach him to the same clip as you would attach a car seat in back but I am getting a boot tray (to protect the false floor from scratches) and this will cover the clips in the boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 picnic blanket [rubber-backed] we've only got 2 swf dogs but we cut one picnic blanket in half and lay that over the length of the back seat, use the selt-belt buckle attachments and we're set! i don't like the buddy at all ... we had one that set up like a droopy hammock! good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 That's what I'm using now but even the most expensive picnic blanket doesn't cover what I need it to cover - Zero's very big and his hair goes everywhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 With a dog that size I would be getting a wagon with a cargo barrier. Then the dog is not on the seats at all. I would never go back to transporting dogs in a sedan again. I bought my first wagon six months after I bought my first dog, 27 years ago. Since then I have had a succession of wagons and vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareyJ Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 We are in a similar pickle at the moment, we just dont know what to do about our back seat and the dog! We currently have a cheapy cover that goes across the back with the zip in the middle but it is in tatters and hasnt lasted very well. After all the rave reviews about the backseat buddy I tried to push it with OH who had a major baulk at the price, anyway he thought he had found the ideal solution in a seatcover that was on The New Inventors on ABC and it looks just like what we were looking for on the website but they havent bothered to respond to any of our emails....so we are back to square one, still with the seat cover in tatters and OH threatening to upgrade the car and put the dog in the boot which would cost us even more money than just buying the backseat buddy! The car is only a year and a half old and the dog is very happy on the backseat thankyou very much! What a ramble, sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Hi Shell, I only have a cheapie from the reject shop, it attaches around the head rests and has seat belt holes, it is supposed to be water proof but I have never had any spills so I don't really know. I am on my second one as I wasn't careful with taking it out when people sat in the back seat and the straps around the head rest snapped. As I said in my other thread mine are usually in the rear if they are wet or dirty. But when we go away they are always in the back seat and it has survived quite well. I also use a big blanket over the whole seat as well for extra protection. Not sure if it would be strong enough quality for the big fella and I am thinking that you would more than likely get hair down the seat belt holes so it might not be any good but just thought I'd mention it. Will Zero fit in the very back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cointreau Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 I used to have a vinyl cover for my back seats in my old car. For the life of me I can't think of what it was called but it was made with holes for the the headreasts and seatbelts and meant to protect your seats from dog hair. I loved it and used it for my Great Dane I had at the time, the company was in Melbourne I'll post the name if I find it. I use to put a sheet or towel on the seat if the car was in the sun so my dog didn't get burnt on hot vinyl. The seat cover did protect my car from the beach, sand, water and hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/dog-supplie...ar-seat-covers/ http://www.dogsandthecity.com.au/product.p...t=26&page=1 (I had one of these in my Mazda Metro but it was too small for the Mazda 3. I just gave it to Ridgie Lover for her little car). You need to specify the make and model of car when ordering so you get the right size. They are very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 I recently made new straps for my girls, my JRT would accidently stop on the seatbelt plug and release herself on the old ones I bought some really strong webbing, some sliders and some quality bulldog clips, sewed one end up with the slider and bulldog clip, and the other end with just the bulldog clip and adjusted the length so I could clip the dog onto the anchor points on my car which are on the back of my seat Similar design to the black dog ute tie, but longer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PossumCorner Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 If you take your (accurate: 'measure twice, cut once' applies) measurements to a horse-rug maker or repairer in your area, they will quote to do a made-to-measure for you from light horse-rug fabric. Waterproof, polar-fleece lined, washable, reinforced seat-belt slots in the right place (your measurements). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 We put out dogs in the boot of the Forester for about 3 days until OH put an end to it. Our last car was written off when someone rear-ended it. OH kept looking at the dogs in the back and picturing what would happen to them if we got rear-ended again. Back seats are safer. We have a $40 one from some large chain pet store that is quite good. I have to get something else, though, because Erik gets bored on long trips and amuses himself by wriggling down between the hammock and the front seats. It's kind of dangerous. He gets himself strung up because he'll still be attached to his seatbelt. Doesn't matter how short I make the seatbelt he still gets down there. A couple of times he's managed to get the seatbelt clip caught on the edge of the hammock and got out of it. I've looked around, but have basically drawn a blank. Looks like a backseat buddy and seatbelts attached to the child restraint points for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Can you take the back seat buddy to the horse rug maker or boot repairer and ask them to put large "button holes" in it so you can put the seat belt through to attach it. I made one myself with a rubber backed heavy material and did the button holes myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 We put out dogs in the boot of the Forester for about 3 days until OH put an end to it. Our last car was written off when someone rear-ended it. OH kept looking at the dogs in the back and picturing what would happen to them if we got rear-ended again. Back seats are safer.We have a $40 one from some large chain pet store that is quite good. I have to get something else, though, because Erik gets bored on long trips and amuses himself by wriggling down between the hammock and the front seats. It's kind of dangerous. He gets himself strung up because he'll still be attached to his seatbelt. Doesn't matter how short I make the seatbelt he still gets down there. A couple of times he's managed to get the seatbelt clip caught on the edge of the hammock and got out of it. I've looked around, but have basically drawn a blank. Looks like a backseat buddy and seatbelts attached to the child restraint points for us. Good luck finding them, thats why I made mine, couldnt find anything long enough, my anchor points are on the back of my seats and all the commercial ones were still too short What is so good about the back seat buddy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 (edited) Will Zero fit in the very back? Easily - I don't want to put him in there though because he stands up when we put him in the back of the wagon (a friend's car) instead of settling like he does in the back seat. With his hips the way they are, I don't want to put the strain on them trying to balance in a moving car would and if I was to turn a corner suddenly, i could seriously hurt him if he was to fall. Besides, if I have his crate in the car with us, it will be in the boot and because it doesn't lay completely flat, he wouldn't be able to be in there with it. http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/dog-supplie...ar-seat-covers/http://www.dogsandthecity.com.au/product.p...t=26&page=1 (I had one of these in my Mazda Metro but it was too small for the Mazda 3. I just gave it to Ridgie Lover for her little car). You need to specify the make and model of car when ordering so you get the right size. They are very good. Cheers Ams! I'll have a better look at them tomorrow. For those prices, I could at least try them before I try to get holes cut into the backseat buddy! What is so good about the back seat buddy? It's quality is the main thing - but the company is also australian, you can get a fleece version of it and minus the no seatbelt holes thing, it's exactly what I want. I wonder how hard it would be to put holes in it. There's got to be someone around here who could do it. I would love to be able to use the anchor points in the back like you do Corvus but I won't be able to reach them under the boot tray so it's not really an option for us Edited May 4, 2010 by ~*Shell*~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagsalot Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Before I got my x trail (Riles goes in the back now) I used a cheap cover for the back seats. I think I might of got it from the innovations magazine, but quite a few places sell similar ones. It was about $30 and worked really well. I could even hose it when it got dirty, and all seatbelts were still accessable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 I'm in the market for one of these as well, and I found this: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...atchlink:top:en The price is certainly right! I like that it is machine washable and has a zip down the middle from the front seat part meaning you could put a passenger in the back if you wanted to. Also you can use a car harness with it (somehow). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Incidentally, we find with our cheap one that the seatbelt holes mean that all the sand from the dogs' coats tends to end up falling through the seatbelt holes and ending up on the seat underneath anyway. There's velcro around the holes so they can be closed up, but the dogs moving around always pulls them open again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 Only having a little bit of sand and dirt go through the cover would be better than having Zero sitting on the seat I guess. He's not a move around in the backseat kind of dog. When we're moving, he's usually lying down or sitting trying to get his head as far out of the window as the tiny crack I wind it down by will allow. It's only in the boot that he moves around alot - damn fussy dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Yeah, but it's when you go to take the hammock out to empty the sand on the ground that it all goes wrong! It does make some difference, and it at least keeps the worst of the dirt and fur off the upholstery and protects your leather interior from dog claws if you were insistent on getting the model with the leather interior (OH). We have also found the dogs slide around on the cheaper ones. They have beds back there to help give them something stable to lie on. Kivi gets carsick if he slides around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 The people that make the K9 soft crates do a backseat thingo. I just had a look and it has slots for the seat belts. $54 for a big one. http://www.k9softdogcrates.com.au/index.php?p=products They sell on ebay too and often at a cheaper price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now