What dog doesn’t love riding in the car with you? Not many, but the problem with your dog riding in your car, is no one else can ride in it after, unless you get your car cleaned. I love having my dog travel with me, because it brings him such joy to be included, but when he gets out, I never enjoy the mess.
This is the cover that doesn’t work. It is a towel that my dog will have tossed to the floor within minutes.
Between muddy paw prints, dog slobber to dog hair everywhere. It is just plain embarrassing to ever have a friend get into your car.
And if you have ever tried to vacuum up that dog fur from the carpet, you will realize that it is next to impossible to get it picked up.
That is why I am suggesting to you that you invest in dog seat covers. They will help protect your car seats, and make clean up a breeze when you switch from your furry passenger to family and friends.
How many times have you either tried to cover your seats with a blanket or towel, only to have your dog have it laying on the floor 5 minutes after they get in.
You need something that is going to stay put as your dog moves around from sitting, to standing to laying down.
I am going to show you the types of dog seat covers that are available and make recommendations on what you want to look for when choosing the best cover for your vehicle.
Table of Contents
Bucket Seat Dog Covers
Generally, when someone is looking for a bucket seat dog cover, it is being used for the front passenger seat, but they can be used with SUV’s and minivans that have bucket seats in the middle row as well.
They will completely cover the bottom of the seat, back and sides and fit snug on your seat, which helps if you have a dog that moves around a lot in the car. The thing to watch for, if you are using this type of cover in middle row seating, there is often an arm rest or perhaps a drink holder that will prevent you from wrapping it around the side of the seat completely.
This arm rest could be a problem for some seat covers.
Look over your seating thoroughly before purchasing to make sure you don’t have any obstacles the cover will need to get around. You might either need to make some modifications to a standard cover, or purchase a custom cover to make it work with arm rests.
What to look for: Make sure it is made of durable fabric that is machine washable. You aren’t going to want to have to hand wash a cover. It should have double stitching on the seams and be waterproof for when your dog decides to take that unexpected swim right before going home.
Bench Seat Covers
Bench seat covers are probably the most common seat covers being used. They are going to completely cover the bottom of the seat and the back of the seat. Many will have an opening to allow seat belts to pass through, which is helpful if a passenger is sharing the seat with your dog, or if you use a dog harness to strap your dog in.
Make sure to measure the size of your seat and compare it to the sizing of the cover you are considering to purchase. Most covers will cover up to a 55″ wide seat, but if you have something wider, you should look at truck seat covers. Bench seat covers generally don’t fit as snug as bucket seat covers.
What to look for: You need this cover to be durable and waterproof. Make sure it has double stitched seams and piping to help keep water and dirt from going all over. Again, you want it to be machine washable. Also, look for how it attaches to your seat. You want a minimum of 4 for the four corners, but if possible, you want to make sure it will stay in the crack between the bottom seat and the back rest. It will need some type of anchors that will go inbetween the seat and back rest to hold it in place.
Dog Hammocks
The dog hammock is the seat cover that I most recommend you get. This system is going to keep not only your seats clean, but it is
also going to help prevent all that dog fur getting all over your carpet.
Dog hammocks hang off of the back of your back seat to the back of the front seat creating almost a craddle or a hammock for your dog. This feature keeps your seats clean, keeps your dog from falling down on the floor and also prevents your dog from coming up to the front seat.
Many of the dog hammocks also have side flaps that fold down. This will help keep it clean where your dog steps into your vehicle, and once your dog is in the car, you can attach them up to protect your doors.
What to look for: You need to make sure this cover is very durable and that it can support the size of your dog. The seat is still supporting your dog’s weight, but there is more pressure put on the portion that attaches to the back of the front seat.
Make sure that the seams are double stitched, that it is waterproof and that it is machine washable. You also want to look for it to have a center zipper feature. This will allow you to zip part of the cover off if you have a passenger in the seat next to your dog.
Door Guards
This is one additional area that you can help protect your car from paws and drooling dogs. It is generally universal and will fit between the inside glass and the door. It will help if you have a dog who hangs his head out the window and wants to put his paws up on the door from it getting scratched and dirty.
Conclusion
Investing in dog seat covers for your dog is a smart choice for protecting your vehicle, keeping it clean and usable for people, and
Do you want these guys in your car without seat covers?
depending on the style that you choose, keeping your dog safer. There are many styles to choose from to fit whatever vehicle you have and for whatever your dog’s riding location is in your car.
Now if I could only figure out a way to keep all those nose prints off my windows, I really could keep my car clean. If anyone has suggestions for that, please let me know. My son can barely see out of his window most of the time.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Please share covers you are using that you are happy with or unhappy with so others can learn what you have experienced.
Hey, great article. My favorite part is the hammock. I take my dog in the car a lot, he would love this and I would love the easy clean up.
Cassie, thanks for reading and I’m glad you liked it. My dog is always messing up the car to a point where no one else wants to ride in it. The hammock is the perfect solution to keep it clean and prevent them from falling on the floor. If you get one, let me know what you think.