Leaving dog in the car - lock or not?

[Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong]

What does everyone do when you have to leave dog in the car, do you lock the doors or leave the doors unlocked? If I lock i can't leave a window open, if it's unlocked then there is a risk of the car or dog being taken. I'm still fairly new to dog ownership so apologies if this is a really obvious question.

I'd love to take dog out for day trips and be able to let her relax in the car if we we were to go for a bite to eat or even just for a few minutes popping into a shop or toilet. She doesn't walk much, she pulls to go back so I'd love to take her for a short walk then leave her in the car while I continue. These days I'm taking her out less because she will only walk a few mins and I need to do a longer walk and I don't know what to do. Some days she doesn't get out at all because of this.

If she's a cavapoo she's small enough to go in a dog pram. She can go in there when she's tired of walking.

A 2yr old dog not wanting to walk much is something I would look into more. Whether it is behaviour eg anxious or pain I would work on the reluctance to walk.

We have her since she was a puppy and she just doesn't like walks with me alone. She goes around the park in a little 10 min loop but always runs ahead on the way back, tugging the lead like she can't wait to get home. She will walk longer if there are two people, it's really strange. I often wonder does she need to be walked at all. She is just so happy hanging out with us and still walks from room to room, waiting outside the toilet etc, but she makes no demands. We have a busy house with 3 kids and people coming and going so she is played with a stimulated a lot. Maybe a walk with me is just boring?! I've tried different routes, quiet places, roads, fields and it's always the same, I feel like I drag her for a while then she drags me back. It's uncomfortable and pointless.

Mines not bothered about being left in a car for a few minutes if I have to pop in somewhere to buy something or use the loo. I park under a tree, leave the windows open a crack and double click my locks which deactivates the internal alarm. I wouldn’t leave him in the car for any more than ten minutes though.

Of course she needs to be walked.

It sounds like she's very anxious and under confident - so I would be looking to build her confidence. When you have an hour like today, take her out and use treats or toys or a ball to build that bond and boost her confidence.

MIL delft her cockapoo in the car. It ate her seats and wires which cost over €1,500 to fix.Her own fault, poor dog should never have been left alone.

100%. I would say it sounds like anxiety and fear but always worth a vet check.

Okay, sounds like you need more advice than on leaving her in the car (which I 1000% wouldn't do with a 2 year old cavapoo as they are one of the breeds most appealing to steal)
What have you tried already to work on her barking when she's left downstairs alone, and how long for? Just to get an idea so people can make suggestions.
Have you taken her to the vets about her not wanting to walk - it does maybe sound a bit like anxiety/fear. How much socialisation did she get as a pup - how regularly did she meet other dogs, known or unknown, how did she get on, how much does she see other dogs now and how does she react?

Is this a joke?

Re the dislike of walking with you alone. Sounds to me that she is very nervous and that you are not her ‘security ‘ human.

If you have not already done this, please enrol in some training / socialisation classes with her (with you, not other family members) . Several trainers will do classes for late developers/ rescues etc.

Just because she is small enough to carry does not mean she does not need training - how to walk on a lead, how to interact with the wider world etc.

As to the car thing, with respect to locking, two blips on my central locking disengage the alarm, but mine needs to be held down to close any open windows so that may be different.

Please do not leave your dog in your car, even for short periods. Even on a cool day a car can get very hot, very quickly. The dog might get distressed and cause damage, or urinate or defecate in panic.
If you did leave the dog in the car then you might find yourself in trouble or have the car broken into by the police.
Just don't do it.

How about you just don’t leave your dog in the car? We have two and I’ve never ever left them in the car.

We normally take them with us for days out. If not then they go to my parents for the day.

@ReadWithScepticism yeah I don't know how to disable, it's the type that likes to beep and warn about all sorts. Very annoying in many ways.

@Foxblue she loves other dogs and stops to greet them, she went to day care for a while as a pup to socialise. We probably haven't done much training re walking so I might look into that more. I never thought to mention to a vet but we are due a check up soon so I'll say it.

Thanks for all the helpful comments so far.

Hi @Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong
Check your car make and model online for a button to disable alarm and lock car. I do this with mine (button is on driver door edge) when I have to leave them in the car. Not a hot car obviously.

I think the key word in here is “we”. It’s very easy to never leave a dog alone if there’s more than one of you. If you’re on your own, though, popping in somewhere to use the bathroom or buy a coffee is impossible without leaving your car for a few minutes. My dog regularly comes on my travels with me and it’s just me and him. The benefits to us both by having these exciting adventures far out weigh the theoretical risks of him being on his own (and probably sleep) in the locked car for ten minutes occasionally.. I mean the car could go up in flames but so could the house if I’d left him at home.

Obviously - and it should really go without saying - you don’t leave a dog in the car in the height of summer or for any extended length of time but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

My dog loves the car - its her safe space when we are out and I can leave her happily snoozing. I leave all four windows open about 2-3" and turn the interior movement alarm off then lock the doors.

I didn't leave her in the car even for a 10 minute trip to the shops a couple of weeks ago when temps were mid-late 20s. It all depends on the dog!

Personally 30 minutes isn't a "short period" in my mind. In hot weather dogs can die in cars in less than 10 minutes (and it really doesn't have to be that 'hot' outside due to difference of temp inside compared to outside even with windows down).

I hear that there are challenges in motivating your dog to walk and I understand this feels frustrating. Your posts kind of read like you expect your dog to fit in with your life, when that's not really how dog ownership should work. If you want to go out for a bite to eat it's honestly better to work on your dog feeling less anxious and leave them at home.

We leave the dog in the car for appropriate lengths of time - similarly in order to leave a window open we have to leave the car unlocked. It’s always been fine…

It's just me and my dog so sometimes I have to leave him for very short periods of time in the car. Absolute max of 5 minutes and it is locked with windows cracked. I would say I generally feel it's okay to do this from November through to about March. April to October, I feel okay leaving him in the car for a few minutes on cool early mornings or evenings but not at all during the day.

I never leave my dog in the car for more than 5 minutes, and that's only at a petrol station or parked directly outside a shop so I can pop in for milk. Not worth the risk leaving them for longer (overheating, theft, anxiety).

Also, you need to get your dog's walking sorted out. Your dog should look forward to walks and enjoy them. There could be a few factors at play here. Your dog could be very anxious - and if so, you need to stick to the same routine with walks. Same park/same route, and build it up until they are comfortable. Then, you can start taking them elsewhere/new routes.

They may also be in pain - walking outside is very different to pottering around the house. They may have joint pain or something that prevents them from enjoying the walk.

Also check the collar/harness, and leash. It may be too tight and be causing irritation/soreness.

Definitely raise it with the vets to rule out any medical conditions, and they may be able to suggest a good trainer in the area.

Firstly depends very much on temperature and weather.

Mine get left in the car at training as we swap dogs in/out to work. We have an inbuilt lockable dog crate for the car so no worries about shredding seats etc. windows always open for air.

They get left for up to 20 minutes at a time and usually are flat out by the time we return to swap dogs.

I do leave them occasionally to run into the village shop for milk etc and lock the car then, but they can't set off the movement detector in the dog box. I am 5 minutes maximum doing this.

We've been to dog friendly attractions and put them back in the car at lunchtime to rest with a chew whilst we sit outside the car with a picnic: boot open but they needed to decompress from being at the place (Cotswold wildlife park) over lunchtime somewhere quiet and familiar

@BoobyDazzler in fairness, OP was talking about leaving the dog alone hole she went for a bite to eat, so considerably longer than just a few minutes.

Some people shouldn't have animals clearly 🙄

She sounds anxious re the walking. If she’s small enough i would pick her up and carry her somewhere you can sit and watch the world go by with some treats for her if you can’t avoid taking her out. It’s not the walk you wanted but it will help to gently expose her to these situations which is better than shutting her in the car. Or even start by letting her sit in the boot with you and watch everything that’s going on. View it as a training session.

my dog can be quite nervous on walks so what I do if walking from the house is let her choose where she wants to go and I literally follow along behind her. Sometimes she wants an hour, sometimes she goes out for a wee and then takes us straight back home.

Thank you ♥️