You Shouldn’t Let Your Dog Stick Their Head Out the Car Window

Whenever you take your pet out in the car, you need to take certain precautions to make sure that the trip is a safe one. One of the things you need to do is keep your pet from falling out of the window. Even though they love sticking their head out, doing this can cause accidents or some health problems.

Keep your dog from sticking their head out of the car window

Let’s set the idea that pets shouldn’t stick their head out the window to the side for a minute. Who doesn’t like the image of a dog sitting next to their owner while sticking their head out a car window?

Dogs enjoy this opportunity to smell a large number of different scents they find as they go down the road. But you need to keep in mind that the consequences of this adventure could be bad for you or your pet.

Dogs appear to really enjoy sticking their heads out of the car window. But you should keep in mind that there is a high risk of an accident or developing health problems.

Risks of your dog sticking their head out of the window

Your pet might look happy with their head sticking out of the window. But, traveling like this can cause:

• Cornea trauma caused by dust
• Different kinds of injuries caused by getting hit by things carried by the wind.
• Damage to their ears, including high-frequency hearing loss. This is caused by the sound of the wind when traveling at high speeds.
• Choking caused by something like a plastic bag that’s carried by the wind.
• Breathing problems, including fainting, if they receive the full force of the wind in their face if the car is going very fast.

Other reasons to keep in mind for discouraging your pet from sticking their head out the window.

They also run the risk of having an accident where they can get hurt or lost in a strange place.

Keep in mind that your pet can jump out of the car if they see or smell something. This could be something that grabs their attention, like a cat, a dog in heat, food, etc.

Also keep in mind that:

• If your car has automatic windows, your dog’s head could get trapped if they accidentally step on the button.
• If you are in a collision or you don’t stop slowly enough, your pet runs the risk of getting thrown out the window.

Keep your dog from getting loose in the car

As much as they like the wind in their face, don’t let your pet stick their head out of the window. Situate your windows so that your dog can feel the wind from the street but not be able to stick their head out.

Keep in mind that a pet loose in your vehicle can also cause the animal to get tangled up in the pedals, distract the driver or get in his/her way.

Also, if you want to be a person who follows the rules, you’ll have to keep your pet under control to minimize their chances of getting hurt.

What is the right way to transport your pet in a car?

The easiest way to transport your pet is in the back seat or the trunk. For the latter, you need to make sure that they won’t run out of air.

According to the animal’s size and features, you can use different devices. These should be customized according to the dimensions of the vehicle. For instance:

• Carriers, ideal for small dogs.
• Cages, a good option for smaller dogs.
• Harnesses with two anchors limit the dog’s movements. They also keep them from moving forward in the event of a crash.

The best thing to do is to install a divider in that separates the place your pet sits from the front seats.