A Guide to Booster Car Seats for Dogs: Keep Your Pooch Safe and Comfortable While Driving

If you’ve ever driven a car with your furry friend skidding about in the back seat or trying to crawl into your lap, you know how terrifying it may be to get behind the wheel. Our canines can be distracting, and when driving is involved, their distractions can be plain deadly which is why it’s important to keep your companion secured in the car!

For those pet owners who are still wondering ‘how do I stop my dog from moving in the car?’, have you ever considered a dog booster? These are exceptionally useful and often come in handy for keeping your pup safe when you’re on the road.

What Are Dog Car Boosters and Why Get One?

Using secure booster dog car seats specifically designed to keep your furry friend safe and comfortable while driving is the best way to minimise distraction and focus on the road. These must-have dog products elevate your furry baby in the car slightly as they sit down, allowing them to see things from a height that isn’t otherwise possible from a regular seat.

We all know that long car rides can cause different types of mishaps, and pooches are not immune to car sickness. So you’ll want a dog booster seat that’s simple to clean whether it’s a spilt bowl of food, muddy paws from the park, a surprise puke, or anything else. To safeguard your car seats, look for removable, machine-washable bedding and water-repellent linings.

What to Look For in a Booster Dog Seat

For small, medium or large-size breeds, there are several important factors to consider when looking for the ideal car seat for your canine friend.

Safety

A loose pooch could become a projectile in a car accident or during a hard stop. They may end up hurting both themselves and other passengers as a result. The finest booster dog car seats perform the same thing as seat belts and human car seats in preventing injuries to passengers during collisions.

The more affordable and widely used items are largely made for comfort. However, the most secure booster seats for dogs and harnesses are made with collisions in mind. That’s why to give your pet the best chance of surviving an accident it’s best to give priority to products that have passed the CPS’s crash tests when shopping.

Speaking of safety, instead of placing your four-legged friend in a booster, you should attach a harness to your car’s seatbelt system. Although many car seats state that they may be used in either the front or back, dogs should never ride shotgun since airbags in a vehicle can cause them considerable harm. Larger breeds are safer in a crash-tested seat or restrained to the trunk using a barrier system.

Comfort

Your canine must feel comfortable in the booster you purchase for it to function properly. To keep it quiet, many of them are made with plush padding, plush linings, and openings that allow it to observe what is happening. However, some pups will require some time to adjust to a vehicle seat.

When driving with an anxious pet, choose a seat that fits properly and has padding for added protection during sudden stops or accidents. Products with padded cushioning, plush linings and permeable sides and tops have been given major priority.

Also, give them a meal in the car, play a game with them to get acclimated to being there for brief periods, and then take short trips to an enjoyable location like a park. Most important, however, is not to make the vet your primary stop for them!

Design

Car seats for dogs come in a variety of designs. Many also serve as “boosters,” giving your furry friend a little extra height so they can look well out the window. These seats frequently have straps that attach them to the headrest and normally rest on the rear seat of a car.

For the tiniest puppies, certain designs suspend from the seat. Others have a centre console placement in mind. There are also more seat and carrier combinations with lids. The kind you pick will depend on your pet’s size if the pet can handle a cage-like seat and the location of the product in your car.

Some come with waterproof and mesh sides for ventilation and to improve your pup’s field of vision. For toys, snacks, and other pet supplies, some designs even include zippered storage pockets. Additionally, the seat folds flat for simple storage when not in use.

Size

Even if car seats are often designed for small to medium-sized canines, not all of them provide equal room to move. Some might be wider than others, and vice versa. Your pooch will benefit from having more room because it can move about more readily, but this comes at the expense of the seat taking up more room.

Many boosters, on the other hand, accommodate smaller breeds, so finding a suitable car seat shouldn’t be difficult if you have a Chihuahua, pug, terrier, or toy breed. Finding the ideal item, however, for medium- and large-sized dogs might be difficult.

To determine whether the seat is appropriate for your specific canine, be sure to examine the weight limit and dimensions. Read customer reviews to find out what breeds may use it without discomfort.

Ease of Maintenance

You might have a wet and muddy dog to bring home if you’re taking your pet to and from your favourite walking places. In that scenario, you should select a harness or hunt out an easy-to-clean car seat.

Dogs typically shed, and their fur adheres to the upholstery of your vehicle like Velcro. This is why you should get fur-friendly seat covers or clean the seats and other hard surfaces to get rid of the surplus hair.