You may be considering a harness to secure your whippet in the car. Which is the best harness for you and your dog in your situation? Only you can answer that. I really have no clue and am rehashing things that I find on the internet. Here are a few things to be mindful of when choosing your harness. Note that in Victoria, Australia it is not a legal requirement to restrain your dog in the cabin of your car.^ Dogs are recommended to go in the back as the deployment of the airbag can kill them.
You need to decide if you're after restraint for prevention of distraction, or if you're after a harness that does crash protection for yourself and the dog. Harnesses are usually okay for restraint and emergency stopping, but in the case of impact it may snap or cause injury to your dog.^^
There is no National safety standard for dog restraint or harnesses in Australia. You cannot really rely on the bias tests and claims of the individual companies manufacturing the harnesses. In 2013, NRMA^ in Sydney, Australia and the Center for Pet Safety* in Virginia, America did separate research and testing on various harnesses. Please see their websites for further information. The Center for Pet Safety also have a really good guide on how to select a dog harness.
Two harnesses passed the NRMA's Dog Car Harness Test in 2013.
You need to decide if you're after restraint for prevention of distraction, or if you're after a harness that does crash protection for yourself and the dog. Harnesses are usually okay for restraint and emergency stopping, but in the case of impact it may snap or cause injury to your dog.^^
There is no National safety standard for dog restraint or harnesses in Australia. You cannot really rely on the bias tests and claims of the individual companies manufacturing the harnesses. In 2013, NRMA^ in Sydney, Australia and the Center for Pet Safety* in Virginia, America did separate research and testing on various harnesses. Please see their websites for further information. The Center for Pet Safety also have a really good guide on how to select a dog harness.
Two harnesses passed the NRMA's Dog Car Harness Test in 2013.
- Purina "Roadie" - Avias whippets have been lucky enough to be given one of these to road test! See link.
Official Website: Purina Petlife Roadie - SleepyPod Clickit
Official Australian Website: Sleepypod Australia
Alternatives to the Car Harness
Crate?
The other way of restraining your whippet in a vehicle would be to use a crate. An airline approved crate would be best (in my inexperienced opinion), but you will most likely only be able to fit one of these comfortably in your car unless you have a wagon. There have been no scientific studies on how successful these would be of preventing injury yet, or how they would hold up in a collision, but I have read on the Center for Pet Safety website that they are looking to do testing this Winter (American summer) so we should be seeing some results soon.
Thinking in a purely logical sense, my guess would be that the dog would have a lot lower risk of strangulation (if you are comparing this to a harness that did not pass the crash tests). However, you would need to worry about crate integrity and there is the concern that it may collapse on impact. You would also need to secure the crate so it doesn't become a flying projectile in the event of an accident.
The other way of restraining your whippet in a vehicle would be to use a crate. An airline approved crate would be best (in my inexperienced opinion), but you will most likely only be able to fit one of these comfortably in your car unless you have a wagon. There have been no scientific studies on how successful these would be of preventing injury yet, or how they would hold up in a collision, but I have read on the Center for Pet Safety website that they are looking to do testing this Winter (American summer) so we should be seeing some results soon.
Thinking in a purely logical sense, my guess would be that the dog would have a lot lower risk of strangulation (if you are comparing this to a harness that did not pass the crash tests). However, you would need to worry about crate integrity and there is the concern that it may collapse on impact. You would also need to secure the crate so it doesn't become a flying projectile in the event of an accident.
Purina Roadie | SleepyPod Clickit |
Below is a video about the 2013 NRMA crash test ^^, from the PetTalkPeople. I'm not sure who they are, but they were also at the 4th Whippet National in 2014! :)
PettalkPeople.com - NRMA 2013 Report - Watch Episode
Do Dog Harnesses Work? Paws for Concern (CBC Marketplace) - Watch Episode
References
^ https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-rules/a-to-z-of-road-rules/animals (June 2015)
^^ http://www.nrma.com.au/paws-and-secure-your-puppy (Oct 2013)
* http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/ (June 2015)
** www.pettalkpeople.com (June 2015)
^ https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-rules/a-to-z-of-road-rules/animals (June 2015)
^^ http://www.nrma.com.au/paws-and-secure-your-puppy (Oct 2013)
* http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/ (June 2015)
** www.pettalkpeople.com (June 2015)