Dear Heloise: Although dogs can be perfectly trained not to jump about in the car, it takes a lot of effort and, frankly, most of them aren’t trained. An excitable, jumping dog passenger is dangerous, both for the driver and the dog.

For a car with front bucket (instead of bench) seats, you can install a wooden and plastic or wire-mesh baby or puppy gate in the back, which you can get at most children’s furniture stores or large pet stores, so that it blocks access to the front seat.

An adjustable-width gate works best. It can be secured by straps or rope to any fixtures on the top or sides of the front seats.

This prevents the dog from easily jumping into the front seat when you’re driving and also provides some measure of safety if you have to stop short, keeping the dog from flying through the space between the front seats. - Nan Powers, Rancho Cordova, Calif.