The best used cars to buy if you're a dog trainer
If you are a dog trainer, you expect a lot from your car. You want a safe, roomy, and of course dog-friendly ride, as your training often means you need to transport the dogs you work with…
If you are a dog trainer, you expect a lot from your car. You want a safe, roomy, and of course dog-friendly ride, as your training often means you need to transport the dogs you work with to a location where you have a place to work. Of course, you want your dog clients to be able to ride comfortably, and you also want to be sure that you can adequately restrain them. The last thing you want is for the dog to hit the windshield if you need to brake hard, or worse, in the event of an accident where the frightened dog is frightened enough to bite the rescuer.
Considering dog and human safety as well as comfort, we reviewed a range of used vehicles and identified five of the best for dog training: Volvo S60, Dodge Durango, Honda Fit, Chevy Cruze and Mercedes GLK 350.
Volvo S60: We chose Volvo mainly because of its pedestrian detection feature - it helps the driver to avoid moving objects, so it's a great safety feature when the dog is not in the car. It is compact, however, so if you're focusing on large breeds, you probably won't be transporting many dogs at once.
Dodge Durango: The Durango is a nice wide SUV that has enough room for you, the dogs you train, and good gear. When the seats are folded down, you get a generous 84.5 cubic feet of cargo space that should suit most dog trainers.
Honda Fit: This is a small car and is probably best for small breed trainers. However, the cabin is quite spacious, with second-row folding seats that you can raise to handle tall things like kennels.
Chevrolet Cruze: This eco-friendly offering offers much more than you would expect from a compact device with innovative technology and sporty looks. It is also equipped with ten airbags, which means that in the event of a collision, everyone in your car, be it a person or a dog, will have the best protection possible.
Mercedes GLK 350: With five driver-only airbags and curtain airbags for both rows of seats, this is another very safe vehicle. It also offers traction and stability control for easy and fast emergency maneuvering.
You may prefer one over the other based on certain features, but they all have in common that they can accommodate bending devices and they all have above average safety features.
