The Hi-Craft Dog Car Harness is the Original Safety Dog Harness with over 3 million harnesses sold to owners worldwide! Under heavy braking or in an accident your dogs weight is absorbed by the harness across the shoulders and through the padded chest piece, helping to restrain your dog's movement almost like a dog car seat belt. (Size XS car harness does not require padding)
The safety car harness for dogs manufactured by Hi-Craft prevents your dog from being forced forward during an emergency stop, this helps to prevent injury to both your dog and other passengers in the car, as your dog is securely fastened to a rear seat belt by threading your cars seat belt through the car harness loop, restraining your dog's movement in the event of an accident or hard braking, in much the same way as a conventional passenger seat belt would for a person.
Using a car harness for your dog will make journeys a safer experience for both your dog and passengers alike, but also help drivers to concentrate on driving, minimising distraction and increasing visibility by keeping your dog under control in the car. The Hi-Craft Dog Car Harness is fully adjustable with quick fastening click buckles and allows your dog freedom to sit, turn around or lie down on the seat and the swivel mechanism stops the dog harness for becoming entangled, whilst giving your dog sufficient freedom to move.
If you only intend to walk your dog short distances, you can simply attach a lead to the car harness to allow you to move your dog safely in or out of the car easily, but if you want to use the harness for obedience training or long country walks it's advisable to purchase a separate dog harness.
Although you can purchase an adapter, that will attach to a standard dog harness using your car's safety belt, it's no substitute for a dedicated safety car harness, as a regular harness has been designed to control and walk your dog comfortably. Whereas a car dog harness has been specifically designed to transport your dog safely in the car, restrain your dog in the event of an accident or if the driver has to break suddenly, therefore we suggest to all owners to purchase a car harness for your dog, rather than an adapter for driver safety and peace of mind.
Please note it's advisable for your dog to always travel on the rear seats of your car, whenever possible as many modern cars now have safety bags for both front passengers and drivers, which are not designed with dogs in mind, but also for driver safety to minimise distractions!
Are car harness manufacturers required to safety test them?
There are currently no legal requirements for dog car harnesses to be safety tested in the UK, so unfortunately the quality of many car harnesses sold on the internet varies considerably, so why not read customer reviews about the hi craft dog car harness on chat forums and make an informed choice?
Surveys estimate that in the UK alone, there's 8 million dogs many of which travel in the car for short trips on a regular basis, to places like the park, vets or boarding kennels and since the introduction of the pet passport scheme even trips abroad, so it makes sense to purchase a safe, durable car harness for you dog to make journeys as safe as possible, especially if you intend to travel on foreign roads.
We suggest to customers that you measure your dog, before purchasing your car harness as breed sizes vary and you will often find the gender of your dog will effect the size of the safety car harness you select, so that your new hi craft harness fits securely around your dog, but is also comfortable to wear when travelling in your car on short or long journeys.
The Hi-Craft Car Dog Harness is made from light weight nylon for strength and durability and is currently available in four sizes, the measurements refer to the distance between the dogs neck to the bottom of their chest, see car harness guidelines for dog breeds below:
Hi-Craft Dog Car Harness Size Guidelines
X Small
- Fits up to 17 inches (43cm) of girth behind the front legs and can be adjusted in size to 11.4 inches (29cm)
For example the x small would be suitable for a Yorkie.
Small
- Fits up to 24 inches (60cm) of girth behind the front legs and can be adjusted in size to 15.75 inches (40cm)
For example the small would be suitable for a Westie.
Medium
- Fits up to 30 inches (75cm) of girth behind the front legs and can be adjusted in size to 17.7 inches (45cm)
For example the medium would be suitable for a Cocker Spaniel.
Large
- Fits up to 36 inches (90cm) of girth behind the front legs and can be adjusted in size to 21.65 inches (55cm)
For example the large would be suitable for a Setter.
X Large
- Fits up to 42 inches (106cm) of girth behind the front legs and can be adjusted in size to 25.6 inches (65cm)
For example the x large would be suitable for a Rottweiler.
Please remember that dogs of the same breed do vary in size, so owners with several dogs may need more than one harness size and factors such as age or gender will effect the size of the car harness you select, especially if you have a growing puppy so it maybe worthwhile selecting the next size up to avoid unnecessary expense!
FAQ - Are you legally required to use a car harness for your dog?
We are often asked by customers if it's a legal requirement for dog owners to use a car harness for their dogs, dog barrier or car crate to make journeys in the car a safer experience for the driver and passengers?
The short answer is NO, but the highway code does recommend you use a car harness for your dog, pet carrier, cage or car guard to restrain your dog to prevent them from distracting the driver, injuring you or themselves if you should need to stop the car quickly or in the event of an accident.
Although it's not a legal requirement to use a car harness for your dog, if the police feel that you are not in full control of your car, maybe because your dog is roaming free preventing you from paying full attention to the road conditions, you can still be charged with not having full control over your motor vehicle, so please restrain your dog safely in the car using a car harness or one of the methods mentioned above, even on short trips to the park!
The truth is that an unsecured dog of average weight, say 20kgs approximately travelling at just 30 mph, that's involved in a car crash would project the same force as an unbelted small child, equal to a baby elephant causing passengers serious or life threatening injuries, so is it really worth the risk?
The evidence quite clearly speaks for itself and we believe it should be a legal motoring requirement for your dog's to be restrained either using a car crate or safety dog car harness, as it can be hard to concentrate on driving especially if you have children and dogs loose in the car, so it makes sense to minimise distractions and securely fasten your love ones in just in case.
