The extra-large canine seatbelt is for very large dogs with chest size 28"-44".
How Dog Car Safety
Belts Help Protect You and Your Pet It stands to reason
that if safety belts for people save lives, a seat belt harness for dogs can
also protect your dog's life. A pet travel harness may help prevent your dog
from flying into the dash and hurting his sensitive nose or getting thrown onto
the floor and breaking a leg. Your dog also won't be able to put his head out the
window either. I know he might enjoy it, but consider the danger of your dog
getting hit in the eyes or nose with road debris or of being choked in a sudden
stop. Another way a dog seat belt might protect your dog is after a car
accident. After an accident, your pet will be terrified and will most likely
try to run away. Such a harness may also protect people in the vehicle too by
helping to prevent your pet from distracting the driver or becoming a dangerous
projectile in an auto accident.
How it Works This particular dog car
restraint from Kurgo has two parts - the padded harness part and the loop tether.
The safety belt of your car goes through the loop tether to secure your dog in.
Please note, this loop tether restricts your dog's movement. This can be
beneficial since it helps keep your dog from getting tossed around as much if
you were in a car crash. But if your dog insists on trying to move around, he
could get tangled in the loop tether. Consider your dog's personality in the car
before purchasing this product. If you like the style and safety features of
the Kurgo canine seatbelt but not the loop tether, you can buy a separate tether HERE which works
differently than the loop tether and helps prevent tangling.
How to put it on First, undo the steel nesting buckles (C). Place
the upper straps (F and enclosed circular area) around your pet's neck so that
the D-ring (A) is at the top back part of your dog's neck. Make sure the chest
piece (E) fits your dog's chest by adjusting the upper straps (F). Take the two
lower straps (D) from under your dog's chest, wrap around his chest behind his
front legs, and fasten the nesting buckles (C) on both sides. Adjust the lower
straps (D). Attach leash or tether (B) to the D-ring (A). More detailed
instructions with pictures are enclosed with your purchase of the Kurgo seat
belt harness for dogs.
Kurgo Reviews - Megan posted on
Kurgo's site June 26th, 2012: "I definitely prefer the nesting buckles
over the plastic buckles. I feel like my dog is a little more secure and won't
break through them. He pulls alot on his harness so that was always a fear on
walks was he would break the plastic buckles. That fear is now GONE! Thanks for
a great product Kurgo!!" - Sue posted on
Amazon on May 20, 2009: "This is a substantial car harness that is easy to
fit, put on and take off. My Australian Shepherd cannot wiggle around and
slither out of this harness as he could in another type of car harness. He's a
world class slitherer so it's saying something when he can't wiggle out
it!"
Negative reviews:
Some people think these pet car seat belts are easy to put on, others think
they are hard. The ease/difficulty in putting on the Kurgo is comparable to
other seatbelts for dogs. Others have complained of tangling. If your dog likes
to move around a lot in the car, he could get tangled in the Kurgo tether. See
the "How it Works" section above. Other negative reviews have to do
with the the older version which used plastic buckles. Please note that these reviews were before Kurgo replaced the
plastic buckles with the metal nesting buckles. Additional safety testing has
also been completed since that time.
If you have
purchased the Kurgo canine seatbelt, whether it be from us or not, please email
us at naturebydawn@aol.com with your opinion.
Colors Available We only have the
Kurgo dog car safety belts in black with orange trim.
Compare the Kurgo
Vehicle Restraints for Dogs with other Brands The Kurgo pet
travel harness is comparable to the Bergan Pet Buckle in regards to safety
testing. It is the least expensive of our three tested brands. Unlike the Pet
Buckle brand, it has padding. It is not as well-padded as the Bergan brand,
however. The other brands use a long tether to secure the dog. This long tether
allows the dog to move around more and prevents tangling. Kurgo, on the other
hand, uses a loop tether. Your dog is more secure with the loop tether but can
get tangled if he moves around too much.
For more detailed
information on the difference between our various pet car seat belts, read our
article, "Compare the Dog Seat Belt Brands". Please note that since
this article was written, Kurgo has since completed more thorough testing which
includes a crash sled test (see below).
Has the Kurgo
Tru-Fit Dog Harness for Cars Been Safety Tested? Yes. Initially, Kurgo
had only strength tested and verified their harnesses could withstand up to
2,000 pounds of pressure. However, they have since improved their product to
have steel buckles instead of plastic and further tested their products. The
steel buckles are designed from the same types of buckles used by rock
climbers. The three safety tests used are tensile strength testing, dynamic
testing using a static line test, and crash testing using a sled test. These
tests were completed through the New Hampshire Materials Laboratory, Inc. They can
now withstand 2,250 pounds of pressure. Be sure to check out their crash tested
video below.
Our
dog Maya now wears the Kurgo dog car restraint. She loves trying out new
products, especially Kurgo products.
Can Your Dog Sit,
Stand, and Lie Down in the Kurgo Seat Belt Harness for Dogs? Yes to sitting and
lying down. Because the loop tether is more restricting, it may be more
difficult for your dog to stand.
What If You Don't
Think Your Dogs Will Wear Dog Car Safety Belts? Some dogs won't like wearing
this harness. But you can help them get used to it. Check out this article,
"How to Get Your Dog Used to a Dog Seat Belt" on our Pet Auto Safety
Blog. We also enclose a tip sheet with your purchase.
Distractions are not just
caused by cell phones. With a dog harness for cars, your pet won't be able to
bother the driver. Your pet will be more likely to remain in the back, even in
an automobile crash. Seatbelts for dogs also help prevent your pet from
becoming a dangerous projectile in an accident. Take into account how much your
pet weighs, then consider how fast you usually drive. Multipy the two numbers.
This is how many pounds of pressure your dog could cause to other passengers if
he is unrestrained. So, if your dog weighs 15 lbs and you are driving 30 miles
per hour it is going to be like being hit with 450 lbs. Most vehicle restraints
for dogs are made to hold up against at least 2,000 lbs or more of impact
force.
Something
else to bear in mind for pets caught up in an auto collision that were not restrained...
What if your dog survives but flees from the car? Consider how frightened your
pet will be if your car spins out of control, smashes into another vehicle or
object, or rolls over. His first instinct is going to be to get away from the
occurrence, even if he's hurt. If a window is open or broken or there is
another way to get out, your dog will try to use it. Then he will run. He might
get into the street or he might take off into the trees and be forever lost.
This takes place so often. If your pet is restrained in a pet travel harness,
his chances for survival increase considerably. Not only will he be less likely
to escape, but he may be easier for emergency personnel to assist.