Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Dog Hang His Head Out Car Windows
In an effort to sound realistic, instead of resembling a “helicopter doggy mom” that hovers and assumes the worst, allow me to explain why dogs should keep their heads inside the car. Dogs hanging their heads out car windows is just plain dangerous, and I’m sure your children keep their heads inside the car too, right? Allow me to explain further.
Dogs Do Jump/Fall Out of Cars
Dogs jumping or falling out of cars happens more often than you think; pet owners just don’t want to admit it. It doesn’t take much for a small or medium-sized dog to fall out a half-open car window when pet owners swerve or turn sharply. Plus, your dog can easily get tossed outside of the car when a car accident happens–even if it’s just a fender bender. During dog training classes, I’ve witnessed dogs jumping or wiggling out of open car windows when they notice something exciting like another dog or person walking close by.
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Eye and Nose Injuries Can Occur
If dogs hang their heads out of a moving car window, their eyes and nose are being exposed to wind-filled debris at 35 mph. Debris can be anything–sand, glass, bits of rubber or plastic pieces stirred up by passing cars. If you’ve ever had sand in your eye, you know how frustrating and painful it can be even after a couple of days. Oh and your dog’s nose. It never stops inhaling all those delicious scents, so a bug or shard of glass can easily get wedged inside. Even though it’s not mentioned, your dog’s ears are susceptible to ear flap hematomas (pockets of blood stuck between skin layers), which can easily be caused by ears flapping against each other or against the car.
How to Keep Your Dog’s Head Inside
Honestly, I could go on and on about the dangers of dogs hanging out car windows, but I’d rather give you advice on keeping your dog entertained and safe. Crack your car window, so your dog can experience all the different scents, yet keep her head inside the car. When cracking the window, as a general rule, the window should only be cracked wide enough to prevent the dog’s nose from poking outside. Usually, this means cracking the car window about half an inch for smaller dogs and one inch for larger dogs, but it depends on your dog’s muzzle length too. When in doubt, choose a smaller crack. By keeping their noses inside the car, dogs are still able to smell all those delicious scents while keeping them safe.
Allowing your dog to stick his head outside of a moving car window is not considered enrichment; it’s just too dangerous.
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