How to Make an In-Car Separator for Dogs

Dog lovers like to bring their pets with them in the car, but it's usually better for your dog to stay out of the front seat. Not only is it safer for your dog and for the driver, but keeping your dog in back also makes it easier to keep your clothes free of dog hair. You don't need to spend lots of money on a fancy dog separator to keep your dog in the back seat; an expandable baby gate can be customized to do the trick for a lot less money.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Straight edge
  • Safety goggles
  • Hand saw or circular saw
  • Two saw horses
  • Wooden expandable baby gate
  • Bungee cords
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Instructions

  1. Making the Separator

    • 1

      Get into the back seat of your car and measure the width of the vehicle. Place the tape measure right behind the front seats, and then measure door to door.

    • 2

      Measure the height of the vehicle from floor to ceiling. Subtract from the distance the depth of any ceiling light or floor "hump."

    • 3

      Take the expandable wooden baby gate and lay it on a flat surface. Expand it to the width of the vehicle.

    • 4

      Measure the height of the gate, and compare it to the interior height of the vehicle. Most baby gates are thirty-six inches high, so it should fit as is. It is fine, for instance, if your vehicle height is forty-eight inches. It just means that when you place your gate in the vehicle, you'll need to position it with a gap of six inches on the top and the bottom. If the gate is too tall, however, you will need to cut it down to size with the hand saw or circular saw. Make sure to measure the distance to subtract with the tape measure, and then use the straight edge and pencil to draw your cut line. Then place the gate on the saw horses and carefully cut off the excess height.

    • 5

      Bring the gate into the back seat of the vehicle and then secure it in its expanded position to the back of the front seats. Most front seats today have handles on the back, and these are convenient spots to tie the gate to. If the seats do not have handles, look for other connection points, like headrest posts and under-seat clasps.