CosmicRivian
Well-Known Member
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- #1
I have seen a lot of posts in the forum about dogs and Rivians, so I wanted to share my set up in case it helps anyone looking to have a big dog in their R1T (or maybe even R1S).
For me, the main criteria for a good set up are that: (1) it needs to be as spacious and comfortable in the cab as possible for a large dog to be in there for 2-4 hours at a time (my dog loves to sleep in the car and insists on going wherever I go, even if she is in the truck for long periods on her own); and, (2) it has to be something that would be (fairly) easy to tear down when not in use and wouldn’t leave the truck feeling like a giant rolling kennel (although I love my dog, I hate having a dirty-and-hairy-and-muddy-from-a-dog feeling inside of my car or truck).
Given those criteria, my set up is a little complicated, but it works great for me (and my dog!).
To protect the seat, I have a small moving blanket which I lay down and tuck under the seat like a fitted sheet. On top of that, I have the largest soft crate that can fit inside the back seat (I am 5’9 and I like my driver’s seat back a bit more than many; the crate fits well, but if you’re tall and have the seat all the way back, you might take some measurements to ensure the crate dimensions will work for you - the crate dimensions for the one I am using are: 42.0"L x 26.0"W x 32.0”H. Inside the crate is a soft dog bed, which I haven’t had any complaints about (it helps that my dog is nonverbal).
To complete everything, I built two … platforms(?) … stools(?) … that I put in the footwells on each side of the back seat so that it creates a flat(ish) platform for the entire width of the crate when installed. The pictures help tell the story for sure.
So far, it works great. My dog is a 90# silver lab and she is kind of lazy and jumps into the truck, but only after some modest prodding. I use the RV step stool to give her a bottom step, which she has gotten used to. The step is 11” at its tallest setting and it fits into the gear tunnel at an angle without having to be broken down (which is a huge bonus). There are a lot of RV-style steps like this one, but this seems to be the tallest in its class and I recommend it for sure.
The dog crate itself breaks down easily, but it can only be opened for use after being put into the truck when broken down (it has to be popped up in place or it doesn't fit through the door opening). I put the crate in, position it, and then pop it up and raise the inside support. It takes about a minute to get it inside the truck and in place. The whole set up takes less than 5 mins to put together and it all breaks down enough to store under a tonneau cover (which I hope to have s00n-ish … December?).
Below are links to what I am using. The carpet covered small platforms/stools that I built are just 2x4s with a little plywood for tops and some indoor/outdoor carpeting that I had left over from another project. Nothing fancy about any of it. (Don’t judge the exposed hardware on the tops. If they were being used for any other application, I would hide the hardware and attach the carpet differently, but it’s all utility, so I don’t care that they are exposed.)
The dimensions of the small platforms are roughly 14” tall, 7” wide, and 16” in length. If you decide to build something similar, be sure to measure where you like your front seats because your mileage will likely vary for the width of the platforms (and maybe even the size of the crate).
My dog’s name is Pepper. She’s almost 2 years old and she just loves to hang out and go places (her favorite Rivian mode is definitely Pet Comfort). Pepper's easy-going-spirit makes this easy, but I am confident a similar set up could work for you, especially if you’re willing to accept that it’s not perfect, but perfect enough.
Crate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZOBZLC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Crate bed: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D3DKVNF6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Moving blankets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CBJSMD6C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
RV step: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BR6F3JYB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For me, the main criteria for a good set up are that: (1) it needs to be as spacious and comfortable in the cab as possible for a large dog to be in there for 2-4 hours at a time (my dog loves to sleep in the car and insists on going wherever I go, even if she is in the truck for long periods on her own); and, (2) it has to be something that would be (fairly) easy to tear down when not in use and wouldn’t leave the truck feeling like a giant rolling kennel (although I love my dog, I hate having a dirty-and-hairy-and-muddy-from-a-dog feeling inside of my car or truck).
Given those criteria, my set up is a little complicated, but it works great for me (and my dog!).
To protect the seat, I have a small moving blanket which I lay down and tuck under the seat like a fitted sheet. On top of that, I have the largest soft crate that can fit inside the back seat (I am 5’9 and I like my driver’s seat back a bit more than many; the crate fits well, but if you’re tall and have the seat all the way back, you might take some measurements to ensure the crate dimensions will work for you - the crate dimensions for the one I am using are: 42.0"L x 26.0"W x 32.0”H. Inside the crate is a soft dog bed, which I haven’t had any complaints about (it helps that my dog is nonverbal).
To complete everything, I built two … platforms(?) … stools(?) … that I put in the footwells on each side of the back seat so that it creates a flat(ish) platform for the entire width of the crate when installed. The pictures help tell the story for sure.
So far, it works great. My dog is a 90# silver lab and she is kind of lazy and jumps into the truck, but only after some modest prodding. I use the RV step stool to give her a bottom step, which she has gotten used to. The step is 11” at its tallest setting and it fits into the gear tunnel at an angle without having to be broken down (which is a huge bonus). There are a lot of RV-style steps like this one, but this seems to be the tallest in its class and I recommend it for sure.
The dog crate itself breaks down easily, but it can only be opened for use after being put into the truck when broken down (it has to be popped up in place or it doesn't fit through the door opening). I put the crate in, position it, and then pop it up and raise the inside support. It takes about a minute to get it inside the truck and in place. The whole set up takes less than 5 mins to put together and it all breaks down enough to store under a tonneau cover (which I hope to have s00n-ish … December?).
Below are links to what I am using. The carpet covered small platforms/stools that I built are just 2x4s with a little plywood for tops and some indoor/outdoor carpeting that I had left over from another project. Nothing fancy about any of it. (Don’t judge the exposed hardware on the tops. If they were being used for any other application, I would hide the hardware and attach the carpet differently, but it’s all utility, so I don’t care that they are exposed.)
The dimensions of the small platforms are roughly 14” tall, 7” wide, and 16” in length. If you decide to build something similar, be sure to measure where you like your front seats because your mileage will likely vary for the width of the platforms (and maybe even the size of the crate).
My dog’s name is Pepper. She’s almost 2 years old and she just loves to hang out and go places (her favorite Rivian mode is definitely Pet Comfort). Pepper's easy-going-spirit makes this easy, but I am confident a similar set up could work for you, especially if you’re willing to accept that it’s not perfect, but perfect enough.
Crate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZOBZLC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Crate bed: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D3DKVNF6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Moving blankets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CBJSMD6C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
RV step: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BR6F3JYB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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