Nice looking dog and I now understand the problem. It’s a tricky one for sure.

I used to have The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain as a customer. I wonder if they have a shared wealth of information on getting BMD’s in and out of high up boots and overcoming the problems that you have?

Thinking on this some more, I wouldn’t suggest that an untethered 70kg dog would be a safe thing to have in the row of seats behind the children as it might burst through the seat backs in a crash. In the boot, behind a bulkhead would be better.

It’s a long shot, but how about this as a radical solution?:

http://caradaptations.co.uk/adaptations/li...oot-hoists

(You seem to open minded to any new ideas )

Regards untethered, I would think any responsible owner would have a harness on their dog, and it secured either to seat belt if on a seat , or to load hooks in boot. Not just for the safety element of not going through your head in a crash, but to keep the dog from running out of the vehicle in same scenario.
The amount of jobs I have gone to with loose dogs is ridiculous. You wouldnt leave your children unrestrained, don't do,it to your dog. Excuse the pun, but it is one of my pet hates, to see a dog loose in a car.
@ op If you have tried behaviourists and it hasn't worked, do you know anyone clever enough to build collapsible steps, in aluminium, which would fit the width of the rear door. Maybe then Mr B wouldn't feel so insecure going up them? Most off the peg ramps and steps aren't the widest because one, space considerations for smaller cars and two, people tend not to think that some dogs don't like the gap at the side of them. It's like asking someone with a fear of heights , to walk up a staircase with no hand rail

Quote:

The amount of jobs I have gone to with loose dogs is ridiculous

Assuming because of the context you mean loose dogs in cars? What are the jobs? Just curious.

. Cheers, Greg
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2011 Vogue SE 4.4 with lots of toys in Stornaway

Certainly a 70 Kg mass needs to be tethered, although at perhaps -15G that is a tonne, and I don't know if the body harness straps are up to that. Given the number of pets in cars, admittedly not all this size, perhaps it is something EuroNCAP needs to start looking at?

I think Golden Rover is correct, the step width is critical. Red Merle also got me thinking with his comments about towing. The lower tailgate with the air suspension in its lowest position is about 75 cm. The dog can easily manage 35 cm.

We brought back from the US a carrier that isn't often seen in Europe. It is s basket that attaches via the towing hitch, and can be flipped up when not in use. It wouldn't be too difficult to substitute the basket for a step. It would however have to be quite deep to protrude sufficiently beyond the lower tailgate, so would look pretty ungainly.

What would be perfect would be a motorised slide out step, possible welded to the hitch, a bit like the viewing platform on the Vision concept. Does anyone happen to know if such a thing already exists?

As an aside, I run a receiver hitch on my fatty. They seem very rare here, while the Americans really see to make good use of them with seemingly more attachments than a Swiss Army knife!

Biggest reason not to buy an X7 is because they’re completely hideous.

Merlin dog wrote:

Certainly a 70 Kg mass needs to be tethered, although at perhaps -15G that is a tonne, and I don't know if the body harness straps are up to that. Given the number of pets in cars, admittedly not all this size, perhaps it is something EuroNCAP needs to start looking at?

I think Golden Rover is correct, the step width is critical. Red Merle also got me thinking with his comments about towing. The lower tailgate with the air suspension in its lowest position is about 75 cm. The dog can easily manage 35 cm.

We brought back from the US a carrier that isn't often seen in Europe. It is s basket that attaches via the towing hitch, and can be flipped up when not in use. It wouldn't be too difficult to substitute the basket for a step. It would however have to be quite deep to protrude sufficiently beyond the lower tailgate, so would look pretty ungainly.

What would be perfect would be a motorised slide out step, possible welded to the hitch, a bit like t(he viewing platform on the Vision concept. Does anyone happen to know if such a thing already exists?

What was wrong with the Discovery? Middle row seats seem a bit upright in this one, but there can’t be any other 4x4 as practical for a family/dog van.

I’m not sure I would offer up the Discovery in a beauty contest against the X7! The rear of the X7 is much better resolved to my eyes Perhaps if you welded the front of the Disco to the back half of the X7 you would have something less challenging.

As per the previous post, the problem with the Discovery 5 and the XC90 is that the second row seating doesn’t move forward sufficiently for a large dog to get into the third row. I have never set eyes on the X7 in the flesh but You Tube opinion seems to be that access to the X7 and space in the back is superior to anything else out there. Anyway, the mutt and I had a go at the Discovery, and it is a non-starter. To be honest, I thought some of the detailing was poor and some of the design elements a bit cliched.

Challenging as the nose of the X7 is, it isn’t going to be confused with an X5 - something that can’t be said for the current LR range. The interior of the higher spec X5’s are actually quite nice, and although the screen based switches look great in the RR, I do wonder if it will drive me crackers. Normal fingerprints are probably bad enough. Little fingers covered in yogurt and chocolate are exponentially worse.

All that said, if I had some reassurance that a 7 seat RR was in the near future, I’d tough it out, especially if this hitch step idea works. I sat in my first RR in 1971, and haven’t really sat anywhere since. Not getting treated like an inconvenient irritation by the dealer might make a nice change, though.

Hitch step is going to be a push with the lower tailgate.

If he's OK with steps then what about 2 of these - leave one intact at 49cm and hack the legs shorter on another to make it 25 and they should fit in the boot when folded ?

or even this as the first step ?

How about this?

Thanks Emperor Mong. That looks like just the thing. Even if it ends up being a little narrow, a wider step is an easy fabrication. I'll let you all know how we get on. Very grateful for all the ideas.

I have a 32kg Golden Retriever who has decided that he is too old (9yo) to jump into the car anymore. I lift him in and out. Not very dignified.

My Lab is similar. He puts his front feet on the tailgate and looks round at me to lift the rest in. He can jump it but can't be bothered. I'm sure he's laughing at me!