Dog Seat Belts

filter

2 3 4 5

Black bungee dog car restraint tether with an aluminium carabiner and seatbelt buckle clip, shown flat on white

What Does a Dog Seat Belt Actually Do?

A dog seat belt is the tether that connects your dog to the car. It does not replace a harness. It attaches to one and stops your dog moving around the cabin, climbing into the front, or leaving the vehicle before you are ready at the other end. Most owners buy one after a near miss rather than before.

Choosing the Right Length

Short tethers

Around 40cm. These keep a dog seated in one position and are the safest option, because there is no room to build momentum in a sudden stop.

Adjustable tethers

Between roughly 45cm and 90cm. These let a dog stand, turn and lie down, which suits longer trips and calmer dogs. Ours start at about $32.

Bungee tethers

Elastic through part of the length to absorb braking. Comfortable, though the give means a longer effective reach, so choose a shorter one than you otherwise would.

What to Check Before You Buy

Look at the clip. A plastic buckle is fine for a small dog and a poor choice for anything strong. Check that the buckle end matches your car, because some vehicles have a recessed receiver that a wide clip will not seat into properly. And check the swivel, since a tether that cannot rotate will twist itself shorter over a long drive.

A Note on Collars

Never clip a seat belt tether to a collar. In a stop the entire force lands on your dog's throat. Every tether here is designed to attach to a harness, and you will find those in our Dog Car Harnesses collection.