Do Dogs Love Waiting In Cars?
Perhaps I missed a memo that went out to all of us dog owners regarding their love of waiting in cars. I see so many dogs waiting in cars as their owners go grocery shopping, to the mall, or out to eat. Why must they bring their dogs for long outings when the dog can’t come in? Do dogs love waiting in cars for long periods of time?
Simple Errands – I Don’t See a Problem
I bring Laika along for errands – a lot of us dog owners do. When I’ve got to make a short trip to return a movie (yeah old school, right?) or to grab some take out dinner. I don’t see the harm in that. She’s not being left along in the car for more than 5 minutes and she doesn’t seem to mind.
Now in the summer I usually leave her behind – if it’s a hot day I’m more comfortable leaving her at home. It’s not safe to leave dogs in hot cars as we already know. I could roll down the window but then how much? What if someone decides to stick their hand in and try to pet her – will she be nice or will she turn protective? I don’t know, and I don’t really want to find out.
Longer Trips – Why Bring Them?
I’d say at least half the time when I go to the grocery store or to a eat in restaurant I see a dog waiting in the car. If it’s the grocery store maybe the owners are much faster than I am – perhaps they’re only being left alone for 5 minutes. I could be much faster in the grocery store but those check your self out machines and I don’t always get along.
Many times the dogs are barking and obviously on alert status.
What I really don’t understand is bringing your dog along to a restaurant. These aren’t take out places I’m talking about – they’re sit down and have a full meal places. At restaurants I often see the same dog waiting when I come in and when I leave, and I don’t eat super fast.
Is this fun for the dog? Is there some benefit I’m not seeing?
I can only speak for my dog of course but I’m pretty sure she’s much more comfortable waiting at home with free range of the house than waiting in a car. When I come home from a long trip she’s usually laying on the couch looking nice and cozy.
When she’s alone in the car she’s not nearly as comfortable. Generally she’s up and about – watching the surroundings and eagerly anticipating my return.
If I were to leave her in the car as I ate dinner I’d feel guilty – looking back my dog whose waiting for me. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my meal knowing that she’s out there waiting.
Do dogs love waiting in cars?
When Do You Leave Them at Home?
Is there a good reason to bring your dog along on trips when they’ll be left in the car for long periods of time? I’m assuming there’s some benefit since I see it done so often. Or is it because the owners see how excited the dog is to ‘go for a ride’ they just assume the whole trip will be fun for Fido?
Do you bring your dog along for errands or longer trips? At what point do you decide to leave them at home?
I found an amazing collection from UK based photographer Martin Usborne of dogs waiting in cars. Check it out for some great, though provoking images. And there was another great blog ‘dogsincarsatmywork‘ with photos taken by a grocery store employee. I can’t help but look at these and wonder if there’s something I’m missing.
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I just don’t feel good about leaving my dogs in the car. When we travel with our dogs, someone stays with the dogs (of course it is usually summer). But I have seen a few dogs who seem okay with waiting in the car.
Yeah I mean in a lot of those photos on the second tumblr blog the dogs look OK, I just personally don’t feel comfortable leaving mine either.
My dogs don’t get free roam of the house at home. When they are home alone they are confined to a crate. I know they do like waiting in the car instead..or at least don’t mind it. I I have several errands to run and it takes me, say 3 hours, they see me a time or two in those 3 hours because I get back in the car to drive to the next place. They also get mental stimulation by watching the world out of the window as we drive there. Yes, they bark at first when I leave them in the car. They bark at first when I leave the house too so I don’t see being left in the car more distressing. When I come back to the car, they are always happily snoozing on the seat. Both of my dogs always go on road trips with me though so they are used to riding in the car and going places with me. Every dog is different and I think one should leave their dog at home if it causes them distress….and of course if it is too hot.
Here in Seattle we have a lot of restaurants where you can eat outside on the patio, and sometimes inside, with your dog. Again, they like being with me more than being stuck home in a crate. I
I didn’t take into account being used to road trips and all, that makes sense. I’m glad to know that dogs enjoy it, it’s just something I haven’t done but I’ve seen so many others do it I was curious. That’s pretty impressive that they’re that accustomed to it they’ll be snoozing on the seat. I definitely have more of an anxious dog when it comes to being in the car alone. I would love to live in an area that had more outdoor restaurants like Seattle – here it’s just single stand alone places with a big parking lot.
Well, I can’t claim to know why other people do it. It’s funny how we can get a mindset of “me too”. I just assumed that people’s reasoning was the same as mine but it’s probably not.
I honestly feel like Chester and Gretel spend at least 1/3 of their life riding in the car to places with me. They get to go more in fall and winter too because the weather is cooler. We have a pretty moderate climate so it doesn’t get too cold but I admit I have taken them to the ski resort with me. They get a cozy down blanket to cuddle under! Dachshunds love to burrow.
Yes, we are very lucky in Seattle, there are something like 35 bars and restaurants that let you eat INSIDE with your dog.
If they’re comfortable there’s nothing wrong with it, and considering they love to burrow it sounds super cozy for them. One day I might move to a bigger city where they have such nice and dog friendly accommodations.
This about sums it up! I don’t take my dog along as often now that I live in a warmer climate, but I used to take him along all the time for errands, appointments, etc. I could leave him in the car for an hour and I did not feel bad. He liked to sit and look out and never seemed stressed by it. I would not do this if he were a more anxious or easily excited dog but he’s pretty mellow in the car. He actually never barks.
These days he stays home because it’s just safer for him based on where I live. I do leave him for maybe five minutes but not very often.
Mr. N can go most places with me that don’t serve food here so if I’m just running in somewhere, he waits in the car unless it’s too hot.
I’m like you, I only bring them if it’s a short trip. Here in CA it’s usually too hot to bring them anyways.
Kilo gets very impatient when he has to wait in the car.
I actually think there’s a coffee table photography book called “Dogs Waiting in Cars.” Isn’t there? Or did I make that up? 🙂
Riley HATES being in the car, period, so I never bring him along with me when I’m running errands. The only time he comes places with us is if we are taking him to the groomer, vet, or someplace that will be fun for him – the park, the lake, going to get ice cream, etc. If I had a dog who loved riding in the car, things would probably be different…but I still don’t think I would leave my dog in the car for more than just a few minutes.
You’re right – I just found a book called “I’ll wait in the car” on amazon. I had no idea – it’s been out since 2008. Definitely understandable since Riley hates being in the car. Luckily Laika doesn’t mind short trips – my last dog would get car sick and that was no fun.
Unless someone can stay in the car with the dogs, we don’t bring them along. They enjoy car rides, but I’m just not comfortable leaving them alone. Too many horror stories with people being cruel to dogs. Plus, they really prefer the company or to be home in their own environment.
Since I don’t have a car, this isn’t an issue for us. When we’re on a road trip and rent a car, we look for restaurants without outdoor seating that will let us all eat together or we sit outside together.
I understand the desire to have dogs for company. But you’re right. If the person is running a long errand, they’re not with their person anyway. I wonder what their dogs would say if we asked them what they preferred?
The big factors that help me make a decision about Veruca or Ava joining me in the car are where are we going, how long would they have to stay in the car, and how hot is it. The heat takes first priority. Then if the end payout is great, like a big hike, then staying in the car while I get coffee and donuts, or a quick grocery run, is a good trade off.
That’s pretty much exactly the same way I rationalize whether to bring her along or not.
We generally take our dogs everywhere. But we don’t go dining or to the movies. With longer errands one of us stays in the truck with them. We only visit friends we can bring our dogs along to see
When I lived in Oregon, my girls went everywhere with me, except for on hot days. They never seemed to mind. They would always just curl up and sleep. No one would of even known they were there. Most of the time it was because I worked at the vet and they went to work every day and I always made sure they got to go somewhere dog related afterwords. Like the park or pet store. So they weren’t always just sitting around in the car. We never had any problems.
This is probably what I’ve been missing – I really only notice the barking dogs – I’ve probably passed by lots of comfy, sleeping dogs in cars and not even known.
Agreed! It is pointless to bring them along if they just end up waiting in the car for EVER while you shop. It’s just not fair, and very unsafe in the summer too!
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We just brought Freighter along when we took our quad in for repair last week. The repair place is about an hour from the cabin and we planned to wait for the repairs (about 3 hours) so we would be gone most of the day. One of the things we did was to stop for breakfast and Freighter waited in his crate in the back of the truck while we ate. We also stopped to shop in a store that did not allow dogs. We needed to kill time but not get too far away. We did not leave Freighter at the cabin with Thunder and Storm because he is not completely comfortable being left there when we leave for blocks of time. I think it is because he just hasn’t been left there a lot because at home it is not an issue. He was happy as a clam in the back of the truck and not all anxious like he would have been if we had left him.
We have also left them in the truck (locked in their crates) when we have been traveling for shows or hunt tests and needed to eat. We try to pick a place where we can see the car. If not, we check them periodically. IMO that is better than leaving them in a hotel/motel room (which most don’t want you to do anyway).
But we would never leave them alone and unattended to go to a shopping mall or do grocery shopping where we could not check them. In that case one of us stays in the car.
Bottom line: You are part of their “pack” and they want to be with you. If your dog gets sick or hates being in a car, don’t take them. If you can, take them everywhere. If they have to be left in a car, leave the windows open (obviously, this is not a good solution in a dangerous area or if your dog is prone to jumping out). You can also teach your dog to use an emergency release to open the car for a quick egress, but requires outfitting your car if you don’t have one. But, really, they just love being with us, watching us, sharing experiences with us, and seeing what we do. When we come home, they can smell every place we’ve been and some dogs question “why didn’t you take me?” Some dogs are home-bodies and would rather wait there. But if they fear being abandoned, that may not be a good option. Some dogs love being dropped with a friend, or being left in doggie day care, and others don’t. Like humans, they have a vast range of likes and dislikes, and not two are the same.