If you live where stray dogs (and other animals) like resting on the hood or roof of cars, you have a big problem. Dogs, in particular, can damage paintwork and also dent your vehicle. Learn how to protect your investment with the proper methods.
How To Prevent Dog to Climb on Car
Protecting your car from stray animals (or your pets) will prolong your paint job and prevent animals from denting the hood and roof. If you live where there a handful of large strays, some of them may have already taken a liking to sleep on the hood or the roof.
If this is the case, you must prepare defenses and deterrents to prevent dogs from hanging around your vehicle. Unfortunately, crowded streets often present this problem, and unless you can move to another place or have the stray dogs captured, you will have to protect your car from these invasions.
One of the more creative methods of preventing dogs from climbing on the roof is installing DC-powered electrodes on the car’s roof. Theoretically, the electrodes should provide just enough DC electricity to deter dogs from resting or relaxing on the top.
The principle works just like shock collars, and the DC electricity will not cause any lasting damage to any dog who happens to climb on the roof of your car. So if the problem is your dogs, the shock therapy should work, but if you want to train your dogs not to climb, that would be a better option.
It might be a good idea to hook a remote control to the electrodes and make sure they are installed on a separate PVC sheet, so the DC electricity doesn’t interfere with the car’s electrical system.
How Can I Protect My Car from My Dog?
There are simple methods to protect a car from climbing dogs:
- Buy a durable PVC cover for your vehicle. PVC car covers are cheap, but not all of them provide the same level of protection to your paint job. When buying a new body, keep in mind that the body has to go entirely around your car or pickup, and it should be
If your PVC cover is not fitted, dogs would be able to pull it away as they climb your car. Therefore, it would be good to pick a thicker body with several linings for added protection against scratches.
- Method two is simply raising your wiper blades. For example, let’s say you have to park your car in a busy street with many dogs. It would be challenging to seal the vehicle with your car cover when you have such limited time.
Raising the wiper blades will deter dogs from climbing up the hood and climbing once again on your roof. Lifting the edges will also help protect your windshield from muddy pawprints and scratches, especially if you have ceramic film or any auto tinting on it.
On the other hand, that might be a good idea on the whole – to get auto tinting on the windshield – as the auto tinting will take the damage first before the auto glass.
- If you don’t want to cover your car constantly, you have a smaller option that would protect the roof of your vehicle the same way.
There are plastic films on the market that can be reduced to the right size, and they can either be placed on hard-backed surfaces or stuck on the roof of the car as a semi-permanent barrier.
The great thing about plastic films is you can wipe them down, and they’re cheap, so eventually, you will be able to replace their film and maybe improve how you cover your car with them, too.
Covering your car temporarily as you train your dog is a good idea, but if the problem animal is your dog, you have a bit of training to do as the owner.
- Have a water gun at the ready! Don’t use hot water, though. Water is a deterrent, and if your dog gets sprayed enough, it will eventually associate climbing the car with getting wet.
How Can I Stop the Dog from Climbing on The Car?
The best deterrent has constantly been training. Training provides differentiation to the dog and is permanent if you do it correctly. Just keep in mind that dogs won’t make the association immediately, so you have to be patient with your pet. On the other hand, don’t punish your pet either.
What Happens When a Dog Climbs on A Car?
The biggest problem with dogs climbing on any part of the car is denting and scratches, and if your dog does it repeatedly, your car’s paint job will take a hit in mere weeks. It’s also possible for animals to remove any detailing on your car with frequent climbing and scratching. Essentially, your dog will be using your car as a piece of furniture, just like your couch or any favorite spot on your front porch.
Clambering inside so your dog can ride your car is a different matter altogether. Riding a car is different from climbing the roof or hood, so let’s not confuse the two. Some dog owners may think that dogs clambering on the top is a sign that the dog wants to ride the car, but it may not be the situation. Instead, your dog may want to climb your car – just because it wants to.
What Should I Do with The Car After the Dog Has Climbed on It?
First, you should do inspect your car’s body to check if there are any scratches and dents. Mud is also a possibility since dogs’ paws are almost always dirty. After checking for damage, you should probably start covering your car with something that can hold up well against dog nails. As for denting due to weight, if you have hefty dogs at home, no PVC cover can prevent the dents, and your dogs would have to be trained not to climb your car anymore.
