I have a Chevy Tahoe. It fits 2 400 vari kennels side by side in the back or a 400 vari-kennel and 500 wire crate. and another 300 crate facing the side doors if I need it. My dobes "could" fit in the 400 vari-kennel but the 500 wire crate fits them better. My current Dobe is 27.25" tall and 80 lbs. She's a big girl.

 

Wow, she IS a big girl!

I drive a Dodge Caravan with the furthest seats out always and right now a third seat out - room for three people. I have two wire crates (Midwest Lifestages, 36Dx23.5Wx25.5H) facing towards the back hatch, side-by-side. If I travel with 3 dogs, I have a side panel (Midwest side/end opening) opening crate that goes where the middle passenger seat was and if I want to take four dogs/two people, I remove the other seat and put in another side opening crate. My van has the double sliders so all crates face a door. My ex-pen and crate dolly are bungee'd down on top of the crates along with any extra crates taken for ringside. Luggage, etc., goes in the luggage carrier. We're packed in but it works great.

My dogs are 27.5/83 lbs and 26 67 lbs.

Jan

You know, i was actually considering the Dodge Grand Caravan at one point ... but my desire to not get a minivan held out lol. If i ever add a third dog to the mix then i WILL have to a minivan. Sounds like you have quite the creative configurations going!

lexx sits in the front seat, bristol lays in the back seat.

Well, right now if i have to take both "kids" Atia sits in the front seat and Dante gets the entire back seat. But Atia isn't getting any smaller! lol

1. '96 Bronco
2. 27 1/4, 73#
3. see pic
4. 2 crates facing tailgate

I think i remember seeing this pic on another thread!! Though, i don't remember if you mentioned why you use a soft crate in the vehicle lol What are your crate dimensions???

you've seen my van, I have 2 vari kennels in the back,b/c of the lips around them they don't fit side by side, so I have a small platform underone, it's raised up about 8", and then they fit, I like the raised area, my dolly fits under there, lawn chair, a few other things too.

What are the varikennel dimensions Elizabeth?? And oh, mind if i ask the height of the dobes??

 

I drive a Dodge Caravan with the furthest seats out always and right now a third seat out - room for three people. I have two wire crates (Midwest Lifestages, 36Dx23.5Wx25.5H) facing towards the back hatch, side-by-side. If I travel with 3 dogs, I have a side panel (Midwest side/end opening) opening crate that goes where the middle passenger seat was and if I want to take four dogs/two people, I remove the other seat and put in another side opening crate. My van has the double sliders so all crates face a door. My ex-pen and crate dolly are bungee'd down on top of the crates along with any extra crates taken for ringside. Luggage, etc., goes in the luggage carrier. We're packed in but it works great.

My dogs are 27.5/83 lbs and 26 67 lbs.

Jan

 

lexx sits in the front seat, bristol lays in the back seat.

 

1. '96 Bronco
2. 27 1/4, 73#
3. see pic
4. 2 crates facing tailgate

 

I drive a Chrysler Town & Country van and I have two Midwest wire crates in the rear on a deck that I store stuff under. Sweep's crate is 36"L, 26"H and 21"W and the Boston's is 36"L, 24"W and 27"H with a divider, giving them each an area of 18"L by 24" W. Sweep is approx 25" tall and 60 pounds. It works perfectly.

 

you've seen my van, I have 2 vari kennels in the back,b/c of the lips around them they don't fit side by side, so I have a small platform underone, it's raised up about 8", and then they fit, I like the raised area, my dolly fits under there, lawn chair, a few other things too.

 

lexx is CLEARLY large than atia...

he takes that as an ego hit.. he knows he's no 95lb dante, but he's not a baby girl puppy either.

*hrmph*

lol

 

HAHAHAHA!!!

For shorter trips i'll probably just stick to having Dante seatbelted or something in the back seat, while Atia will either join him (once she gets past the stage of being OBSESSED with playing with him) there or be crated in the back. I just needed to have a vehicle that i know can accomodate two crates so that if i ever have to go anywhere with them both (eg. a show) and need to have them safely contained for periods of time, i can. When Atia was younger (that was like ... uhm ... 2 weeks ago? lol) she would sit in the front seat nice and calm. But now, she's starting to fidget and want to crawl into my lap for cuddles or paw around the dashboard and such. I don't want to have her in the front any longer than possible for her and my own safety while operating a vehicle.

 

lol, oh i know.. i was being all jokes

I'm currently looking into another vehicle too, one that contains crates.

don't worry, i'm excited to see the new set up WHEN ( cough cough if? ) you EVER come visit.

 

I'm a-coming! Just have to set up our new agility classes so i know whether they are going to be on a weekend or not in the next week or so. In the meantime, pick a date that would be good for you and Kyle for starters, that will give me something to stick on my calendar and plan for If The Husband is behaving i might even bring him along

The dogs are much safer in a crate than left loose, or even seatbelted. They will become flying objects if you are in an accident, which isn't good for them or you! I'll never forget when I got rear ended and the dogs got flung to the fronts of their crates, but were totally fine after an exam.

I have the Nissan XTerra with 2 crates in the back. The dogs jump in from the back. The XTerra fits the Midwest metal crates that are 21" wide, 42" long, forgot how high! (The 21" wide is the critical measurement for this car)
Rex can turn around and sleep comfortably in this crate. (Maybe get one for Atia and test that Dante can turn around okay since he is such a bg boy.)

Yes, i've checked out the Midwest side-by-side SUV crates (that's what they call them) and theoratically, they actually fit in the back of my new vehicle (part of the reason why i got it too lol)! I'm just trying to get a local store to order them in so i can actually see if Dante would be comfortable in them with their reduced width. Atia i don't expect to grow as large or tall as him, so she'll be fine with whatever configuration i end up with

1. I drive a Toyota Sequoia (the largest Toyota).
2. My Dobes are small. One is 55lbs, one is about 40lbs (pup) and 1 GSD at 75lbs. They all fit, but it is tight with gear too.
3. 2 500 series crates and one wire crate that is what a 400 series crate would be.
4. The 2 500 series are at the back facing outward. The smaller crate is behind them facing the side door, and then there is enough space for gear on the other side. It is tight, but it works.

Wow even with smaller dogs (relatively speaking of course!) it does sound tight ... i guess when you have to haul gear and equipment and all that as well, it's going to be tight no matter what way you slice the pie ... manner of speaking

I love my minivan too, swore I would never have one, then wondered about how I would get everything I needed into a vehicle, like the SUVs, but they use more gas, cost more to buy and insurance is more, so the green dobiemobile it great. I'll have to check on the size of the crates, but I did buy those that were 24" wide. Rex is my tallest but he is shorter than Dante, but a few inches atleast. I don't worry about them standing up in the crates, they tend to lay down for traveling. I am bad though, don't often crate for the actual traveling, I do with young dogs, dirty/wet dogs or if I have extra passengers.

Yeah, my big challenge is Dante who is so tall ... i have a few options, including trying out the SUV crates, or jsut getting a bigger crate or varikennel and letting him have the entire back seat or back area to himself ... still researching!

If you're buying a new vehicle, one thing to consider is how much of it is and isn't inside the reinforced crash cage. Often the space at the back isn't because it's a crumple zone, designed to absorb the impact of a collision and protect the passengers. Obviously you don't want to be putting your dogs - whether crated or not - in a part of your vehicle designed to crumple if something runs into the back of you.

That's a very good point!!!!

I have a BMW SUV..Remy travels in the back in a Veri Kennel 500.

Remy travels in style!

 

I had to go through a real mental process to get past the "soccer mom" ambience of a mini van. I finally did buy a Grand Caravan...and I LOVE MY MINI VAN! It doesn't have the good vibes and excellent karma that the VW buses I used to drive had, but it's comfy to drive long distances and really reliable.

I can't be any help about crating in them, tho...I know I should, but I don't crate my dogs in a vehicle. The middle seat of the Grand Caravan is folded down into the floor, and there are dog beds put down. I have a lot of friends who bring EZ UP tents to shows, they let me stick a crate in their shade if it's needed.

Well, i have to admit that i was sorely tempted to get a minivan. They just can't be beat in terms of cargo space and reasonable cost!

I don't really like crating my dogs in a vehicle either, so i'll probably just end up doing that whenever both dogs have to come along with me to a long distance show and i'm all by myself without anyone to help out. They'll probably be more comfortable harnessed or seatbelted with comfy dog beds in the back for shorter trips!

 

The dogs are much safer in a crate than left loose, or even seatbelted. They will become flying objects if you are in an accident, which isn't good for them or you! I'll never forget when I got rear ended and the dogs got flung to the fronts of their crates, but were totally fine after an exam.

I have the Nissan XTerra with 2 crates in the back. The dogs jump in from the back. The XTerra fits the Midwest metal crates that are 21" wide, 42" long, forgot how high! (The 21" wide is the critical measurement for this car)
Rex can turn around and sleep comfortably in this crate. (Maybe get one for Atia and test that Dante can turn around okay since he is such a bg boy.)

 

I LOVE my mini van! It is perfect for trialing out of because the hatch goes up to give the dogs plenty of air and you can put shade screens around the back. I had a 2001 and traded up for a 2006 that drops the seats into the floor. The gas mileage is also great on mine. I get 22+ to 24 depending on driving conditions. I also like having a lot of car around me and my dogs. :biggrin55:

 

If you're buying a new vehicle, one thing to consider is how much of it is and isn't inside the reinforced crash cage. Often the space at the back isn't because it's a crumple zone, designed to absorb the impact of a collision and protect the passengers. Obviously you don't want to be putting your dogs - whether crated or not - in a part of your vehicle designed to crumple if something runs into the back of you.

 

1. I drive a Toyota Sequoia (the largest Toyota).
2. My Dobes are small. One is 55lbs, one is about 40lbs (pup) and 1 GSD at 75lbs. They all fit, but it is tight with gear too.
3. 2 500 series crates and one wire crate that is what a 400 series crate would be.
4. The 2 500 series are at the back facing outward. The smaller crate is behind them facing the side door, and then there is enough space for gear on the other side. It is tight, but it works.

 

I love my minivan too, swore I would never have one, then wondered about how I would get everything I needed into a vehicle, like the SUVs, but they use more gas, cost more to buy and insurance is more, so the green dobiemobile it great. I'll have to check on the size of the crates, but I did buy those that were 24" wide. Rex is my tallest but he is shorter than Dante, but a few inches atleast. I don't worry about them standing up in the crates, they tend to lay down for traveling. I am bad though, don't often crate for the actual traveling, I do with young dogs, dirty/wet dogs or if I have extra passengers.

 

I have a BMW SUV..Remy travels in the back in a Veri Kennel 500.

 

Nismo gets to sit in the back seats of a 911 till it is sold... poor guy always comes up to sit in my lap

 

I have two in our SUV, it is a smaller SUV, a 95lb male (lean but a big guy) and 65 lb. female. We take road trips often and sit them both in the back, seat belts work the best for us since we take things with us on trips like tents, coolers, etc. If we take crates we fold them down, our SUV won't fit the crates full size needed for both of them to travel separately with the rest of our stuff, human and dog for trips. For traveling around town locally we could put one crate in the backseat, another in the very back, which works, but instead we use seat belts, which they like much better, they sit up like people in their seats and are VERY well behaved. Good luck with your search. We bought our last vehicle just for the Dobes too.

 

Sounds like my situation is going to mirror yours as Atia grows up -- I have Dante the oversized boy (also around 95lbs but lean!) and Atia who looks like she's going to turn out to be the petite girly girl lol. I think they both would prefer to be seatbelted in the back seat as well ... well, Dante's so used to that i'm wondering if he would get all confused if i suddenly stick him in a crate in the new vehicle! Still, it's nice to have the option of being able to crate both if necessary/needed; just, like you said, less room for passengers or other gear and supplies.

 

I drive a Ford Expedition and can have two full size crates (500 size or two 36" wire crates side by side in the rear. My middle seats fold down, but are not even all the way across, so if I want to put a crate in the middle I just sit a 400 right on the seat - and can still fit one kid in the middle also. My third row of seats folds flat -which is perfect.

Harvard right now rides in a wire crate that is 36" long 24" wide and 27" high - he can't quite stand up comfortably in it..... he needs a bigger crate. I'm planning on buying him the next size up but one that is made for the SUV and 21" wide. If the next size up was still just 24" wide it would be fine but it is 27"-28" wide and I would not be able to fit another good sized crate next to it. The problem with the next size up in wire crates is that it is 42" long and although it fits in my Expedition ok with the 3rd seat folded flat, it is a smidge too long for the door to close without hitting it if the middle seat is up - the middle seat angles back enough that I can't get the crate all the way forward without folding the seat. sigh..... If I didn't haul kids everyday, it would not be a problem.

Multiple dogs - multiple problems hauling them all.

 

Multiple dogs - multiple problems hauling them all.

You mean multiple dogs AND KIDS lol ... i'm glad i don't have that extra "factor" to consider when trying to move everyone around right now LOL

I totally understand everything you just described though. When i was shopping around for my new vehicle i'm sure the salespeople must be scratching their head watching me measure and re-measure and constantly flipping seats and muttering to myself and how and where would everything git and go multiple times!

 

Mazda6 doesn't fit a crate big enough

Soon though I will get a Mazda CX7!

 

Join the club of vehicle upgraders for Dobes! LOL

You've seen my setup. Nissan Xterra with a Vari 500 in the back for the Wyatt boy

I don't remember seeing your setup ... have you posted pics before? I think my short term memory is starting to go ... LOL

 

You've seen my setup. Nissan Xterra with a Vari 500 in the back for the Wyatt boy

 

OMG what a crackhead I am!! For some reason I thought it was kpablo that was asking and I know she has seen my setup!

OK so now I owe you a picture hahaa... my camera battery needs charging... i'll do it tonight and snap some pix.

 

Uhm, so, where are the promised pics??? You didn't think i'd let you get away with that, did ya?

Not only does Remy travel in style (he doesn't care as long as he is traveling) I bought the SUV to match Remy>It is Black with a rust inside---How's that for class? Do I love him or what????

Hahahaha ... now that's MY kind of Dobie owner! :biggthump Lucky Remy!!!

Maybe I should get a "Honey, I shrunk the dogs!" Seems far more less expensive. Then everything would be smaller, less food, less poops...then I could get a smart car. :cwmddd:

It's truly frightning when you are willing to upgrade to a larger car just for your dogs. This is love...lol.

I will need a mini van or better yet a bus after a while. Three step children, more children in our future, 2 dogs and perhaps a third. Jeeez.

Well, if kids are in the picture you DEFINITELY need a minivan. Just can't beat the space and utility.

The dealership thought I was joking when I said I had to call a friend to measure crates befoer I could commit to the Tahoe. I forgot to measure before we went out looking. The look on his face was priceless when he realized I was serious.

Hehehe ... every dealership i went to i went up to the salesperson, told them the model i wanted to look at, and always began with: "Ok, first, show me the cargo area, i have my measuring tape with me." If the vehicle didn't pass the "large enough to fit two large crates test", it was just ruled out on the spot

02 Escalade
Rex's wire summer crate is by Pet Lodge (two door) and it's 27 wide, 30 high and 42 long. Rex is a tad over 27 inchs and weighs 84 pounds.

Tara's wire crate is by Life Stages (two door) and it's 24 wide, 26 high and 36 long. Tara is just under 7 months.

For years I've loaded and unloaded my dogs through the right rear passenger door as there is a running board and the way my garage is set up it's just easier that way. In the winter I use two 500 vari kennels side by side, pushed to the back and there is plenty of room between the crates and the front passenger seats to get them out and collared up.
I purchased the large wire crate last summer when I only had Rex, so Tara's wire crate will not fit side by side with his. I put the crates in sideways and tie them down, I actually always tie my crates down no matter the configuration, Rex's crate is in the back and there is plenty of room for him to come in and out of the crate door running lengh wise on his crate and still get in and out of the rig through the rear passenger door. My back seats fold down flat and always stay that way. I like the rig a lot for dogs and will buy another only white next time as they are much cooler for the dogs.

Oh wow, you've got it down to a science! I really like your setup, especially how you hooked the mesh bag to Rex's crate for added storage space! Thanks for posting the pics, it really gave me a good visual of your setup

 

02 Escalade
Rex's wire summer crate is by Pet Lodge (two door) and it's 27 wide, 30 high and 42 long. Rex is a tad over 27 inchs and weighs 84 pounds.

Tara's wire crate is by Life Stages (two door) and it's 24 wide, 26 high and 36 long. Tara is just under 7 months.

For years I've loaded and unloaded my dogs through the right rear passenger door as there is a running board and the way my garage is set up it's just easier that way. In the winter I use two 500 vari kennels side by side, pushed to the back and there is plenty of room between the crates and the front passenger seats to get them out and collared up.
I purchased the large wire crate last summer when I only had Rex, so Tara's wire crate will not fit side by side with his. I put the crates in sideways and tie them down, I actually always tie my crates down no matter the configuration, Rex's crate is in the back and there is plenty of room for him to come in and out of the crate door running lengh wise on his crate and still get in and out of the rig through the rear passenger door. My back seats fold down flat and always stay that way. I like the rig a lot for dogs and will buy another only white next time as they are much cooler for the dogs.

Here is a shot taken from the back, the tail gate didn't show up but it's there.

Here is from the rear passenger door.

 

i have a kia karnes estate car..the dogs lay in the boot space with a blanket.. i dont see the need for a crate??

 

UGh...I know I am doomed for a mini van one day... GAWD, WHY ME!?!??!? lol.