When your dogs travel in the back of your car...

...as in the boot and not just on the back seat, what do you do with any other stuff you have in there?

That may seem like a daft question but when I get my second dog I'm assuming the easiest way for them to travel will be in the back with the seats folded down instead of them both trying to lie on the back seat... But I already have stuff in the boot (jacket, first aid kit, water bowl etc etc) and its all in a bag but I don't want the bag moving and squishing the dogs!

That or I'm after any other advice on travelling with multiple dogs (one big one small) in a smallish car!

I see the current is a JRT mix. I would guess this is the small.
What type of dog are you planning on getting and what model/make of car?

My Dad has an egg-crate type box that he sticks everything in, and that he has somehow attached to the inside of the boot (karabiners or wire or something like that). Takes him maybe two minutes to remove if he wants extra space.

One thing I would make sure of first is that your present dog is happy to ride in the boot.

If he's used to travelling on the back seat, it's not always as easy as it sounds to transfer to riding in the boot without problems cropping up

I've had my 30kg staffy cross and another variously sized dogs in the car on numerous occasions and I have a ford fiesta. Not the smallest car out there but definitely not big.
For longer journeys you would do to empty the boot if possible to give them more room but otherwise depending on the size of your two dogs I see no problems with them sharing the back. Have you seen the 'car seats' they make for small dogs? Might help them keep their own space in the back, or possibly making it safe for your little one to ride in the front (if you can turn off airbags or don't have any???). Other wise what about putting a couple of crates (or one) in the boot and moving the other stuff into a bag that you can move around the car or secure as necessary.
Also if one is much larger than the other it may be best to have them separated for traveling for the same reason as the items in the book are a problem. Don't want one sliding and squashing the other.

Remember the law requires dogs to be restrained away from the driver, how is up to the owner. Should you be involved in a crash, if a dog is loose in your car, it is your fault no matter if someone hit you or not. You are illegally on the road.

see highway code .
quote rule

57
When in a vehicle, make sure that dogs and other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.

Thanks for all the replies.

Apparently I didn't give enough information in my first post...

My current dog is small yes, my next dog will be a greyhound, my car is similar in size to a fiesta but only 3 door, he already travels in the boot of my dads car so he's got no problems there, and I never said that my current dog, now or ever, would be running loose in the car.....

ETA: that's very true about one dog squishing the other!

Backseat will be my first choice but as my car is only a 3 door, trying to get both in and comfy and harnesses on both will probably be tricky is all!

I think one of the best option for you would be to get a dog guard and a divider, then you can have your boot separated from the passengers area +your boot will be split in half, which gives you enough space for the dog and for your stuff.

Try looking her -http://www.travall.co.uk
Travall is the best place to buy this stuff in my opinion.

I personally have a dog guard only, but I'm now contemplating of buying a divider for work purposes.

I have a ford probe. The back seats are stupidly crammed but I managed to get two malamutes in it for about a year. Now belle is bigger I've bought a mondeo estate which they love it in the boot. It has handles in the floor for me to restrain them so when I open the boot they can't do a runner. I was looking for a car dog guard and was disgusted at the price of them but just happened to pop along to the local boot sale and found a RAC one for £4. I was so pleased and now my hairy beasts drag me to the car when I say "car!"

I agree, a 3 door car does make it much more difficult. I will admit that when I came to buying a car I said it has to be a 5 door car and my reason was ease of access for my dog but I told others that I just didn't like the look of cars with 3 doors after the first few told me I was being daft and tried persuading me.

So glad I got a 5 door car. Anyway none of that helps you.

So back to your problem. For a greyhound I would suggest the boot would be the easiest place, and with a crate or something to work like a crate even if it is a divider and a dog guard over the back seat.
I used to have my dog in the boot (with nothing else in, or other stuff that are perfectly safe) but I was unsure about the law regarding being restrained and didn't like him behind a dog guard and he never needed it as he would stay where ever he was put in the car. Anyway when my mum had a spaniel cross for a few months I would walk him twice a day and always put him in the boot and had a dog guard and had him tied to the seat too.
My dog started going on the backseat on a harness as he would flatten the spaniel and the spaniel would jump all over him.
One day driving back from the park he started messing with something in the back. I assumed it was a toy I had left in there. But no, got home to find the little so and so had chewed into a panel and disconnected my indicators at that side. Explains why cars where beeping at me.... So yeah I vote crate for any new dog.