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I am not confining her. She is choosing to stay in the car until I bribed her out. Of course dogs need exercise but mine has to balance that with hip dysplacia.
Have you had her to a vet recently for a medical exam and is she on any kind of pain medication for her hip dysplacia? If not, I suggest you take her to be checked out. She can be put on meds that can help with her pain. It probably hurts her to get out of the car if her hips are hurting.
MANY dogs love car rides and that might be another reason why she's reluctant to get out. She might think she's going to miss a car ride if she gets out. Get her into your house, set her up with a comfortable crate or blocked off area and make it a fun, happy place for her. Put her toys there, chew bones, treats, etc and play with her/praise her. Make being inside your house just as enjoyable for her as a car ride (in other words)
I'm NOT saying don't take her with you when you go on short rides when the weather is mild or cool, but don't take her when there is a chance of her becoming overheated. Dogs die in cars from the heat, even when you have the windows open. Leave her at home when the weather is warm or hot!!!
From a legal perspective if your dog jumps out of the car window and causes some kind of problem you would be hard pressed to prove your dog was under control.
She was at the vet few months ago for her yearly checkup and
she also had surgery so she got blood work and all. She does not yet have really painful hip issues. But that is why i only walk her 10 minutes at the park as getting into the car is the hardest part for her. And i never demand that she gets out of the car right away as she might be tired.
I agree that she is bored but she does not play with toys. She is all about smell. Smelling new areas and things is her joy and that is why she loves the car so much.
I also never take her in warm or hot weather. She has a double coat so she gets extra hot.
My dog is almost 13 with hip problems and i personally socialized her as a puppy and trained her to never cross the street on her own so even if in the unlikely event she jumps out of the car, it would be unlikely for her to make trouble. Its been years since i saw my girl jump.
She does not really like hanging out in the backyard and in the past i have set up two different dog houses there but she rarely used them and i have thrown them out since.
People are being a bit hard on you, OP. I do not think for a minute you are endangering your dog. Obviously, you are just trying to make her golden years happy, since she is happy in the car, not too hot in the car, and enjoys the view from the car.
I think it would be wiser to roll up the windows, and tell her no. Maybe you could make her a spot inside where she can see out the window? Or, maybe you can make her a small fenced area in the front yard?
Or, you can also forget you posed this question to a bunch of strangers, and just continue to do what you are doing. As you have seen by the responses, you run the risk of the self-righteous turning you in to the gestapo.
Gentlearts - thank you for your comment as you understand where I am coming from. And thank you for the helpful suggestions. I am definitely going to think twice before starting a new thread.
Instead of giving her treats when she is in the car, can you consistently offer her treats (or her meal) when she gets out of the car? That may make her more enthusiastic about returning to the house after a car ride.
I never had an intention to raise my dog in the car so I should have been clear from the start. But the time she has been staying in the car was so excessive that it felt like she was half living there. Also, most of the time she is in the car, she is in the drive way of my house. All windows are down and doors unlocked and I am at home. Every 20 mins or so I check on her and set up a ramp and give her an opportunity to come out.
She genuinely likes car rides so it is not about the small space. She is also in really good health for her age except for being overweight. She has a habit of gulping down water each time she drinks and that has not changed. It is only when she is in the car or if no one is at home. She is that smart that she will not drink water when everyone is out so she does not have to pee in the house. She has hip dysplacia so I cannot exercise her a lot. She goes to the park daily and walks 10 mins. She also builds up acid if she is not fed within few hours. The reason I give her treats when I leave her in the car is to let her know that me leaving is not a bad thing. Also about leashing her and leading her out is not an option as she has hip dysplacia.
I should have rephrase my question. I was wondering how long was okay for a dog to stay in a car weather permitting.
Understood. My post stands.
Please get the excess weight off your dog. If she has Hip Dysplasia that excess weight will make walking harder for her and likely exacerbate the problem. Dogs with HD should be kept lean and exercised in such a way as to develop strong supporting musculature around the hip area. What Exercises Help Hip Dysplasia? - Dogster
I don't understand what her HD has to do with being unable to leash her and lead her out of the car. Does she not understand walking on leash? Are you saying you'd have to drag her?
To answer your question above, as long as weather permits, the interior temperature is cool enough and she is safe and comfy. But someone could still remove her depending on your state laws or steal her since you have the windows open. Personally, I would never leave my dog unattended like that. Even in the driveway of my home. But folks do that all the time. From a management perspective, what you're doing is not that much different from allowing the dog to roam the front yard off leash.
I know that my dog has to lose weight and that is on my mind.
Also, my dog does not just stand up when I put a leash on her. She will lay there so there is no leading her out. One would have to pull on her to get her to stand up and because of her hd, that would be very painful for her. Do you understand that?
I lived here for about 20 years and this is the type of place where you do not need to lock your doors and you can leave packages outside overnight and no one will steal your stuff. 90% of my immediate neighbors have been here before I moved here and my dog was raised here since she was a puppy. If I lived in a crime filled area, I would not leave her in the car. Who would try to steal an 80 lb dog from a car when the owner and neighbors are around? Most of my neighbors are retired and they are constantly doing yard work. If police came, they would ask me to take her out and not leave her in the car. I am also unaware of anyone leaving their dogs in the driveway and if I knew such people, I would ask them if their dogs were okay from that. If she is in the car when it gets dark, I am in there with her and she sleeps and I played with my phone or work on a laptop.
Also, I disagree with your comparison about leaving her in a car versus letting her free off leash. There is no management here and the outside people who come here are mostly mail carriers and they know my dog. Even so, when I hear a truck, I go outside and stay with her and make sure no one is uncomfortable with my dog in the car. My dog does not come out of the car by herself. From an outside perspective, I rather have a big dog in a closed car than on a leash if I was afraid. My dog is nearly 13 but she can still pull me if she wants to. My neighbor's elderly aunt moved in with her maltese and was concerned about having a big dog next door. My neighbor told her that my dog is always watched by someone and that is mostly true. Although I cannot see her 24/7, I can hear what is going on outside and my other family members check on her too. My big dog is almost 13 and is in very good health despite having hd as a puppy and I believe a part of it has to do with the fact that I try to keep her happy.
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