# Are Barjo tailgate guards worth the money?



## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

The OH and I went looking at cars tonight as our 3 door Suzuki Swift isn't very dog suitable. We both like the Peugeot 207 SW and I've been looking at doggy accessories for it. I love the idea of a tailgate guard, but at £225 are they worth it?










Any reviews of Peugeot 207 SW's, Barjo products or hatchbag boot liners appreciated.


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## Fleur (Jul 19, 2008)

when we did agility about 4 years ago a couple of people had them and swore by them, especially that you could lock the tail gate and leave the boot open knowing the dogs were secure and ventilated.
I think if your planning to keep the car for a long time then they probably are worth the money - it may be worth looking on agility net and seeing if there are any 2nd hand ones going.


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## Cay (Jun 22, 2009)

They are more than worth it. We don't know how we coped without it .


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

I think it might work out cheaper to get a Berlingo and crates. I doubt it would fit on the drive though .


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

I have a Hatchbag boot liner and Barjo tailgate guard; both are very much worth the money.


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## Kc Mac (Jul 26, 2011)

I have a Corsavan and had it fitted with a Barjo tailgate guard . In my opinion they are well worth the money :yesnod:


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

I got my tailgate guard from MMG, and yes I think it's worth every penny, but I work with dogs for a living! If you're an every day pet owner I can't think of a reason why you'd need one unless you do a lot of activities with your dog and sometimes need to crate him/her in the car for a rest period. A dog guard to prevent climbing over the back seat should be fine.

You can often find second hand guards on ebay as well.


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

BoredomBusters said:


> I got my tailgate guard from MMG, and yes I think it's worth every penny, but I work with dogs for a living! If you're an every day pet owner I can't think of a reason why you'd need one unless you do a lot of activities with your dog and sometimes need to crate him/her in the car for a rest period. A dog guard to prevent climbing over the back seat should be fine.
> 
> You can often find second hand guards on ebay as well.


I'm only an every day pet owner but find a tailgate guard very useful.


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

Dogless said:


> I'm only an every day pet owner but find a tailgate guard very useful.


I guess it's like having a large crate that's tailored to fit? Is the hatchbag easy to fit and keep clean?

Does anyone know if it's possible to get a dog guard that fits behind the front seats rather than the back seats?


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

sharloid said:


> I guess it's like having a large crate that's tailored to fit? Is the hatchbag easier to fit and keep clean?
> 
> Does anyone know if it's possible to get a dog guard that fits behind the front seats rather than the back seats?


The Hatchbag is very easy to fit. In our V50 and with just Kilo we had a bespoke crate which was great, but changed car to a V70 once we decided that a second dog was on the cards and the tailgate guard means that we have the whole boot space.


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## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

I have a Barjo tail gate on my Volvo and I love it too. We adapted a "fence" to fit behind the front two seats to prevent dogs getting to the driver and passenger as we couldn't find one suitable. So yes, I think they're worth their weight in gold too.


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

Dogless said:


> The Hatchbag is very easy to fit. In our V50 and with just Kilo we had a bespoke crate which was great, but changed car to a V70 once we decided that a second dog was on the cards and the tailgate guard means that we have the whole boot space.


That looks like it's got at nice big boot. Unfortunately the OH doesn't want a 'proper' estate .


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

sharloid said:


> That looks like it's got at nice big boot. Unfortunately the OH doesn't want a 'proper' estate .


I never thought I'd drive an estate, but I actually love it. Hubby is OK as long as it's the R-Design...and he has his motorbike to play with!


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

sharloid said:


> I guess it's like having a large crate that's tailored to fit? Is the hatchbag easy to fit and keep clean?
> 
> Does anyone know if it's possible to get a dog guard that fits behind the front seats rather than the back seats?


MMG Guards do one - Full Guard

I just can't think of any time when I had my first dog, or even when I was fostering that I needed a tailgate guard, obviously other people do. I only use them really now if I have to leave the vehicle briefly and it's too hot to shut the boot.


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

Dogless said:


> I never thought I'd drive an estate, but I actually love it. Hubby is OK as long as it's the R-Design...and he has his motorbike to play with!


I think it's the size more than anything. Style went out the window when we got dogs .


BoredomBusters said:


> MMG Guards do one - Full Guard


Thank you .


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## bearcub (Jul 19, 2011)

BoredomBusters said:


> I got my tailgate guard from MMG, and yes I think it's worth every penny, but I work with dogs for a living! If you're an every day pet owner I can't think of a reason why you'd need one unless you do a lot of activities with your dog and sometimes need to crate him/her in the car for a rest period. A dog guard to prevent climbing over the back seat should be fine.
> 
> You can often find second hand guards on ebay as well.


Tailgate guards do offer protection to precious cargo in the boot should you be shunted from behind... which makes them worth their weight in gold imo


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## Kinjilabs (Apr 15, 2009)

I have a Barjo tailgate guard, really good but Guardsman are a lot sturdier, but a lot more expensive too wouldnt be without a guard myself


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

bearcub said:


> Tailgate guards do offer protection to precious cargo in the boot should you be shunted from behind... which makes them worth their weight in gold imo


Not unless they are crash tested. :-/ I think only Crash Tested Car Crates make those.


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## kate_7590 (Feb 28, 2009)

I have a dog guard and a tailgate guard both from barjo and they are excellent!
With 4 dogs the tailgate guard is invaluable, I can open the boot anywhere without aving to worry about them possibly jumping out and running off! Imagine breaking down on the motorway and having to get the dogs out of the car...lift the boot.... 

I also have a hatchbag boot liner which is awesome! no more muddy carpet!


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

kate_7590 said:


> With 4 dogs the tailgate guard is invaluable, I can open the boot anywhere without aving to worry about them possibly jumping out and running off!


But is there any reason to open the boot if it wasn't to get the dogs out?
I'm just trying to work out if it would be worth it for me.


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## kate_7590 (Feb 28, 2009)

sharloid said:


> But is there any reason to open the boot if it wasn't to get the dogs out?
> I'm just trying to work out if it would be worth it for me.


if you have to park somewhere busy/ near a road and you want to get the dogs out safely you can open the boot without them jumping down and out


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

How many dogs have you got? I've never had a problem teaching dogs to stay put...


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## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

One of the things I love about my gate is it can be left open (locked) while we're out with the dogs and on hot sunny days (hah, remember those?) the car's cooler than it would be if it was all locked. 

It means I can wash paws down, dry dogs off, keeping the others secure inside while I see to the others outside.


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

BoredomBusters said:


> How many dogs have you got? I've never had a problem teaching dogs to stay put...


We've got 2, but quite possibly 3 in the near future :thumbsup:. We've started scootering with our eldest, so it would be good to know we can put the little one in a safe place whilst we're setting up/getting cleaned up at the end.


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## 2Hounds (Jun 24, 2009)

Is there much difference, in length between 207sw & berlingo then? we looked at the range of sw versions and they seemed to have a longer bonnet than our peugeot partner/berlingo. as we've tall dogs a lot of useable space was lost with the angle of the back window on most of the estates. i'm swaying towards travel crates but not sure is much difference in cost with tailgate & guard.


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

sharloid said:


> We've got 2, but quite possibly 3 in the near future :thumbsup:. We've started scootering with our eldest, so it would be good to know we can put the little one in a safe place whilst we're setting up/getting cleaned up at the end.


In that case it would be well worth getting one. If you think you might need to put the back seats down to store the scooters while the dogs are in the back Barjo won't suit you because their dog guard only works when the back seats are up.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

bearcub said:


> Tailgate guards do offer protection to precious cargo in the boot should you be shunted from behind... which makes them worth their weight in gold imo


They don't look that sturdy. Are they crash tested? I harness mine on the back seats as I think it's safer.


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## flyballcrazy (Oct 6, 2010)

I drive a VW T4 Caravelle which I love, my oh has made a tailgate guard for mine with a divider and dog guard . I would say that this is safer than having harnesses and on the back seat . Saying that if I got hit up the back the boot wouldn't be damaged,? as I have a tow bar that sticks out the back, so would do more damage to the other car lol

My friend used a harness for her dog until they had an accident on the M3, the harness broke and her dog was injured. The Harness was sent back to the company that made it and they said it was faulty and gave her money back. She know uses a tailgate guard/dog guard. As she can't trust harnesses now. But each to their own


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

BoredomBusters said:


> If you think you might need to put the back seats down to store the scooters while the dogs are in the back Barjo won't suit you because their dog guard only works when the back seats are up.


That's another problem! We want to get a bike rack as the scooter is too muddy to put inside... but we need to find a rack that means the boot can still be opened. A lot of the ones we've looked at mean you can't which would mean a tailgate guard would be useless! Any ideas?

What do people do with shopping if your dogs go in the boot? Also where do you store things like poo bags/treats/spare leads/spare car things?


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

sharloid said:


> That's another problem! We want to get a bike rack as the scooter is too muddy to put inside... but we need to find a rack that means the boot can still be opened. A lot of the ones we've looked at mean you can't which would mean a tailgate guard would be useless! Any ideas?
> 
> What do people do with shopping if your dogs go in the boot? Also where do you store things like poo bags/treats/spare leads/spare car things?


I don't know anything about biking, I'm sure some biking forums could help, or put them on the roof?

Poo bags = passenger door side pocket. Treats, centre console. Spare leads, pocket in the tailgate (side opening). Shopping = ordered online.

I'm going to Wales in June with one dog on the back seat (with a crash tested harness as she can't get in the boot as she's not bendy at the best of times and has arthritis in her legs and hips) and 3 in the boot. I have no idea where I'll be putting luggage. I may have to invest in a roof box. Or the terriers will be sitting on suitcases... My car is the one with the 5 dogs looking out of the boot in the pics I posted earlier.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

flyballcrazy said:


> I drive a VW T4 Caravelle which I love, my oh has made a tailgate guard for mine with a divider and dog guard . I would say that this is safer than having harnesses and on the back seat . Saying that if I got hit up the back the boot wouldn't be damaged,? as I have a tow bar that sticks out the back, so would do more damage to the other car lol
> 
> My friend used a harness for her dog until they had an accident on the M3, the harness broke and her dog was injured. The Harness was sent back to the company that made it and they said it was faulty and gave her money back. She know uses a tailgate guard/dog guard. As she can't trust harnesses now. But each to their own


What harness did she use? I now use Bergan which are made in America and crash tested, I'm quite confident it's a lot safer than a tail guard in my car. I've driven past the exact same model of my car on the M25 where the boot had been completely demolished because another car had gone into the back of it. Boot is a major crumple zone in a lot of cars and after seeing that there is no way in hell mine will ever go in the boot of my car, it isn't safe IMO.

Unless I had either a 4x4 or estate with tonnes of space and/or a boot which wasn't designed to completely crumple I wouldn't even consider a tail guard. It was very scarey seeing my exact car with no boot left whatsoever. Not like I have a crap car either, it's a Seat Ibiza.

I know you can buy crash tested crates, which is why I'm curious as to whether these tail guards are crash tested or not.


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

GoldenShadow said:


> Not like I have a crap car either, it's a Seat Ibiza.
> 
> I know you can buy crash tested crates, which is why I'm curious as to whether these tail guards are crash tested or not.


I believe that hatchbacks are designed to have the boot crumple as nothing valuable usually goes in there whereas estates are designed for the boot to be used with things like dogs. I may be wrong though.



2Hounds said:


> Is there much difference, in length between 207sw & berlingo then?


2010 Berlingo = 172"
2010 207 SW = 163"

Every little helps when you have stupid people parking across from the dropped kerb that is our drive


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## toryb (Jul 11, 2011)

Iv just bookmarked the page...they make one that fits my volvo XC90 and it would be fab! Just when you have multiple dogs in a boot its so tricky to get them all out without worrying!! 

My tailgate is slightly easier as it opens in two half (top and bottom).


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## Oenoke (Oct 17, 2009)

I've had a bargo dog guard, tailgate guard and divider for my car for about 11 years now and love it.









Look on https://www.facebook.com/groups/225405930839041/ they sometimes have tailgate guards 2nd hand for sale.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

sharloid said:


> I believe that hatchbacks are designed to have the boot crumple as nothing valuable usually goes in there whereas estates are designed for the boot to be used with things like dogs. I may be wrong though.
> 
> 2010 Berlingo = 172"
> 2010 207 SW = 163"
> ...


I've heard this too but no one seems to *know* as such which really bugs me. I see soooooo many dogs in the back of hatchbacks round here :nonod:


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## 2Hounds (Jun 24, 2009)

I suppose many people don't have much choice but to put dog in the boot if the seats are used and most harnesses aren't crash tested so for the occupants it maybe safer for them for the dog to be in the boot even if it risks the dog's lives.

Some mpv's/estates have the option for extra seats in what would be the boot so presume they must be ok to carry occupants.


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## sharloid (Apr 15, 2012)

Oenoke said:


> I've had a bargo dog guard, tailgate guard and divider for my car for about 11 years now and love it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks great. Do you have a crate in the left hand side? It looks like it's split horizontally.


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## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

im *hopefully* changing my car this year (job and money pending lol)!

im looking into a tailgate guard and dog guard - i want them crated but at the moment the crate i have is too small for both dogs....but there isnt enough room for a bigger crate!!

i want a tailgate as its safer when you open the boot = no dog's jumping out!!!

my dogs are well trained (shockingly...) but only takes that 1 second of disobedience on a busy road and i could end up with a squished dog (thats to whoever said they are needed for an everyday owner  ) !


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