Having a dog doesn’t mean owning a pet, it means living with a friend, a companion. Therefore, they are someone who needs to be included in every single lifestyle decision that you make. When you choose to change a job, you need to think about how the new schedule will affect their habits. When moving, you need to figure out how they will like the new location. Also, when buying a car, you need to try and figure out whether it will be a great enough fit for them, as well. Here are the top seven tips for choosing a dog-friendly car.

1.      You’re not buying it just for the dog

The first thing you need to understand is that no matter how dog-friendly you want your car to be, you’re not buying it just for the dog. Believe it or not, your beloved pet can sense how pleased/displeased you are with the vehicle in question. This might reflect on their behavior, as well, seeing as how dogs are incredibly empathetic beasts. So, make sure to compose a list of all the vehicles that you would enjoy driving and then check which of the vehicles is the dog-friendliest of them.

2.      Prepare your budget

When choosing a car for yourself, you have the freedom to pick whatever type of vehicle you see fit. When choosing a vehicle that’s meant to transport your friends and family, things are somewhat different. You need to be prepared for the fact that the vehicle might breach your budget a bit; still, it’s more than worth it. Who knows how many times you will take your dog for a ride with you, and when that happens, the car you take will determine the overall driving experience. There are many affordable car loans out there, and checking them out is more than worth your while.

3.      Visibility

Different dogs react differently to car rides. Some prefer to look outside, while others prefer to keep their eyes on the owner. While you want to have clear visibility of the rear of the car, you usually won’t have the luxury of making this into your top priority. The first time you arrive at the location to actually see the car, try sitting in the driver’s position and role-play a scenario in which your dog is in the back. Imagine all sorts of different scenarios like the one where they’re sitting in the middle, sitting next to the window, etc. This will give you a decent idea of visibility.

4.      Restraint capabilities

Using restraints on a dog during the ride is sometimes a necessity, but when doing so, you need to take a lot of different issues into perspective. First of all, you need to ensure that the restraint is comfortable enough in order not to hurt the dog or make the ride uncomfortable for them. You also don’t want to injure them under break or acceleration. These are situations that you generally want to avoid but might not be able to avert in their entirety.

5.      Light and ventilation

While dogs are, beyond doubt, intelligent beings, the truth is that their endurance (especially psychological endurance) can’t match that of humans. Human beings are capable of enduring physical hardships of all sorts for the sake of expediency or convenience. This means withstanding the scenario where you’re in conditions that lack light and ventilation for prolonged periods of time. This is why you need to pick the vehicle with suitable light and ventilation. This way, it will be easier for your dog to endure long rides. Some people even take dogs on road trips, but for this, you need a suitable vehicle.

6.      Decent back seat size

The next thing you need to understand is the importance of decent back seat size. The bigger your dog is, the more important this gets, but this doesn’t mean that a smaller dog will feel comfortable in a tight backseat. Ideally, you want them to be able to turn around, sit up and sit down in the backseat. Also, giving them enough breathing space is definitely a humane thing to do. The simplest way to ensure that they’re comfortable enough is to ensure that they have a bit more space than you think they need. This is always a safe assumption.

7.      Low to ground

Finally, choosing a car that’s low to the ground is a pet-friendly quality of life improvement that you need to take into consideration. You don’t want your dog to be jumping into the back seat or jumping down, more than they have to. This can harm their joints. Needless to say, some dogs have more sensitive joints than others, so, this could turn out to be a serious problem.

The very last thing you need to understand is that no amount of car-friendliness can make your dog fall in love with the ride the first time you bring them with you. The whole sensation is just unnatural to them, and it’s your demeanor in these situations, your patience, that will help them get accustomed. Before taking them on a road trip, take them on regular rides. Before long inter-city commutes, take them for shorter rides. Still, with the right car, this will become a lot easier.