Dog Mode

[Physicslawyer]

What have been your experiences using dog mode? Has it ever failed? We travel often with our pets. Being able to leave them in the car for a little bit would be helpful, but this could be during summer. I couldn't imagine if dog mode failed and wouldn't even want to try it for this reason. Does the Tesla app tell you the indoor temp? Have there been any known failures? Thanks.

 

[PhotonForce]

Have used camp mode, kinda dog mode but for humans overnight, multiple times - and it works. You can't manage it from app, but you can see that it is running and what the temp is.

If for some reason camp mode shuts down, you can - from the app - engage the standard app climate control that is less efficient I think, and needier to keep running than camp mode, but still does the job.

 

[jcanoe]

When you leave the Tesla vehicle with Dog Mode active, if the Tesla vehicle's battery pack state of charge (SOC) drops below 20% you will receive a notification on the Tesla phone app.

Tesla rolls out 'Dog Mode' to protect pets from hot cars while informing passersby of their safety

 

[WhyYesPlease]

Does the Tesla app tell you the indoor temp?

I'm inferring from this (maybe incorrectly) that you're not yet a Tesla owner? Yes, the Tesla app tells you the temp inside the car. Google "tesla app ios screenshot" to see some examples.

We use dog mode often, for our two dogs. It's great.

 

[firerock]

Yes it works and I use it all the time when I take my dog out. And it also failed for me once during 102 degree summer! The app does notify you when it fails, but you won't know when the exact time when it failed....so just be careful.

 

[noshadow]

With anything, don't rely on it 100%.

I use dog mode quite often, but I don't live in a super hot climate, and now that it's winter, it's not really needed (other than heat, though my dog has a double coat and is fine in very cold temps). You'll get notifications if something fails or if charge drops below 20%. THe problem is, if you're not looking at your phone or you miss it.

I think my general rule is to not leave my dog in the car for too long, even with dog mode, when it's extremely hot out. And if I do need to leave her for more than like 15 - 30 minutes, I'll be sure to check on the phone often and have the ability to get back to the car quickly.

 

[tomagucci]

I think you can cross reference this with people having their HVAC failing in general (loss of heat/cool) and make a reasonable decision on when/how to use dog mode =)

 

[Physicslawyer]

Good points. I was wondering if we could take a long road trip with the pets and go eat inside without worrying too much. We get takeout now and can't go anywhere until we drop them off at a hotel. I was going to buy before year end, but will wait until summer since we don't need it and maybe it will have a heated steering wheel by then.

 

[noshadow]

Good points. I was wondering if we could take a long road trip with the pets and go eat inside without worrying too much. We get takeout now and can't go anywhere until we drop them off at a hotel. I was going to buy before year end, but will wait until summer since we don't need it and maybe it will have a heated steering wheel by then.

While I never had the car when it wasn't covid times, I've gone into a grocery store or left the dog for a couple of hours with dog mode no problem. But I haven't eaten "inside" at a restaurant or anything, but same deal

 

[Koolio46]

I use it whenever we have our dog with us. Longest use was around 30-45 mins in winter. No problems!

 

[totoro722]

I took my dog on a 3000 mile trip earlier this year, during summer. Used Dog Mode frequently and had zero problems. Would not have been able to take that trip with the dog without Dog Mode. I strongly recommend that you make a few extra signs to put up in your car telling people that the cabin is temperature controlled and that you are monitoring it with your phone. The notice on the dash is something not everyone looks at. You can find some examples of problems people have had with overly “helpful” passersby by searching on this forum.

 

[neutrino]

I use it all the time, winter and summer. Never had a single problem. Love it!

 

[ChimpledPot]

I don't trust Dog Mode. The air condition has a bad habit of turning itself off without my permission or consent 15 minutes in if I'm not sitting in the front seat. That alone makes me not trust Dog Mode, even though its purpose is to stay on with no person in the front seat.

 

[Physicslawyer]

True, there have been threads about new cars with failing heat. I'm going to wait this out a little and hope some of the model y issues get worked out. I'm hoping by summer it will improve.

 

[46&2]

has a bad habit of turning itself off without my permission or consent 15 minutes in if I'm not sitting in the front seat.

That's designed to work like that, and that's why there is a dog mode - to keep running. I don't see the argument, here...

 

[Twiglett]

I don't trust Dog Mode. The air condition has a bad habit of turning itself off without my permission or consent 15 minutes in if I'm not sitting in the front seat. That alone makes me not trust Dog Mode, even though its purpose is to stay on with no person in the front seat.

I think you misunderstand how its supposed to work, it is specifically designed to turn off if nobody is in the car along with locking the car etc
I have never had it unexpectedly turning off the AC - because turning off when I walk away is completely expected.
If I want the AC to stay running I either use Dog mode which displays a message on the screen, or I turn on the AC using the app.
Page 147 in the manual explains the modes and their differences rather well which is useful for setting expectations.

 

[Puma2020]

I LOVE dog mode. I use it frequently, even when the dogs are not in the car.
In the winter, it's nice to return to a warm car.
In the summer, it's nice to return to a cool car.

How much range/battery does Dog mode use?
I took a before and after picture, when using dog mode yesterday.
I was going to be sitting at a dog agility trial and I knew it was going to get warm.
I did put a windshield screen in front.
I also played Cat's Quest and Beach Buggy Racing while I was waiting, as well as listening to the radio.
Not sure what the drain is for each, but not suspecting much.

After 5 hours, I'd lost about 10% of the battery.
The Starting temp was 74 at 9:30AM. Sorry for the fuzzy picture.

I then took the after picture at about 2:30 PM. Not sure what I did differently, but at least the picture is clearer. The high temp the car registered was 92.
Dog mode set to 74.

As this was just one recorded test, it is not a double blind study with complete scientific results, but it's a reasonable approximation.
Plus I haven't done a record test in the winter to see how well the heat pump does.
Hope this helps folks.

 

[Pianewman]

Road trip, 2500 miles, DFW-Bradenton, FL, ambient ranged from 75-90. Full sun at times.

Used dog mode every time I stopped, sometimes up to 45 minutes. Also used it (w/o dog!) to keep cabin cool for reentry.

No issues at all. Power consumption? I didn't notice anything dramatic. I think the white noise of the fans actually helps to calm the dog, as it covers noises from outside.

 

[everydaychris]

I use dog mode as well but have seen people say it has failed on them so I don't trust it 100%
I end up checking my phone what the interior temp is every 10 min or so.

I usually set my temp to 65-67 and see a range loss of 1-2% every hour

 

[jcanoe]

If there is/are no dog(s) in the Tesla vehicle then just set the Keep Climate Control On setting to ON. This must be set to ON every time you stop driving shift to Park before exiting the vehicle. If you exit with your phone the vehicle the doors will automatically lock and the alarm will be set.*

Dog Mode leaves the climate control running, will lock the doors, set the alarm and display the Dog Mode screen along with the cabin temperature

Camping Mode leaves the climate control running, the 12V accessory outlets powered on and the USB ports powered. Camp Mode will not lock the doors or set the alarm. You can also control the climate system and media system from a paired phone.

* If you leave a passenger inside the vehicle, from the front seat they can access the touch screen and control the climate control system and the entertainment options. The doors will normally lock and the alarm will be set when you exit the Tesla vehicle and take your phone. If a passenger inside the parked Tesla vehicle then opens any door this will set off the alarm.