My trainer says my dog should always be in the crate while we're on the road, but told me about car jacking training. How is the dog supposed to foil a car jacking if he is in the crate? Is it ok if he is just in a down in the car?

I keep my dogs crated in the car for safety reasons when I’m out driving.

A dog that isn’t secured in the car becomes a projectile in the event of an accident. With that said, when I drive a short distance with my dogs (say around our little town) I’ve been known to let them ride loose. I am always a little more cautious though, because to me it’s like having a kid in the car without having them restrained.

Where I live, it’s probably much more likely that I would be in a car accident than experience a car jacking. I guess you need to weigh the options.

You could always use a seat belt restraint for your dog, so he could be in the seat next to you, but buckled in. With practice you could probably learn to release the clip quickly if you need to deploy the dog.

Another option would be to drive a vehicle with a crate that has multiple doors so you could release him inside the vehicle from your seat. I used to have a two door crate that could open to the tailgate or to the interior of the vehicle.

I think you need to figure out the pros & cons for you and your dog.

Cindy Rhodes