Big dog and an Access Cab

Looking for some suggestions on the following scenario. I have a 2013 Access Cab 4X4 and have recently acquired a large dog (95 lbs) who loves to ride in the truck. He frequently needs help getting onto the front passenger seat due to the height but I just help him manage his rear legs.

Most often the dog will either sit or lay down on the passenger front seat and, yes, it's a bit cramped. My worry is that in the event of a sudden stop due to deer or other traffic situation, he will go flying forward with a great potential for injury.
I've thought about having him ride in the access compartment but the surfaces are uneven for him to lay down given the floor hump and storage compartments.

For those of you who travel with your large canine buddy, what is a practical approach to my situation?

Thanks in advance.

 

I have two Great Danes I seldom ride with both but they both park their butt on the seat feet on the floor and chin on the dash. Shortly after I bought the truck the rear storage thing went away and the seats were covered with plywood so with two one in the back the other on the seat.

 

I don't have a big dog, just a small beagle. But your concern about a sudden stop is real. A couple months ago I was riding home after a night at the game lands chasing rabbits, and a skunk ran right in front of the truck as I came around a corner. Had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the skunk, and my dog flew from having her back legs on the rear seat and front legs on the center console to up into the front window face first! Luckily she only had a little swollen eye that cleared right up and she was fine.

After that incident we bought a doggy seat belt for her. It's just a plug that clicks into the seat belt and has a very short adjustable leash with a clip at the end. We clip it to a harness she wears in the truck, and it works great. I would imagine the same kind of thing could work for your big dog.

You could even cut off a real Tacoma seat belt plug from a salvage yard, and attach something to it with a clip on the end if you wanted to make your own.

 

There's some posts about this. There are some legal considerations about this too. An unsecured dog is technically illegal I think in some states.

There are dog harnesses you can buy that attach to the car's seat belt.

When I did the research the recommendation for dogs in to secure a dog crate in the bed of the truck and place dog in there.

 

I don't know if you have an Ocean State Job lot near you, we have several here on the E. Coast. They had SPCA branded harnesses that came with 2 clips and an adjustable nylon webbing strap. It is specifically for securing your pooch in your vehicle. The harness is VERY nice and a comfortable fit for the dog. I use it to keep my golden from climbing into my lap while i'm driving...

That said, I just got my '14 AC and this weekend I did the console and jump seat delete mod on the drivers side. This weekend I'm going to start building a semi-permanent platform for my dog to ride on. I had the same problem as you last weekend driving 3 hours up to NY to see my parents. I felt bad for the dog, but he ended up liking the floor with the seats folded up just fine for that trip.

I'm going to do a write-up and probably make patterns available once I get mine done. Material will be 1/2" MDF.

 

Thanks for your suggestions so far. Looks like either he rides in a crate placed in the truck bed and secured or uses some kind of dog harness inside the truck. Will look into both options.

Getting him up into a crate off the ground would be pretty impossible unless I devised some kind of ramp system to get over the tailgate. That is why I was leaning towards keeping the dog inside the cab but in a secure fashion.

 

Unless you can't lower your tailgate, I would think it's close to the same height as the front passenger seat. The safest thing for you and the dog is a secured crate in the bed. The last thing you want to have happen is to have your dog flying around the cab in a wreck. It could kill you.

 

Just get a ramp and harness http://www.petco.com/N_22_10437/Dog-Steps-and-Ramps.aspx, http://www.petsmart.com/dog/safety-harnesses/cat-36-catid-100140

A friend of mine has one for his older dog, they work great. He drops a heavy towel down for traction and has a harness attached to the seat.

 

I load my collie with a ramp, he stands up fine in the back. he can lay down across but not in a circle. i wouldnt have him back here for a 3 hour drive but everything around town and home is no problem. the platform is the best idea though...

 

Dont have an Access Cab, but this is what I did in my double cab (credit for the idea goes to user labs4me). Already had 2 55lb dogs in there yesterday.

Made out of horse stall mat, foam pads and a custom made cover out of sunbrella materials.


If you search the forums, there are people who made wooden dog platforms for the backs of their AC trucks like this guy http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/72761-access-cab-dog-platform-udpate-pics.html

 

You guys with the new access cab got screwed, this what mine looks like

 

Yeah, seriously. I don't know what Toyota was thinking... Do you know if the hinge mounting points are still in the newer trucks. It would make a great mounting point for my plan....

 

Took out jump seats. Made platform. Large Boxer fits nicely.


Nate

 

I wonder IF the "Version 1/05-08" jump seats are possible to mod & mount into the newer trucks? I would loose my 2 cup holders that are in the rear, oh well, only a dog is back there.

It looks like the mount indentions are still there on the 09+ trucks.

 

wow we did get boned! this looks like a great retrofit idea
i bet these could still be mounted in newer trucks, id be interested in doing this, i'll have to check out parts websites....
i agree the rear console is stupid and gets in the way of everything from gear to dogs, it was one of the first things i removed.

 

I thought I saw a thread somewhere about someone doing this. I can't find it anymore but i'll keep looking. Very interested in doing this myself.

 

I made this platform that sits on the back seats. It fits snug between the back of the front seats and the back of the cab and lifts right out when not needed.

 

That's sweet. I'm looking to build one of these setups soon!

 

I want a dog now