Discovery 2017

↓ Advertise on DISCO5.CO.UK ↓

  • 747_JK
    Member Since: 26 Jun 2018
    Location: England
    Posts: 457
    United Kingdom 
    2022 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Santorini Black

    Fitting dogs in family cars...

    Would love some practical advice/help from anyone with experience of this. We're a family of four and we like our long road trips. Kids are soon to be 12 & 10, and both tall. Rear space is already limited, as I'm 6ft 3", so my driver's seat is all the way down & back.

    I'm under pressure for a family dog - we've never had one before. Probably something small, or medium in size at most. Looking at King Charles Spaniel, that sort of breed (possibly).

    For travelling, the dog would need to be in the middle of the second row - does anyone have pics or examples to show how various dog seats work in the second row, when you have people sat either side? Does it encroach on passenger space much, and how practical are they?

    Dog couldn't be in the boot as that's always maxed with luggage.... and that won't change. I keep telling the family, if we've got a dog, we'll be taking even more stuff away with us.

    Any advice / insight appreciated, please.
    MY23.5 D5 3.0 MHEV Metropolitan Edition – Santorini Black – Ebony Windsor Leather – 21” Style 5025 gloss black wheels – 21” full size spare tyre – Black roof rails – Black side mouldings - Williams Ceramic Coat. [Gone: D5 HSE @ 50,795miles: (now LH68 BYW)]
    25th Aug 2025 3:15 pm
  • JonM
    Member Since: 30 Jun 2016
    Location: North Yorkshire
    Posts: 634
    United Kingdom 
    2022 Discovery SDV6 HSE Carpathian Grey

    Rule No 1 of dog ownership: Any size of dog will take up all of the space on the sofa / in bed / on the car seat.

    My dog has the whole of row 2 to herself, she's only a springer spaniel but she can stretch out to fill it. If you're going to have people on the seat as well, I'd just use a dog harness and clip it in to the middle seat belt, then let the dog cuddle up to the people rather than try to squeeze a dog seat between the people.
    MY2026 D5 Metropolitan D350 - on order......
    MY2022 D5 HSE D300 - current, MY2019 D5 HSE SD6 - sold
    25th Aug 2025 3:52 pm
  • Mole HD
    Member Since: 18 Nov 2024
    Location: Orkney Islands
    Posts: 281
    Scotland 
    2017 Discovery Td6 HSE Fuji White

    My own personal rule...luggage in a roof box/roof rack...dog(s) in the boot with a minimum of luggage behind a dog guard. It's still against the law in most European countries (including the UK) to have an unsecured dog in the passenger compartment...

    Same ruleset as an unsecured child and for the same reasons. Besides risk of injury to the dog in the case of an accident...it also becomes a missile. So, seat harness or in the boot. I much prefer to have the luggage on a roof rack and the dog securely behind a dog guard rather than in the passenger compartment... but that's just me.

    Not a workable or preferred solution for everyone by any means, but my dogs have always been working dogs (Border collies and Retrievers) rather than family pets.

    Failing that, for family road trips/hols in the car, even with a roof rack and/or roof tent...everyone had one reasonably sized soft sided bag with one additional bag for everyones' footwear...if it didn't fit in the bag...it didn't go Thumbs Up

    Once we had married the kids off, freeing us from servitude...Mrs Mole and I went back to loading a bike of choice up with camping gear and heading off into the sunset. The Russian Ural sidecar outfit being our favourite since we could fit a huge 5 berth pavillion tent and a king size inflatable mattress on it as well as the rest of the camping gear. We also used the D2 and the D4 with a Latitude Pioneer roof tent on occasion...





    Taking the dog along if you're on a motorbike? My mate Ron and his Jack Russel, Rocket toured all over Europe for many years on Ron's BMW GS1200. That old dog was biker royalty...over 2000 bikers turned up for his funeral a few years ago. Ron and his new Jack Russel, Monty still tour around Europe every year on the bike Cool







    ___
    Atque in perpetuum, frater. Ave atque vale
    25th Aug 2025 5:12 pm
  • 747_JK
    Member Since: 26 Jun 2018
    Location: England
    Posts: 457
    United Kingdom 
    2022 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Santorini Black

    Really useful insights - thank you! And I can quite believe that number one rule of dog ownership too!

    As for the Russian Ural sidecar, that's bloody brilliant. Wow!
    MY23.5 D5 3.0 MHEV Metropolitan Edition – Santorini Black – Ebony Windsor Leather – 21” Style 5025 gloss black wheels – 21” full size spare tyre – Black roof rails – Black side mouldings - Williams Ceramic Coat. [Gone: D5 HSE @ 50,795miles: (now LH68 BYW)]
    25th Aug 2025 8:07 pm
  • Forum Permissions
  • You cannot create new threads in this forum
    You cannot reply to threads in this forum
    You cannot edit your posts in this forum
    You cannot delete your posts in this forum
    You cannot vote in polls in this forum
All times are GMT DISCO5.CO.UK © 2016 - 2025 Futuranet Ltd DISCO5.CO.UK RSS Feed - All Forums 
DISCO5.CO.UK is independent and not affiliated to Jaguar Land Rover.
Switch to the mobile site
Close