Why Dogs Stick Their Head Out the Window
Interestingly, the reason most dogs like doing this has little to do with enjoying the scenery or feeling the wind. The reason that dogs like to stick their heads outside cars while driving is because the wind smells so good. Dogs have an incredible sense of smell with about 300 million olfactory receptors in their cute noses. In comparison, human noses have six million, which means the dogs ability to smell and process smells is between 10,000 to 100,000 times greater than humans. So, during a drive, a dog sticks its head out the window to enjoy the infinite number of new and interesting smells zipping by. Moreover, get a whiff of this fact: the way dogs exhale is remarkably different from humans and allows dogs to continue smelling new odors as they exhale.1 That’s nothing to sneeze at.
Risks of Letting Your Dog Ride in the Car
Despite the joy and often comical look on a dog’s face when its head is sticking out a car window, it is very dangerous. First, if unrestrained, there is the risk of the dog jumping out of the car, accidentally falling out of the car, or getting hit by another car or object. Second, and perhaps less obvious, is the fact that the wind also carries foreign objects that could harm your dog. Something as harmless as a leaf or insect could cause serious damage to your dog’s eye, particularly if you are driving at a high speed. Also, pebbles, rocks, or other projectiles could strike your dog. In other words, a lot of bad things can happen to your dog, you and your passengers, and other drivers.
So, the next time you invite your dog for a car ride, roll down the windows and let them experience the pure joy of all the scents, sights, and sounds of the world around them. The wind rushing past their face is nothing short of freedom and fun!
When the windows are rolled down and your dog is allowed to poke their head out for a sniff, the entire world opens up! With all the scents blowing past their noses, the sights rushing by, and the sounds, the outside world is a sensory overload for our dogs, one that is much more exciting than the inside of a car.
Despite all the sights, smells, and sounds, some dogs prefer the calm and quiet from inside the car. This means that for those dogs who enjoy the experience, they choose to do it simply because it’s pleasurable to them. Dogs live their lives in accordance to what makes them happy and feel content, and if sticking their head out of a moving car window is something your dog looks forward to, then they are doing it for the pure fun of it! Whether it’s for the scents, the sights, or the anticipation of getting where they’re going, dogs choose to do this because they enjoy it. And if they don’t, that’s okay too. The more we learn about our furry friends, the more we realize that animals are not so different than us; experiencing life with pleasure and a sense of enjoyment in what they do!
A dog’s dominant sense may be their smell, but that doesn’t exclude their other senses. While dogs are more near-sighted than humans, they have a wider scope of vision than us, can see more clearly in the dark, and have better motion visibility. This means that when they stick their head out of a moving car window they can see more clearly the objects and landscapes passing by. Simply put, your dog sticks their head out the window for the same reason we look out the window…to see where they are going. Combined with their greater sense of smell and acute hearing, our dog’s heads are an amazing sensory apparatus that takes in a lot of information at once!
At Bark Avenue Daycamp our goal is to make dog training, day camp, dog grooming, and kennel boarding a pleasant experience for both you and your furry family member. Whether you are from Hoffman Estates, St Charles, Elgin, or Schaumburg, call us today at (630) 289-8470 to book at our dog training center in Bartlett, IL.
Why Dogs Stick Their Heads Out Of Car Windows | Pets: Wild At Heart | BBC Earth
Dogs love to stick their head out the window when driving in a car. Do you ever wonder why this seems so natural and common for our four-legged friends?