Car anxiety in a small dog is very often just a view problem. Down in the footwell or flat on the seat, all they can see is the underside of the door and a world that jolts about outside their control. Lift them to window height and a good number settle within a journey or two, because motion they can watch finally matches the motion they can feel.

This is a quilted box with 12.5cm bolsters around the edge, so it works as a nest as much as a platform: a dog can sit up and look out, or drop into the sides and sleep. The backrest panel holds it upright against the seat back and a headrest strap anchors it so it does not slide forward under braking. The base is a 50cm square, and that is the figure to measure against.

• Seat base 50cm wide by 50cm deep
• Backrest panel 50cm wide by 50cm high
• Side bolsters 12.5cm high
• Headrest strap to anchor it to the seat
• Quilted throughout, 600g in total
• Black or grey
• Supplied in a 30 x 32 x 8cm package

Two things worth knowing. A booster bed is a comfort product, not a restraint. It holds the bed to the seat, not the dog to the bed, so pair it with a crash-tested harness and a seatbelt tether if you want your dog properly secured. And the maker lists it for small and medium dogs, which on a 50cm base means measuring your curled-up dog honestly rather than going by weight.

Who it's for: Small dogs who travel badly at footwell level and settle once they can see out, in cars with a headrest to strap it to.