What Is The Best Dog Seat belt and Best Dog Car Harness Combination For Your French Bulldog?

When I was learning how to drive a car as a teenager I was taught to immediately put on my seat belt as soon as I climbed in my vehicle.  I know you love your French Bulldog and you are here because you want them buckled in safely too.  Your French Bulldog really needs to be safely secured any time he rides in your car. There are several dog safety restraint systems for you to choose from. To find the best dog seat belt and dog car harness, you need to find one that properly fits your French Bulldog’s unique body type.

A properly fitting dog car harness can keep both you and your French Bulldog calm and safe by removing distraction and keeping your Frenchie safely planted in his seat.  In the worst case scenario where you actually do get in a car accident, a dog seat belt should keep him restrained and protected. When a dog seat belt is used properly, you don’t have to fear taking your French Bulldog for a ride around town or on a longer road trip.

What’s The Best Dog Car Harness For Your French Bulldog?  

French Bulldog safety in a car

If you’re in a hurry and want me to cut straight to the chase, here are my top picks for the best dog car harness options for your French Bulldog.  These are the top-rated dog seatbelt harness options that were even crash-tested to ensure :  

1. EzyDog Drive Safety Travel Dog Car Harness

2. Kurgo Dog Harness

3.  RUFFWEAR Dog Harness

4.  Mighty Paw Vehicle Safety Harness

5.  SlowTon Dog Car Harness Plus Connector Strap

What’s The Best Dog Seat Belt For Your French Bulldog?  

While the dog car harness is vitally-important you will also need a dog seat belt to attach from the harness to the seat belt attachment in your vehicle.  Here are my top picks for the best dog seat belt options for your French Bulldog. These are the top-rated dog seat belts options:  

1.  Mighty Paw Safety Belt, Dog Seat Belt

2.  Kurgo Direct to Seatbelt Tether for Dogs

3.  Leash Boss Dog Car Seat Belt Restraint

4.  Blueberry Pet Spring Scent Designs

5.  EzyDog Universal Dog Car Restraint

 

French bulldog in a harness

The Benefits Of Keeping Your French Bulldog Restrained In The Car Means That:

  • Your French Bulldog will be safely secured in the car
  • Your children passengers will be safe – it is imperative to keep your family safe
  • Your other passengers won’t be distracted and having to worry where your dog is in the backseat.  Perhaps you have experienced what driving is like with an unrestrained French Bulldog running around (hint: it is NOT ideal)
  • You can put all of your focus where it absolutely needs to be – on driving safely to where you, your passengers, and your Frenchie need to go

The right dog seat belt and dog car harness will be comfortable enough that your French Bulldog won’t mind wearing it and will be made of materials that won’t irritate his skin. The dog seat belt needs to be strong and able to deal with the pulling from a strong French Bulldog who wants to come see his family in the front seat.  Of course it needs to deal with the intense force of a car crash.  

Why It Is So Important To Restrain Your French Bulldog With a Dog Seat Belt / Dog Car Harness Anytime You Go For A Drive

dog distraction while driving accident

A few seconds of distracted driving is all that it takes to cause an accident so keeping your French Bulldog safely secured is a good idea.  Your French Bulldog, as cute as he may be, can be a serious distraction and could lead to an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that nearly 10% of all fatal crashes are due to distracted driving.  18% of all other crashes involve some level of distraction. A French Bulldog running around the inside of your car can certainly count as distracted driving.  

As if causing the accident wasn’t enough, an unrestrained French Bulldog would become a projectile that may injure others in the car further or worse.  Keeping your French Bulldog safely restrained will keep you safe, your dog safe, your passengers safe, your car safe, and the other drives on the road safe.   

Even if your Frenchie is pretty calm and doesn’t move around the cab of your car much I would still recommend that you consider getting them a dog seat belt.  Reason being, an unrestrained Frenchie, no matter how well-behaved, can still get thrown across your vehicle in an accident. That could lead to much more severe damage to you, your car, and your French Bulldog then if he was restrained safely.  Better safe than sorry and you will be happy that you had a dog seatbelt harness.  

How To Seatbelt A Dog In A Car – Where In Your Car Should Your French Bulldog Sit? 

My French Bulldog Augie is and will always be my fur-baby.  You would never put a car seat with your baby in the front seat and thus you should not do that with your Frenchie.  The safest place for your French Bulldog is in the back seat of your vehicle. Me English Bulldog Noble loved to ride shotgun in my Jeep but it was not ideal and I wouldn’t recommend you let your French Bulldog do the same.  

A small dog like a Frenchie would not fair well in a crash if he was sitting in the front seat.  An airbag that gets deployed in a car accident can be deadly so the back seat is where your French Bulldog should be sitting.  The ideal situation is to put your dog in the backseat with a good dog harness and properly fastened dog seat belt.

IMPORTANT – Before You Invest In A Dog Car Harness Be Sure To Measure Your French Bulldog Correctly

As you may have noticed, French Bulldogs tend to have some unique body characteristics that are part of their unique body shape.  They are short, stocky, have big chests, large heads and of course huge ears.  The dog car safety harness is very helpful to make traveling a safe experience for your Frenchie.   A properly fit French Bulldog car harness will keep him still during the drive so that you are not distracted, and your pup is safe in case of sudden braking.

Most harnesses are fully adjustable so that you can keep yours as your French Bulldog pup grows. Choose a car dog harness which is multifunctional and you can use them both in the car and for walks.

It is very important to accurately measure your French Bulldog before you purchase any dog seat belt restraint. Be sure to check out the listings for each of the recommended dog seat belts and make sure it will fit your French Bulldog properly.  

What NOT To Do For Your French Bulldog – Never Seat Belt Directly To Your French Bulldog’s Collar!

I have seen dog trainers recommend that you simply take your dog’s leash and shut it in the door with the leash directly connected to your French Bulldog’s collar.  While this can work to keep your French Bulldog restrained you are taking a huge risk here. In the event you are actually in an accident, this kind of set-up will cause more harm.  It will become a noose, and, at the very least, choke your dog and potentially even break his neck. Just think about how much force can happen in a car accident. 

A properly-designed dog seatbelt and dog car harness is designed to distribute the high forces evenly over the strongest parts of your French Bulldog’s body. Most of the harnesses we reviewed below can absolutely be worn with your French Bulldog’s collar but I recommend that you hook the seat belt to the harness only and NOT directly to his collar.  

How To Measure your French Bulldog for a dog Car Harness

  • Step 1:  First you will want to measure your French Bulldog’s chest. Take a tape measure and measure the widest part of the chest. You will need to measure your French Bulldog’s chest right behind your Frenchie’s armpits.  This is a few inches (or a couple of fingers distance) behind your dog’s front legs.  I recommend adding a few inches to the chest measurement. This will allow for growth and some movement in the harness. Remember also that most good dog harnesses have adjustment points.

  • Step 2:  Measure the circumference of the neck. Next you will want to measure the lower neck of your French Bulldog.  Depending on the design of the dog car harness you need to make sure the harness will go over your French Bulldog’s head.  Considering the throat and breathing concerns with the breed – it is critical that your French Bulldog harness isn’t tight around the neck.

Following these instructions will help you get the best fitting French Bulldog Car Harness to keep your four-legged friend safe.  

French Bulldog Body Specifications and Sizes

Measuring Your French Bulldog

I already covered above how to best fit and measure a dog car harness for a French Bulldog but you need to keep in mind that French Bulldog’s have a unique body type.  The short and stocky shape of this awesome dog breed is somewhat different from the majority of other dog breeds.

This is especially accurate with the French Bulldog’s large head.  It is exceptionally larger to the rest of their body (especially the ears).

You want to be certain to consider the head measurement of your French Bulldog when selecting a dog car harness.  The last thing you want to have to worry about is hurting your French Bulldog when putting his harness on.  Be sure to check the descriptions of the Dog car harnesses below as some are specifically designed to slip on and off. 

French Bulldog dog car harness sizes are usually at the small to medium end of the size spectrum.  I have found that you can usually tell a French Bulldog’s relative size by their weight. Smaller French Bulldogs tend to measure around 9.5 – 18 inches around the chest, and around 19-24 inches for some of the beefier French bulldogs out there.  Be sure to check out each individual measurement guidelines on the product listing before purchasing.  

Five Dog Car Harness Options That Are Designed To Keep Your Dog Protected

I have researched a collection of a dog car harness options for your Frenchie.  Here are some of the best dog car harness options you can choose from.  These are all crash tested, well-reviewed, and high quality dog car harnesses.

1. EzyDog Drive Safety Travel Dog Car Harness

Click Here To See This On Amazon

Pros of the EzyDog Drive Safety Travel Dog Harness:

  • Easy on, easy off dog car harness
  • Had crash testing
  • Can also be used as a French Bulldog harness for walking 
  • Strong high-quality fabric and stitching in the straps make it very sturdy and safe.

Cons of the EzyDog Drive Safety Travel Dog Harness:

  • Only comes in Black so may not be 
  • Your Frenchie’s dog hair can get caught in the velcro after prolonged use

2. Kurgo Dog Harness

Click Here To See This On Amazon

Pros of the Kurgo Dog Harness:

  • Has a five point adjustment system to get a perfect fit
  • This harness was crash tested by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
  •  

Cons of the Kurgo Dog Harness:

  • This no swivel attachment on this dog harness.  If your Frenchie is active in his seat he may twist the tether strap
  • Some owners have a hard time buckling the harness

3.  RUFFWEAR Dog Harness

Click Here To See This On Amazon

Pros of the Ruffwear Dog Harness:

  • Tested at the MGA Research Corporation
  • Has a universal attachment that fits most vehicle seat belts

Cons of the Ruffwear Dog Harness:

  • Only comes in black
  • The harness can allow more ability for your dog to move in the seat, if your dog is a busy body, he may get tangled in the seat belt

4.  Mighty Paw Vehicle Safety Harness

Click Here To See This On Amazon

Pros of the Mighty Paw Vehicle Safety Dog Harness:

  • Works equally well as a good walking harness and dog car harness
  • This harness is reasonably-priced and very affordable
  • Satisfaction guaranteed policy

Cons of the Mighty Paw Vehicle Safety Dog Harness:

  • Seat belt sold separately
  • Some customers don’t care for the plastic buckle

5.  SlowTon Dog Car Harness Plus Connector Strap

Click Here To See This On Amazon

Pros of the SlowTon Dog Car Harness:

  • This dog car harness has a 2 quick-release buckle system that makes getting it off and on very easy
  • Very affordable

Cons of the SlowTon Dog Car Harness:

  • You have to slip it over your Frenchie’s head to put the harness on so if he hates things on his head this may not be a fit for you
  • The seat belt isn’t compatible with several vehicles

Five Different French Bulldog Dog Seat Belt Options To Keep Your Four-Legged Friend Safe

When it comes to choosing a style of French Bulldog seat belt for your Frenchie you certainly have lots of options and I will show you some of those here.  Here are some popular options of dog car harnesses and doggy seatbelts you can choose from.

1.  Mighty Paw Safety Belt, Dog Seat Belt

Click Here To See This On Amazon

2.  Kurgo Direct to Seatbelt Tether for Dogs

Click Here To See This On Amazon

3.  Leash Boss Dog Car Seat Belt Restraint

Click Here To See This On Amazon

4.  Blueberry Pet Spring Scent Designs

Click Here To See This On Amazon

5.  EzyDog Universal Dog Car Restraint

Click Here To See This On Amazon

A Tip To Help Keep Your Car Backseat Clean

It’s a wise move to pick up an easily removable car seat cover for protecting your car from your Frenchie’s muddy paws and shedding fur.  With a quality dog seat cover  you can easily wipe it clean and keep the mess to a minimum.

Devoted Doggy Deluxe Dog Booster Car Seat

Give your dog a better view in this Deluxe Dog Booster Car Seat.  I still recommend one of the French Bulldog Dog Harnesses above over this option for safety purposes but this can work too if you prefer.  Another benefit to the Deluxe Dog Booster Car seat is that it keeps their hair all in one spot. This dog car booster seat makes dog feel safe plus comfortable while slightly boosting them up from the car seat giving them a better view while driving.  French Bulldogs are shorties so the boost is nice for their visibility.  

Click Here To Learn More

An Alternative Way To Keep Your French Bulldog Safe While On A Road Trip

As I am writing this I am just returning from a 3 and a half hour road trip.  For that road trip we opted to keep our Frenchie in his travel crate. Crates are an option for road trips and for long trips we often will bring our Travel crate.  Here is the crate my family and I use for our Frenchie:  

Petmate Sky Kennel Plastic Travel Dog crate

Click Here To Learn More About This crate 

A plastic travel dog crate like this one is a very popular choice and can work perfectly for longer car trips.  This can help make the transport of your Frenchie around town safely as well as for longer road trips. While I normally don’t get the crate out if I am taking a shorter drive I am more likely to bring the plastic crate along if I am going to be staying over night somewhere or even if it is just a longer road trip.  If you ever plan to fly on an airplane you can get an airline approved plastic crate as checked baggage pet crate transport. Plastic dog crates like these are lightweight and perfect for road trips.

Conclusion

There you have it my Frenchie-loving friend.  Keeping you, your passengers, your car, other drivers on the road, and your French Bulldog safe can be accomplished by using a combination of these French Bulldog Car Harnesses and the dog seat belts shown above.  My personal number one pick for a car dog harness and dog seat belt are the EzyDog Drive Safety Travel Dog Car Harness and the Mighty Paw Safety Belt, Dog Seat Belt. The peace of mind achieved by having your french Bulldog safely secured in the back seat is invaluable.  Safe driving!  

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