Large dog + kid in a double cab

I live in a big east coast city. Parallel parking is 100% of the time, streets are narrow and the locals drive crazy.

 

Sorry failed to answer your original question: "Is anybody running a 40 percent seat delete with a large dog, and is it enough?"
I am not, and do not know...
As for the comments about parenting style and dog training by other commentators, Don't recall him asking for perspective on either.
I say there are enough unknown variables that OP's "ounce of prevention approach" is worth more than a pound of cure...

 

My friend with the double Cab Dog on the right front seat. The Dog was a family member before Mom and the Child.

Mom and Child in the rear it works for them. Child on the Left.

It also depends just where you live around here traffic is so light unloading out the right side would not be a problem.

City I hate to get out the right side the way people drive.

 

It's not mean, it's friendly advice. You have a discipline problem if your 5 year old opens vehicle doors before it's parked AND told it's safe to do so. You can also tell the kid to get out on the other side.

This sounds like a helicopter parent issue, not a Tacoma problem. I have 5 kids, so you'll need a different retort.

 

I agree with the comments. My kids are 7 and 8 now and when I park I tell them which side to get out. If you had a newborn you were loading and unloading that’s a different story. You want to be on the passengers side so you don’t stand in traffic unloading. The dog should be able to follow the kid out the passengers side or you get him first.

 

I thought that may be the case. I too live on the east coast though my city is only 100K and most parking is in garages or small parking lots. I’m willing to bet there is a 40% seat delete DIY on YouTube. Though I have not seen one.

 

I run a 60 split and the kid is behind the driver seat, works for us because Momma is in the passenger seat and can handle the questions and snack opening while I drive.

 

We do the same. My son who is 4 now sits behind me, and I fold the larger part of the rear seat down. I then place a dog bed and a quilt over it for my 80 lb German Shepherd. He fits comfortably. It's a bit of a jump to get in, so it may be an issue as he gets older, but for now it works well.

 

If you have two kids you don’t have a choice but to use both sides. But you also would presumably keep all your seats and they could both exit the same door. If you have 1 kid, as I do, you have a choice. And he won’t be able to exit opposite his seat if we are packed with gear or whatever. The seat-deleted side will have a high-ish DIY barrier to keep the dog off him as well.

It doesn’t matter if my kid stays and waits for me or not. There is still the problem that I would have to unload him from a tall vehicle on traffic side. Incredibly unnecessary and dangerous. But it’s also a moot point because he won’t be sitting traffic side. This isn't a debate.

It’s nice you have a trained dog. I do not. He is 11 years old, he’s a rescue and he doesn’t listen for sh*t. One reason I want the seat delete is it puts him on the floor and makes it harder for him to climb over the seats. He will be tethered but that won’t stop him from trying to lunge over whatever to get to the nearest open door, possibly entangling himself. The quicker I get to him the better.

 

Is the folded down seat large enough for your dog? It seems the seat delete adds so much space.

I think I found a picture of the 40% somewhere but can't find it again. But mostly I'm having a hard time visualizing a large-ish dog in there. Ideally I'd like the dog to lay on his side with his legs stretched out on long trips. The 40% looks a little tight for this. Since I don't yet own a Tacoma I decided to post here

 

I plan to remove the seat opposite the kid and modify it with a diy dog barrier, and sometimes store stuff there. The choice of which side the kid sits on will also be his only exit. As I've explained to other critics here, traffic side is stupid and dangerous, even if he waits for my help. I guess none of you parallel park much.

 

It's got plenty of room on the large side. A seat delete would certainly add to the available space for the dog, but I've never found it to be necessary for mine.

 

I'm brand new to this forum but I see there is a high ratio of unhelpful assholes here. I posted a simple question about the 40% side and a dog. There is no need for your (dumb) opinion on whether my kid should exit in front of moving traffic.

 

My dog is around the same size and just sits on the seat next to the kids. If it’s a long trip we’ll pile some stuff up in front of the seat, level with the top of the seat and put a dog bed on top of it.

 

Welcome to the forum

Don't take it too personal man, there are a lot of good folks with good information here.

 

Not sure if it would fit entirely on the smaller side but a gunner kennel/crate might be a decent solution, (could even extend onto the 60% side a bit and not encroach on the passenger side rear seat). Also, look into professional training for your dog, even if he is old and a rescue you can still train him, especially if he is a working breed. For a decent starting point that will cost you nothing but time I recommend the following videos/exercises:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjewLe7vpd8&list=PLCrBM9zH5UyThvOYhpghhLeuPoh9Q9ND_

They have a playlist called "Phase 1 Obedience training" that is a great way to get started.

 

I ended up making a small platform on the driver side to make the dog more comfortable, but he does just fine sitting/laying on the seat. I added the cheap Amazon dog hammock as extra insurance from keeping him from falling in the foot well on rougher terrain, and can be unclipped / rolled up to accomodate a passenger back there easily.

Dog hammock: Works amazing for $23.

Amazon Basics Waterproof Car Hammock Rear Seat Cover for Pets - 55 x 59"es, Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QHC041A?ie=UTF8

 

100% this. Answer the question or move on. It's crap like this that causes new people to leave forums.

 

Don’t worry about the people that provide unhelpful stuff sometimes. Most of the forum is pretty great. Hell, I made some pretty good real life friends by just going to the meetups here.

I looked up the dimensions of the backseat of the double cab, did some rough math, and the dog will probably have a paw or two into the middle section of the seat, but he’ll be fine on the 40 side. We used to do it with my entlebucher in an f150, now that I think about it.

 

There's nothing wrong with trying to hedge the odds in your favor when you can. I've seen well-trained dogs make mistakes and supposedly well-trained adults...make mistakes, sometimes with catastrophic results. You can't expect a child to be 100% on point at all times.

I live in an extraordinarily busy locale as well. I don't think you necessarily need to delete the seat unless you really want to. A baby seat and a soft crate fit across the rear seat fine. My 65 lb dog jumps in and out of the crate. No issues.