Top 10: Useful car accessories for dog owners
When picking a car there are lots of practical considerations – but dog-friendliness might not cross your mind. Thankfully, if your car hasn’t turned out to be the best companion for canines, there are lots of products on sale to help make your life easier - and Fido’s, too. heycar has a list of the best cars for dog owners.
Pet Gear tri-fold ramp – around £60
A low boot floor is a boon for a dog owner – encouraging a pooch to leap into the back of a car with a low floor is easy. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for tall vehicles like SUVs so, if you don’t fancy picking up a wet, heavy dog and putting it in the boot, a ramp is a great solution. It’s also useful for older, less sprightly dogs.
We’ve picked this Pet Gear ramp because it is long enough to suit most cars, including taller SUVs, plus it has a none-slip surface to stop dogs slipping. There are cheaper alternatives though, which might suit a lower car like an estate a little better.
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Pet Gear Inc. Travel Lite Tri-Fold Dog Ramp, 71 x 16 x 4 Inches |
£106.14 |
RAC advanced dog guard – around £50
Once you’ve got your dog in the boot you need to keep him there. Without a dog guard many dogs will leap into the cabin of the car, damaging upholstery with mud and claws and potentially causing an accident. A dog guard will stop this from happening without isolating a dog from the occupants in the cabin.
It’s also a useful safety tool. In an accident the force of a dog flying forward from the boot is enough to do some serious damage to anyone in the front of the car. This RAC guard is said to be universal, but most car makers produce an official accessory that will fit your car perfectly and should be easy to install.
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£45.98 |
Sakura boot protector – around £15
So you’ve got a dog guard and a ramp – but that isn’t going to keep your boot clean. Dog hair, mud and dog smell can be extremely difficult to scrub out, which is an even bigger problem in an era of company cars and lease deals, which require you to hand your car back in good condition.
A boot protector is an ideal purchase, then. This one protects the sides of the boot and the load lip, so leaping claws won’t scratch and wet fur won’t stain. Obviously you’ll have to wash this quite often to keep the car fresh – but it’s better than a dirty, mangy boot carpet.
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£12.99 |
Clix Carsafe seatbelt and harness – around £25
It’s all well and good having your dog in the boot – but what if you actually need your boot for shopping or luggage? Or if your dog is one of those mad ones that likes to stick his head out of the window? Well you can get a dog seatbelt - what a clever idea!
Clix is a well-known producer of car harnesses, with sizes to suit every dog from tiny to huge. These can then be hooked on to strap which plugs in to the seatbelt buckle. Dogs then have a little freedom to move around on the back seats, but they’re restrained in an accident or if they get spooked.
Rear seat protector – around £15
If you’re dog is happier in the back seat than the boot then a rear seat protector is essential. Many owners will hack up an old bed sheet, but a better solution is one of these purpose-built covers. they hook around the head rests to stay in place and are typically made of a heavy duty material to protect from claws.
That should help keep your nice upholstery dog hair and paw print free. There are also slots to give access to the seat belts, which means you can use the protector in conjunction with a harness. Just remember that this particular design requires your car to have both front and rear headrests - there are alternatives though.
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PetGear window guard – around £5
One of the most entertaining things to see on a big long journey is a dog sticking his head out of a car window – but it’s not really safe. And if you need to leave the dog in the car (not in hot weather, obviously) then you’ll want to leave the window open a touch without the dog trying to squeeze out.
A simple, cheap window guard is the solution. This will let in plenty of ventilation while keeping a curious pooch from sticking his head out of the window at an inopportune moment. There are various options on offer, none of which is particularly expensive.
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£6.95 |
Road Refresher water bowl – around £12
A dog is supposed to have drinking water at all times – but that isn’t really possible on a long car journey, since a bowl of water will quickly empty itself when you reach a bend. This bowl, however, claims to be the solution. It has a floating plate in it that allows enough water through for the dog to drink, but that won’t allow splashes.
That means when braking, accelerating or cornering there should be little to no spillage – better for your car and your dog. There is the risk your dog will kick it over entirely, of course, but usefully there is a bracket available to mount the bowl in a permanent spot.
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Road Refresher Prestige Non Spill Pet Water Bowl, Grey, Large , Pack of 1 |
£15.84 |
Pet Gear front seat cover – around £20
Some dogs are much happier in the front of the car near their human – particularly smaller dogs. Obviously this poses the same problems as with dogs who travel in the rear seats or in the boot – things will get dirty and there is the potential for problems in an accident or when the dog is alarmed by something.
Luckily there is are seat protectors designed for front seats as well as rear seats – including this heavy duty cover that protects everything, even the head rest. It repels water and gives access to the seatbelt buckle, meaning it can be used in conjunction with a dog harness.
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£21.47 |
Sloping dog cage – around £40
Some dogs like the freedom to run around the boot, others like to sit in a nice, compact, safe cage. This sloping cage has been designed specifically for use in a car, with the sloping sides giving more space for the dog to lie down without the hatchback door or rear seats getting in the way.
It folds down if you need more space in the boot, plus it is light and easy to remove. There are various sizes available online, but it’s probably worth visiting a pet shop and trying a few different cages out to see which suits your dog and your particular car best. Ideal if you are taking your dog to kennels.
CarPET hair remover – around £5
You can be the most cautious dog-loving car owner in the world, with the very best seat covers and in car protection, but you’ll still almost certainly end up with dog hair on your seats. Even a good quality vacuum cleaner can struggle with lifting it up from fabric seats, but this tool will help.
It is designed to be brushed gently over surfaces that are covered with hair. It will collect much of the hair and will loosen up the rest so it can be more easily vacuumed up. The only thing left to do after that is find something to get rid of doggy smell – an air conditioning specialist should be able to tackle that job.
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£9.97 |