The common thread to every dog I’ve ever owned (which is more than a few) is their desire to ride in cars, and, in particular, to run from one side to the other, putting their head out the window.
My guess is that this is like a carnival ride for them. (If someone has a better explanation, I’d love to hear it.)
But my question is: Is this behavior unique to dogs? It seems to me that cats have no desire to ride in cars at all, let alone stick their head out the window.
What about monkeys, potbellied pigs, etc.?
If this is behavior that’s unique to dogs, why, do you suppose?
Scent is far more important to a dog that for us. Having the wind blast all kinds of interesting smells into his nose, plus a special organ I can’t recall the name of now, is like a human watching The Matrix in wide scree, digital surround sound. We have eye candy, they have nose candy.
How often do you see a monkey or pot-bellied pig in a car, anyway?
Dogs are sensory creatures. Hanging the head out the window brings thousands of interesting smells rushing into the dog’s nose. He can bark at people when the car goes by. The wind is a pleasant sensation on the face. Remember that your dog wears a fur coat year-round. It must be nice to have a strong breeze to cool yourself down.
It’s a bad idea, however to allow your dog to hang his head out the windo. A piece of flying debris, or a bug could slam into your dog’s eye. A very painful experiance, if not blinding. Crack the window down a few inches so he can enjoy the smells, but not so far as he can get his entire head out. It’s just not safe.
Cats are not as extrovertedly curious. They are not as attuned to smell as a dog, and cats being somewhat prissy creatures, do not like air blown in their faces. They’re not all that interested in the outside world.
I always thought it was because dogs were kinda dumb, and when they had their head out the window, they were thinking, “I can’t believe how fast I’m actually running!”
Dogs stick their noses in the winds totally for the sensory high. Dogs actually get a high from all the crazy smells. I agree with not letting your dog stick its head out the window. Not all dogs enjoy cars by the way, my dog hates cars. She actually jumped out of one because she was freaked. (She wasn’t hurt, we were still driving on the dirt road).
My dogs are house pets and don’t spend a lot of time outside. They don’t seem to be too concerned about looking out the windows of the truck and are happy to be napping in the back seat during trips.
However, they are always careful to step out on the back deck and stick noses into the breeze to see what’s going on in the neighborhood. It seems to me that the breezier the day, the greater the windspeed, the longer they pose there taking it all in.
And of course, if they do locate something disgusting and smelly in the back yard they are careful to roll all over it. Nose candy indeed!
As further evidence, dogs in the back of pickup trucks seem to just sit there quietly. Presumably, they get all the fun scents without any extra effort on their part.
I don’t know about this ‘olfactory rush’ theory. I remember when I was a kid, back in the days before seat belts were thought to be useful, let alone important, I used to like to stick MY head out the window, too. Feeling the breeze whipping my hair all over felt kinda good. Then there was the day I caught a bug (butterfly?) in my ear…that ended the game.
I have seen feral cats that big, but I can’t imagine anyone would want to put one in their car unless it was heavily sedated and securely tied. I have also seen cats on the passenger seat headrest with their heads sticking out of the window, so the phenomenon isn’t totally restricted to dogs.
In regard to why dogs stick their heads out of windows, I think it helps them know where they are, possibly by smells. But they always seem to know when they are going to the vet, or the beach or wherever, which might be a bit difficult if they were in a car with all the windows up.
My ex-boss’ dog, Mischief, whom I love dearly and loves me back with equal fervor, used to be terrified of the car. He’s a tiny dauschund and would become the heaviest elevem pounds on earth when he became aware that he was going to be getting in a car. Why? Because he was going to the vet. Simple, really.
But, a few years ago, he stopped going to the vet, and would instead spend weekends that my boss was out of town at my co-worker Nicole’s house, with her big yard, two kids, and three dogs. That’s paradise to my beloved Mischief, and whenever Nicole left the office (which, until recently, was my boss’ home) in a car, you had to hold Mischief back so he wouldn’t get in the car with her.
And, FWIW, I think a dog sticking his or her head out a window is the best thing in the world, and it always makes me smile. I’m jealous that I can’t find that kind of pleasurable sensory overload on a regular basis (hey, I’m single!).
My dog loves to ride in the car (and stick his nose out the window). very calm, except for two things-bicycles and motorcycles. If he sees these. all h*ll breaks loose! He will bark liek amaniac!
I just don’t know what he has against these vehicles!
