Why do dogs like to hang their heads outside of car windows?

[oranthal]

I've always found it amusing, and it never fails to give me a chuckle. Do they like the fresh air, the changing scenery, or something else? What's great is that dogs always seems so happy when they do it, so I'm all for it.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

My suspicion is that it's related to a dog spending most of its time on a walk with its nose on the ground. They react to the world via smell and hearing, and that instinct doesn't go away when they're in moving cars. I think they're trying to smell stuff that they're passing.

However, while they may look cute with their ears flapping in the wind, it's not very safe for your dog. From the affable lugs at Car Talk (http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/fido/dog-safe.html):

My dog loves sticking his head out the window. Is there a problem with that?

You try it. It works fine... right up until the moment that a bee hits you in the eye at 70 mph.

Admittedly, driving along while your dog sticks his head out the window and his ears flop in the breeze is exceptionally fun... but it's really not a good idea. A dog's ears, nose, and eyes are especially sensitive. Yes, they're too dumb to know that, but now you know it.

If your pooch insists on the "window treatment," at the very least invest in a pair of Doggles® (http://store.yahoo.com/doggles/whydoggles.html), which provide protection from foreign objects, wind, and UV light.

Even if your dog doesn't get hit by an errant pebble, dogs do jump from moving cars if the right reason comes along. And then how would you feel? We rest our case. The above also doesn't mention what happens if you have to come to a sudden stop or swerve and your dog gets thrown from the vehicle.

-- Ed/Ace

[The Falcon]

ace makes a good point, but could it also have something to do with cooling off? dogs don't sweat properly like humans. dogs actually sweat through their tongue. perhaps moving through the breeze at a rapid speed has a cooling effect on their bodies?

Falcon

[Chris Wood]

Maybe they're just trying to say their owners don't wear enough deoderant.

[Wild Goose]

I dunno......

Whenever we take our dogs to the vet, they've never seemd to want to put their heads out of the window...maybe because I'm always holding on to them so that they don't move aournd alot.