My husband recently had our windshield wipers replaced while our
Mixed Breed sat in the car with me in her safety harness. Seeing the man “stealing” our wipers, she uttered a warning bark, affronted at this thief’s boldness.
People often underestimate how protective a dog feels about “her” vehicle, an instinct so strong a dog may show aggression to someone reaching in.
Help avoid a dog bite with these tips:
- If you want your dog to accept people who reach into your car, teach her this early on and practice regularly.
- If your dog was not trained to tolerate it, never allow someone to reach in your vehicle with your dog inside.
- Think safety: When running a quick errand, use a window grate made to keep dogs in but hands out or put your dog behind a doggie barrier away from open windows; leave your dog briefly and only during cool weather.
- Use common sense and never reach into someone’s car to pet their dog, whether she’s familiar with you or not.