How do you travel with your pets?

[MaverickTRD]

I have 3 siberian huskies. I am looking for a solid way to transport them on our outdoor events. They will be in the bed of my double cab tacoma. I do not want to simply let them roam back there or strap their leash in.

I plan on getting some type of snug top/cap and hopefully building some type of 3 dog kennel for added safety and security.

I know there are some animal people in here, does anyone have any photos with their dogs in transit? Inside the cab is not an option as there are 4 of us.

 

[fortel]

You might want to look at how upland bird hunters travel with their dogs. There are lots of options of pickup truck bed dog kennels on the hunting side of things. Look at

http://www.gundogsupply.com/dog-boxes-dog-toppers-and-dog-trailers.html

Might give you some good ideas. Having a wreck with dogs in truck is not going to be good anyway, but some type of kennel confining them could help reduce injury compared to being loose inside of a pickup bed with just a topper on it.

Good luck with finding a solution.

 

[amo292]

My buddy rides in the cab but if I were to regularly transport three large dogs I would defiantly have them in the bed under the cap. It might be tough to build a box large enough for those three in a tacoma. Look at the size requirements for hight and length that are provided online. The pre made dog boxes are great but they are generally for much smaller upland dogs.

I know you said you didn't want to strap them in, but it may make sense to set a run line across the top of the cab and have them tethered to it via a harness. This way they are free to move around limitedly but they are still secured n the event of sudden actions.

Hope this helps! I look forward to seeing other solutions.

 

[DiploStrat]

You may want to swap notes with Dan Rehack: http://www.best-in-snow.net

 

[TwoTrack]

I've been looking into this a lot recently. With the arrival of our first child, the dogs have been demoted to the truck bed (w/topper). I've never liked the idea of them just roaming the bed and I think before our next big trip I will be building kennels for them.

http://www.gamebirdhunts.com/Huntin...avelingWithHuntingDogs/tabid/540/Default.aspx

I think that as long as you stop and let them out often enough to stretch and play, they'll be fine and enjoy the trip. If your trip consists of no real destination with constant driving, then this might not be the best solution.

 

[drobb]

We have a 6 month old yellow lab with a TON of energy (think squirrel on caffeine) He is crate trained, so I have a travel crate I secure down in the back portion of our Sequoia. Works well for our desert trips. The travel crate also serves as his sleeping place while camping.

 

[Hilldweller]

My buddy Mike is a dog trainer and owns a private dog park. He's got a kick-butt trailer that he transports the pooches in.
http://www.wolfbrook.com/
Not sure where he picked it up but I've seen some neat custom work in truck beds. Why not give him or his wife Annette a holler and ask? They're for-real dog whisperer types.

 

[snowaddict91]

I'm having trouble imagining 4 people and 3 dogs in a taco without a trailer.

 

[Howard70]

Our dog has graduated from the rear seat of our 1st generation double cab Tacoma to the most expensive travelling dog house I've ever purchased....

 

[MaverickTRD]

I'm having trouble imagining 4 people and 3 dogs in a taco without a trailer.

it may not be ideal...thats why i'm looking at options. I would have a camping trailer for overnighters, and day trips wouldn't be too bad. I figure I could build/fit 2 36x28 crates and one 24x36-40 crate. My pups weigh 45, 60, and 65lbs respectively. The bed interior dimensions are 57x60 if i'm not mistaken. This would leave me an open corner in the bed about 24x20" for dog items. I could build a bed storage box that would be the overall size of the bed and the height equal to the wheel wells or even a little taller. this could store the necessities for day trips for the family.

In a perfect world I would have a 4 door tundra. But for now I have to make do with what I have.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I will check out the links and people referenced!

 

[MaverickTRD]

Found some pictures for ideas....many of these unfortunately wouldn't work without a full size truck. But hopefully that will come in time.

 

[cdthiker]

heck just google pics of what the sled racers transport their dogs in. Lot of my hunting buddies run a three across the back kennel style system.

Mine rides in the cap int he back of the tacoma. every once an while he rides shot gun ( regular cab) if there is a lot fo stuff in the back he rides in his crate

 

[bbbflash]

That crate idea would be the what I would do.

 

[MaverickTRD]

heck just google pics of what the sled racers transport their dogs in. Lot of my hunting buddies run a three across the back kennel style system.

Mine rides in the cap int he back of the tacoma. every once an while he rides shot gun ( regular cab) if there is a lot fo stuff in the back he rides in his crate

yeah, i'm really liking the 3 across the back like your hunting buddies have set up. I tried to google sled racer pictures, but the reality is that I have 3 pups. those people have 6+ so their applications don't really apply for me. It goes from an entire bed box only housing dogs, to dedicated rigs and trailers that would resemble animal control so that they can fit their pups.

 

[Advmoto18]

My 2 blacks labs and mini long haired dachshund are human dogs.

So, they ride on the back seat of the Super Duty Crew Cab. They wear harnesses that connect to the shoulder strap of the seat belt. While they can move around a bit, they will not become airborne missiles or flung into the back of the front seat in the event of a sudden stop.

While all of my human dogs are crate trained, would YOU want to ride in a crate and miss all the great scenery and companionship?

A buddy has his lab's harness rigged so Bogey can ride in the co-pilot seat of their Cessna 185. How cool is that!