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So, I am joking about raising my dog in my car but my dog is serious about living in my car. She likes to eat in the car, sleep, bark at mailman from the car and will only drink a little bit of water so she does not have to get out and pee.
She will not come out of the car unless I bribe her with a treat which I do not like to do as she is overweight and I give her a treat when I leave her in the car while I do my errands.
My dog is almost 13 so I want to let her do what makes her happy but I am concerned about her not having room to move around. She spends like 6 hours every day and comes out only for potty. Is this okay?
At 13 she may have some hearing or vision loss or a little doggie dementia. The car may feel like a small safe place for her. Could you try making her a cozy crate or "fort" area in the house where she feels safe. Slowly start reducing the car time and replace it with house time, low sodium chicken broth is a good bribe for a dog who isn't drinking enough water.
So, I am joking about raising my dog in my car but my dog is serious about living in my car. She likes to eat in the car, sleep, bark at mailman from the car and will only drink a little bit of water so she does not have to get out and pee.
She will not come out of the car unless I bribe her with a treat which I do not like to do as she is overweight and I give her a treat when I leave her in the car while I do my errands.
My dog is almost 13 so I want to let her do what makes her happy but I am concerned about her not having room to move around. She spends like 6 hours every day and comes out only for potty. Is this okay?
Depending on which state you live in...the law differs by state...anyone passing by and considering your dog at risk in the car can legally break into your car and remove your dog. Even if weather conditions do not create a risk for your dog, anyone observing your dog consistently confined to your car may consider that dog at risk due to the consistent confinement alone.
The real crime is allowing your 13 year old dog to be overweight. Carrying excess weight creates discomfort for old joints. Reduce her meal rations and use low calorie treats. BTW, why add to her excess weight by giving her a treat when you do errands if she considers being in the car a treat in itself?
Leash the dog and lead her out of the car. Are you trolling?
Dogs are pretty smart but I doubt your dog is intentionally drinking less water to avoid having to pee.
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.
Last edited by starry123; 11-29-2015 at 12:26 PM..
I agree with every post above me. Get the dog out of the car and into a crate in the house, as Katie suggested. Lighten up on her food, so joints are better (I learned that myself a month ago) and you can get into serious trouble (and should) allowing a dog to 'live' in a car.
I was wondering whether my dog staying in a car for 6 hours was okay. I posted that I was joking about raising my dog in a car. I used the word joking as it is ridiculous for me to raise my dog in a car so I hope this clears the issue.
Also, the reasons she likes being in the car aside from the car rides is that she gets to see more things from the driveway than in the backyard. People do not walk through the backyard normally and animals will avoid it when she is there but when she is in the car, animals do not notice her so she can observe more things so putting her in a crate would not keep her from wanting to be in the car.
Last edited by starry123; 11-29-2015 at 01:14 PM..
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