?? on Taking Boxers Off-Road in a Jeep

[LucNesbitt]

My husband and I do a lot of off-road trails with our Jeep and would love to take Moab with us. I understand that when we do our more extreme trips or trails that its in his best interest to not be there and we kennel him on those weekends for his own safety. But, we're taking a more mild off-road/camping trip this coming weekend with family and I desperately want to take him along while the weather's nice.

Has anyone on this board ever taken their boxers out in a situation like this? How did you restrain them so that they had some movement but were also protected against any bumps along the way? Any trails that might be more than he could handle, he'll get out with me on his leash and walk so it needs be something I can easily get him out of.

Any ideas you all have would be helpful! We've got to figure this out pretty soon and DH is having some difficulty finding a good solution, which would mean Moab wouldn't get to go :(

 

[rvngal]

I say go for it. He would love it I'm sure. As far as restraining, they do sell these harness type things that attach to a seat belt that keeps them in place. Thats what were getting for Rocky. Check it out at www.RyansPet.com. I get their magazines all the time.

 

[Luvnmyboxer]

I have a Jeep too and when I take Titan out with me I put him his doggy seat-belt and have myself or a friend sit by him in the backseat. He loves going along for the rides. If you are going to be in an area with rocks kicking up you might see if your pup will wear some goggles or something like that to protect his eyes--for sure keep him away from the edge of the Jeep due to debris flying around. Good Luck--sounds like an awesome trip!!

JBPet, Petsmart, and most places online sell the dog seat-belts. The seatbelt goes thru a loop on the back and gives plenty of room to lay down if needed.

 

[LucNesbitt]

We've got a harness for him but haven't put the backseat back in the jeep, nor do we have the seatbelts back there yet, but we will. It sounds like the harness would be enough based on your feedback so we'll give it a try and see how it goes! I'll post some pictures once we get back of Moab's first Jeep trip!

Those of you that are jeepers probably understand how Moab got his name now ...

 

[Roscoesmommy]

My dbf has a Jeep also and we took him for his first ride without the top on, a few weekends ago. First, I put him in the back and held onto his leash. He jumped right out (Dbf was standing in the driveway), so then I just put him on my lap, which wont happen anymore as he is getting bigger by the minute. We just drove around the block (we live in a neighborhood) just to see what he would think about it. It was sooo funny to watch his ears flopping in the wind. We definitely will be getting a harness for him to sit in the back becuase I cant hold him any more, he is too strong and big. Plus, I dont want to exclude him from riding around and going places in the Jeep with the top down. I know he loves to feel the wind through his ears!!!

 

[BXRBESTFRIND]

My cousin off-roads with his lab and poiting griffon (sp?) all the time they are hunting dogs and he trys to go to the most out of the way locations plus my cousin loves to get his Jeep all dirty LOL

Hes a little old school and doesnt restrain his dogs in the cab when he takes the top off, or any time for that matter, but they are great they stay in the cab and just enjoy the ride

Good luck sounds like you and moab will have a great time

Ohh and if you dont plan on putting the seat belts back in you can attach a cable under the bolts where the seat belt would go and attach the harness to that (I used to install custom seat belts for human use) it will be just as structurally sound as doing it the standard way!

 

[LucNesbitt]

That's actually what we're thinking of doing so we don't have to put the back seat in. His harness has a D-ring on the back of it where the seatbelt would go and we're thinking of running some kind of cable through that and attaching it either to the rollcage or the old seatbelt brackets in the floor. That way, he could move side to side if he needed to, but would be secure if we got a little sideways on a trail.

I'm just glad to hear that others have done things like this with their dogs. DH thought I was crazy to want to take him with us but then, he's not a fan of having dogs on the trails to start with and in some cases, I agree with him. I'd never take Moab somewhere were I didn't feel I could protect him, particularly given the fact that a few places we go have rattlesnakes ... he's got no business being on those trails!

 

[rfdfirewife]

We also have a Jeep and loove to go on trails etc with it. We got Addie a harness/seatbelt for the car. It has a ton of padding on the chest for her and keeps her protected. I wanted to get her used to one young so this summer when we have the top off she's used to it. Plus Im terrified she'll try to jump out if the tops off.