Travel Gear

Best Dog Car Barriers Review

Is It Safe To Travel With Dog Car Barrier?

With getting more and more pet friendly, the modern world changes considerably. Dogs do not just walk in the backyard. They travel with their pet parents around the country and even around the world. Pet parents can enjoy company of their friends wherever they go. A number of special requirements and devices will keep your dogs safe while travelling. Best Dog Car Barriers are one of them. These requirements come from horrifying statistics that 100,000 dogs die annually travelling in open trucks, unrestrained and with no barriers. The increase of accidents is caused by driving distraction. And pets is one of them.

We have made a research and selected Best Dog Barriers for Car, tested for different vehicle types.

Best Choice
rabbitgoo Dog Car Barrier
Author’s Choice
The rabbitgoo Dog Car Barrier completely covers the back and fits into most vehicles including cars, SUVs, vans, hatchbacks. It’s metal mesh, which means that you'll likely have this around for a long time.
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Best Dog Car Barriers — Overview & Rating

Author's Choice

rabbitgoo Dog Car Barrier
  • Durable wire net for strength & durability
  • Adjustable to fit most SUVs, vans, jeeps & hatchbacks
  • Easy to attach without any tools

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People's Choice

MidWest Pet Barrier Wire Mesh Car Barrier
  • Wire mesh for strength & durability
  • Adjustable to all vehicle types
  • Easy to attach

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Premium Choice

The Original Zookeeper Auto Car Pet Barrier
  • Fully adjustable with seat movements
  • Simple design
  • Easy to install

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Best Budget

Autown Car Dog Barrier
  • Folds up small for easy storage
  • Still allows to reach the back compartment
  • Simple to attach

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Best Mesh Barrier

Bushwhacker Paws and Claws Cargo Area Dog Barrier for CUV & Mid-Sized SUV
  • Scratch and tear resistant
  • Prevents squeezing into driver’s space
  • Easy to mount

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Detailed Overview

Author’s Choice

rabbitgoo Dog Car Barrier
  • Adjustable to fit most SUVs, vans, jeeps & hatchbacks
  • Durable wire net for strength & durability
  • Easy to attach without any tools
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This car barrier is great for people with all types of vehicles and will hook up easy to your headrest. Just mount the barrier tightly to the back headrests with two thick nylon straps and metal grips. You won’t need any special tools.

Pros:

  • See-through design eliminates blind spots
  • Can be attached to a headrest for better reinforcement
  • Straightforward assembly

Cons:

  • Metal on metal potential noise

People’s Choice

MidWest Pet Barrier Wire Mesh Car Barrier
  • Wire mesh for strength & durability
  • Adjustable to all vehicle types
  • Easy to attach
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This barrier is best for people that have trouble seeing from the rear when anything is blocking the view. No matter if it’s night, day, or overcast, you will always know what’s going on behind you.

Pros:

  • Doesn’t get in the way of the driver’s view from the rear view mirror
  • The varnish is strong and will never chip or flake
  • Braces to the floor and sides firmly, no wobbling during bumpy rides

Cons:

  • Grates at the bottom have ends that are slightly sharp

Premium Choice

The Original Zookeeper Auto Car Pet Barrier
  • Fully adjustable with seats movements
  • Simple design
  • Easy to install
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The ZooKeeper Pet Barrier has a new and innovative design that allows free seats movement. It tilts, slides and reclines. All thanks to flexible cords.

Pros:

  • Fits into 2-door and 4-door cars, trucks with extended cabs, wagons and SUVs
  • Beautiful matte design
  • Quick installation with no tools

Cons:

  • Maybe not suitable for aggressive dogs, seeking for a way out

Best Budget

Autown Car Dog Barrier
  • Folds up small for easy storage
  • Still allows to reach the back compartment
  • Simple to attach
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Some barriers need to be quick to come on and off. The Autown Car Dog Barrier has this attribute, along with the ability to fold to a size that can easily fit in one of your vehicle’s compartments.

Pros:

  • Easy to put on and detach
  • Can be folded or rolled for safekeeping in a glove compartment or center console
  • Will not tear or puncture if pulled or chewed

Cons:

  • May not be as effective with large dogs

Best Soft Mesh Barrier

Bushwhacker - Paws n Claws Cargo Area Dog Barrier
  • Scratch and tear resistant
  • Prevents squeezing into driver’s space
  • Easy to mount
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The Bushwhacker Barrier comes on fast, and very strong. Your dog will never knock it down when they’re excited, so you can focus your concentration on the road when driving.

Pros:

  • Can completely cover the outline of the back seat in most vehicles
  • Assembly is quiet and requires only that the user covers the metal frame with the mesh
  • Will never come down when force is applied to the barrier

Cons:

  • Has poor visibility from the rear at night
  • When mounted behind the driver and passenger seat, will leave enough room in corners for dogs to get their noses through the opening

You Can Also Consider 

Best Portable 

Kurgo Back Seat Dog Barrier for Cars & Suv
  • Material: Nylon with mesh vents
  • Easy to attach around headrests
  • Storage pocket
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The Kurgo Back Seat Dog Barrier is almost a universal fit barrier, easy to install and carry. It eliminates distracted driving and maintains comfortable travelling with your pet.

Pros:

  • Nylon barrier does not sack as other soft net mesh barriers
  • Protects front seat from pet’s dirt and hairs
  • Mesh vents allow to see what your pup is doing

Cons:

  • Fixing straps may appear to be too short for some cars

Best Universal

Adakiit Dog Barrier for SUV Car & Vehicles
  • Universal fit and adjustable
  • Flexible design
  • Easy to assemble and dissemble
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The Adakiit Barrier completely covers the back, to the point where your dog hopping in the front is impossible with it on. It’s framed in steel, which means that you’ll likely have this around for a long time. Highly recommended as best pet barrier for SUV.

Pros:

  • Makes it impossible for dogs to jump in the front seat
  • The cage is made from steel and doesn’t bend or lose it’s shape
  • There are no pointy areas in the barrier’s construction that could cut pet or small children

Cons:

  • Makes lots of noise, particularly when driving on bumpy roads

Use this barrier if you want one that has no risk of obstructing your view when you’re driving. Place it behind your driver’s seat directly in front of the trunk.

Pros:

  • Easy to see through the mesh; not borderline opaque
  • Can be place either by the center of the vehicle or behind the back seat in SUVs
  • No accessories required to assemble

Cons:

  • Some threads of the mesh material may become loose over time

Best Chewing Resistant

High Road Dog Car Barrier
  • Resistant to heavy chewers
  • Adjustable height
  • Simple to install
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You can get this barrier mounted quickly, and dogs won’t ever tear it up from excessive chewing. Change it to your preferred height if the top portion blocks what you can see in the rear view mirror.

Pros:

  • Mounts quickly with clips that are suspended over the headrest
  • Not susceptible to damage from chewing
  • The height can be adjusted, so that the top doesn’t entirely cover the center

Cons:

  • A portion of the cover at the top isn’t mesh and can make it more difficult to see out of the rear view mirror

Best Secure

PetSafe Happy Ride Metal Dog Barrier
  • One minute setup with no tools
  • Easy storage when dissembled
  • Does not interfere with visibility
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The PetSafe Happy Ride Metal Dog Barrier has an clear and sturdy design. You can easily what is going on in the back and yet to reduce distractions while travelling.

Pros:

  • Adjusts from 32-49” high x 33-57” wide to fit the majority of vehicles, including smaller SUV’s and Crossovers.
  • Rubberized fittings prevent slippery
  • For emergency safety reasons quick-connect clamps allow easy removal of the horizontal tube sections. This provides quick access to the pet area

Cons:

  • Maybe noisy for some cars

Best Durable

AmazonBasics Adjustable Dog Car Barrier
  • Material: durable steel and plastic
  • Adjustable side panels
  • Does not interfere with visibility
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The AmazonBasics Adjustable Dog Car Barrier is a high-quality durable car accessory which will enhance safety and comfort for a pet and driver.

Pros:

  • Movable side panels allow to customize the barrier and adjust to almost any car width
  • Suitable for heavy chewers, as it is made of sturdy materials
  • Easy to install

Cons:

  • Screws maybe not long enough for some car types

Car barrier is one of the first steps to be taken to have your dog safe and secure in the car while travelling. We have also tested and reviewed special car harnesses, seat belts restraints, hammocks, booster seats, crates and many more. Best Car Accessories for Dogs Review is for your information.

Best Dog Car Barriers – Buyer’s Guide & FAQ

You cannot be confident about your dog staying still in the back compartment of your car. Most of dogs are trying to get from the back into the front, closer to the driver. This may be dangerous for both – for a pet and for its parent. Dog car barrier protects both of them from the unexpected jerks, movements etc, influencing safety on the road.

Before choosing a perfect one for you, study carefully the behavior of your pet: if it can chew the barrier, or maybe it is curious and will try to sneeze under the net. in this way we choose the material. For example dog car barrier mesh or dog car net barrier, or perhaps metal dog car gate barrier. Then measure the dimensions of the compartment and study the shape. With these criteria you will choose the one will fit the type and size of your car.

Types of Dog Car Barriers

What you have to consider first of all is type of car and where your pet travels. Having answered these two question you will choose between 2 main types:

  • Between-front-and-backseat barrier
  • Between-backseat-and-trunk barrier

What to Look for When Buying a Dog Car Barrier

The next step is to choose the material, size and fittings suitable for your car and pet. Lets see what they are, their main characteristics, pros and cons.

Material

  • Net Mesh

This material is common for the first type. There are compact net barriers hooked between two front seats. They protect the driver from pet intrusion from behind, simple to install, do not obstruct the vision. But they will not protect your pet in car accident if he is not restrained additionally.

  • Wire Mesh

This material is used for both barrier types. It is strong, reduces dangerous driver distractions even with heavy chewers. Most of such barriers are sutable for all cars. They are easy to install, but still they need to be fixed to top or bottom, or side panels, depending on design.

  • Mesh Screen

The screen covers almost almost all the space between front and back seats. If you have a small and inquisitive dog, he will not get through. There is one more importand advantage of soft screen barriers: they are not as sturdy as metal or wire mesh, so as a result your dog will have a strong kickback in the event of car accident. They are easy to intall provided you have chosen the right size.

  • Metal Tubes

Metal barriers are extremely sturdy. They will protect your pet in car accident and from getting him to the driver. They do not restrict visibility. But if your pet is too small, such barrier will not protect him. And there is always a risk that he will get through it easily. Additionally, a dog gets a strong kickback in car accident. Such a barrier can above the front seat, or a bigger one for full coverage.

  • Nylon

These barriers are usually with mesh parts for better visibility, but still this visibility is not as good as simple net or mesh. They do not sack as net. Most of them have additional storage pockets for pet stuff like treats, water etc. They are only for the front and rear seats division, easy to assemble.

Installation and Removal

Pay attention to simple installation and removal. If your dog travels with you all the time in one and the same car you can choose a permanent solid design. But you have several cars, or passengers in the back seat, or due to other comfort reasons prefer to install and remove the barrier, than you need a removable barrier, something easy to attach and compact to carry. So be sure to check to fixation points before you buy.

Protection Area, Size and Adjustment

There are following protection areas:

  • Upper part above front seats
  • Middle part between front seats
  • Full area between front and rear seats
  • Upper part above front seats
  • Full trunk area

You can choose between protection area depending on the size and behavior of your dog, car type and dog location. But be cautious with size and adjustment. Check the dimensions of the barrier before you buy. Measure the necessary part of your car and pay attention if the barrier is adjustable by height and width, or the dimensions should be precise.

Why to Use Car Barriers and What are the Benefits

In case of car accident the dog car seat barrier will prevent your pet from being thrown out of the windshield of the car or injured badly. Your attention will be focused on driving, and you will not be distracted by sudden movements.

The Allianz says: “If a car crashes at a speed of just 25mph, an unrestrained dog can be projected forward at a force equal to 40 times its weight. A large-size dog weighing 75 lbs., for example, can achieve an impact force of 3,000 pounds in a car crash, which could be a lethal blow for both a passenger and the pet.”

How to Use Pet Car Barriers Correctly

The dog barrier for car should always fit well into a car space, no squeezing for your pet to the driver to distract him on the road. It also must be fixed properly and secure.

If Car Barrier is not a solution for your vehicle, read our review on other safety Dog Car Safety Accessories.

Popular Questions About Dog Car Barriers – FAQs

What should I take into consideration when looking for a Barrier?

Try to focus your search on barriers that won’t obstruct your rearview, and those with height adjustment capabilities.

What if dog tries to break through car dog barrier?

When a dog considers a car as its own “box on wheels”, it’s perfect! Some dogs who are used to travelling from puppy’s age don’t even know that a car can be treated differently. But if a dog is not familiar with the technique or for some reason is afraid of driving, it will have to be patiently accustomed to travel. It is necessary to make the car and trips to be associated with pleasant impressions. If you feed your dog with its favorite delicacies in your car and regularly go to the park to play or visit places where everyone will be happy, then after a while the dog itself will begin to approach the car standing in the yard and ask to go for a ride. But sometimes the process of getting used to takes longer than expected. In general, the dog should be accustomed to travel as early as possible – then travel will become an integral part of its live.

Where do I purchase a dog barrier for my car?

You can purchase it mostly in the specialized pet shops, or follow the links above.

Summary

Putting a dog barrier in your car is a very safe, space-saving and pets-friendly method of protection for you and your dog while driving. Especially large dogs will be grateful not to be locked away in a crate or restricted by a safety belt. It also gives you the opportunity to start your car journey without much effort. Whether you decide on a universal or individual dog barrier is entirely up to you, because your pup doesn’t care as long as you are with him.

Now you know that having a car barrier installed in your car is a necessary safety measure to be taken. Take a moment to look again on the list above and choose the best suited for your lovely pet.

And remember – we are here to help you with your choice. So do not hesitate to ask any questions. We will answer them.

Julia Powell

Julia is a founder of PetsLifeGuide and an author of articles about German Shorhaired Pointers and accessories for them. She is a specialist about this breed since 2002

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