Why Does My Dog Do That?

Today is Wednesday, which is Why Does My Dog Do That? day.

Today we are going to ask the question..."Why do dogs hate it when you blow in their faces, but love to hang their heads out of the car window?"

A dog's sense of smell is 100,000 times stronger than humans. To them, the sensations of the wind sweeping by at high speed and you blowing the smells of last night's dinner in their direction does not even come close to being in the same category.

As they hang their head out the window, they are capturing the smells of hundreds of things as they speed by. Interesting things. Fascinating things. It is a glorious smell-o-rama. They can decode everything that is going on around them as they pass by.

In comparison, our breath blown onto their face is not as delectable. Sometimes your dog may show a brief interest in the smells coming from your mouth, but for the most part they are irritated by the sensation. They catch those smells each time you talk to them. Compared to all the interesting smells from outside the car window, it is just plain boring to them. And if you blow directly into their noses, it tickles and irritates the nose cavity and they sneeze and shake their heads. You make think that's cute, but it's not going to win you any dog-owner-of-the-year award nominations from your furry friend.

This said, not all pleasures are safe ones. That's why it is a good idea to keep the window rolled up and dog's head inside the car. Road grit or an insect traveling at high speed can do a lot of damage to your dog's eye. If you really want to provide this pleasure to your dog, there are dog goggles available. Honestly. They are called Doggles. They are used a lot on military service and search and rescue dogs. Your dogs can get used to wearing them, just as children get used to having to be in a carseat.

As our girls are all too little to hang out the window as we drive down the freeway, I haven't had to really worry about this. My girls are perfectly satisfied if I just open the sunroof. They sit on the seat with their little noses in the air, sucking in all the same wonderful scents.

But Doggles might be kind of cute. May have to look into this.....

Have a great week with your little ones and happy traveling! Be sure to check out the fun Spring and Summer fashions we have at www.gilesk.etsy.com.