Should I be concerned...

[firefighter3666]

My girlfriend just got a sweet beagle mix that is about a year old from the local shelter. The dog's previous owner kept it chained up outside and as a result has some abandonment issues that we are working on.

My concern is based on protecting both the dog and the inside of my truck. I originally wanted to keep both back seats folded up and give the pup a blanket on the back floor. Due to her height, she can't see out the windows with this setup, and spends a good deal of time standing on her back legs with her paws on the armrest. I've had to make a few abrupt stops as a result of other drives, and the dog has scrambled to maintain balance. She's starting to figure out that lying down is her best option, but I'm concerned about her scratching up the interior of my truck when the nose gets going and she wants to hang her head out the window.

I tried giving her the 40 side of the split seat hoping she'd sit nicely and there wouldn't be any problems. But something got her nose going this afternoon and she decided to try and climb out the window. Not sure if she scratched up the side of the door during this endeavor, but I know she's trashed my aftermarket tint. I just haven't gotten around to wiping the nose smudges off the window to see how bad the damage is.

I won't have the dog in the truck all that often, but I'm looking for any suggestions on how to protect the interior. And, tethering her in the bed isn't an option.

[CrackMonkE]

Hey Firefighter,
What I usually do is fold up the large split of the rear seat and put Buster in a nylon crate. The crate I have allows me to unzip the top part so he can stick his head out to see what's going on, but it doesn't let him bounce around on the inside of my truck. He would easily tear it up if I let him free. Here is a pic of a similar crate to what I have...

[MikeT]

Definitely a portable kennel like (Or similar to) the one above.

[BillB]

If you have never had a beagle before, then you do not know that they are CHEWERS, in Capital letters.

[firefighter3666]

Thanks for the advice. So far she has kept her chewing to things that belong to her. Although we've been keeping a close eye on her. I like the idea of a travel crate, unfortunately we are still working on crate training.... which is a difficult process for a dog with abandonment issues. For the time being I've got a tether in the back seat that is attached to the center LATCH tether anchor. I was putting the windows all the way down in the back and allowing her to prop herself up on the door sill, but I just realized that she is leaving permanent scratches on the plastic. I've shortened the tether so that she can't get up on to the windows. Hopefully she'll learn to lie quietly in the back and enjoying car rides with her people.

[Truckin']

You can look at my thread on making our doggie deck and see how we've protected our arm rests and the window sills, as well as letting our short dogs look out the windows if they choose. They most often curl up and sleep while we're driving.

Back seat doggie deck

We rarely have the windows open for them and then it's only a couple of inches down unless we're going slow on a dirt road. But then we don't have hounds with that powerful nose that takes away their common sense about not jumping out the window of a moving vehicle.

[firefighter3666]

The shortened tether seems to be doing the trick. She has just enough room to turn around a choose her lying position, but not enough room to get to the overly soft plastic that Honda selected for the interior. Now to figure out how to minimize the appearance of the scratches she's already left.....

[wrenrj1]

There are doggie restraints/seat belts out there that restrain dogs as well as protect them in a collision. Check out the major pet stores, Cabelas, etc. I just can't remember where I saw them.

On another note, I would not open your window to the extent that a dog can get their head out. With certain power windows the dog could potentially step on the switch (I know that this is CERTAINLY true with the power locks!) and close on their neck. Additionally, a dog's eyes are exposed to bugs hits, rock hits, etc. just like riding a motorcycle without eye protection.

A beagle can be a challenge, but keep with it. Structure and training will prevail.

[steveberger]

Had a beagle when I was growing up. She was a lovable, naughty, little dog. Loved to chew the buttons off of any shirt left on the ground and she wasn't neat about it! We tried keeping her in a part of the basement and she chewed THROUGH the drywall to get out! She was unmanagable off of a leash because the breed was built to run, run, and run some more after small game. Was also a lousy watch dog. But she was a very sweet, affectionate pet and excellent with kids and babies. Good luck!

[LionelLines]

Our Pug, Miss Emma, LOVES the new Ridgeline!

Yes!