Model 3 - Tips for dog owners

[Hungry Mile]

There's a separate control for back seat vents, make sure it's off "auto" and you'll see the tab in the bottom right corner for rear vents.View attachment 571853

Thanks @KeyFobsRule. I know about that, but if we forget to check it each time the dog travels with us, we sometimes find later that it switched itself off.

But the bigger issue is when the rear vents are set to manual and on, the air flow is lower than in the front.
Maybe it should be dogs in front (they seem to prefer a hurricane), humans in back.

 

[SK360]

Going to need to get a hammock to contain hair. Our 2.5 year old charcoal lab has been buckled in to our cars through her harness since she was a puppy so she just gets in and sits down waiting to be buckled. She just lays down and goes to sleep or sits up but she won’t be able to get to the doors this way.

 

[Hungry Mile]

Or get a poodle like this one! Cute eh?
But as I said earlier, he doesn't seem to like the Tesla and I want to fix that for the poor little coot!

 

[israndy]

I agree that the back seat seems to be less comfortable for dogs. My wife has always had her lap be the destination for our dogs. Our most recent is so small that we had to get a serving tray to put the dog bed on.

I never thought about a dog harness. In case of an accident I always imagined they would just get kilt by the airbag going off in their face or smashing into the footwell of the car. It would certainly be a way to keep the dog in the back. Heck, put the seatbacks down and spread a pad out and harness them in, they could move from the sun to the shade of the trunk to stay comfortable.

 

[Cobalt3]

Do any current M3 dog owners have any tips to share?

Im getting my model 3 next week, and I would like to prep it as much as possible for my med-large shepherd/husky mix.
He sheds like crazy, and we like to take him to the outdoors often, so mud and dirt is an issue as well.

A back seat hammock is a must (one that prevents them stepping on the center console), and learn to live with some flying stray hairs (if you have a heavy shedder like me, you already live with it). And most importantly, try to ignore his nose paintings on the rear doors glass and wash only when you can stand it no more instead of constantly. One day you'll miss those nose paintings. Congrats on your forthcoming Model 3!

 

[jrweiss98020]

I bought a 2' x 5' memory foam carpet runner from Costco and put it over the back seat cushion. Protects from claws & dirt, and is machine washable.

 

[interbear]

Good thread this as we have a pup joining the family next month so I’m in “prepare for the madness mode”. Looks like Orvis “hammock” for the back seats is likely the best option. Do these help with the doors or something else needed to protect those? Has anyone found cheaper alternatives that are still decent quality or are these a waste of time?

I’d much prefer a hatchback to have the dog in the back but Model Y is not available yet in the UK so pup will need to be transported in the Model 3 or the wife’s Renault Clio hatch. In reality, probably both so I need to find a solution for the Model 3. One other option is splitting the rear seats and putting a dog bed in as we rarely have both kids in the back these days, but I’m less sure we could add a buckel/harness to keep the dog safe in that scenario.

 

[MovedOn121]

Back seat hammock, and door protectors. My husky sheds everywhere, hair for days... But the model 3 has been one of the easiest cars to clean as far as the interior goes.

 

[AxlxA]

All your dogs are loving plush. Mine lays on the rear floor in his 10yo bed. He loves it and can sleep there for hours. 13lbs shih tzu though.

 

[MentalNomad]

Maybe the dog is too light for the seat sensor? We don't use the seat belt. Would that help with air flow (due to sensing that the belt is connected)?

Here's the hammock I use; note that I keep the center unzipped so that the air flow from the center console can get through.

The 25 pound girl cannot trigger the seat sensor; the 35 pound boy can. On and off. on and off. I don't know if that triggers the air vent (which I check manually, anyway, and it always stays on during a trip), but it certainly triggers seat belt warnings, so I'd just as soon it would stop or let us set our own weight limit or let us turn it off entirely!

Note that there a zip-up side panels to protect the doors, as well - but my dogs don't paw at the doors, so I don't always zip them. The hammock is mostly just to catch mud from our hikes and keep fur out of the car. White on black is highly visible. The hammock removes and folds down very easily when I have human passengers.

It's from "URPOWER" on Amazon. Their current model doesn't have the zipper split. I'm glad I have this older version, which I also used in my Mazda 3 before I got the Tesla. If I ever replace it, I'll cut vent holes into the new one. These furballs need it, especially after a hike.

 

[Hungry Mile]

Here's the hammock I use; note that I keep the center unzipped so that the air flow from the center console can get through.

triggers seat belt warnings, so I'd just as soon it would stop or let us set our own weight limit or let us turn it off entirely!

It's from "URPOWER" on Amazon. Their current model doesn't have the zipper split. I'm glad I have this older version, which I also used in my Mazda 3 before I got the Tesla. If I ever replace it, I'll cut vent holes into the new one.

Your hammock is very similar to mine.
I can update my contribution now.

I now think my dog is scared of the way I drive. He doesn’t like the quick acceleration or change of direction. I’ll have to drive like a granny now when he’s in the car.

 

[MentalNomad]

I now think my dog is scared of the way I drive. He doesn’t like the quick acceleration or change of direction. I’ll have to drive like a granny now when he’s in the car.

Ah... I always drive like a granny with the dogs in the car, because the girl gets carsick otherwise.

 

[erod393]

My dog always climbs to the top-back even with the dog seat belt/hammock. He loves it but worries me because he blocks most of my rear view. Any tips?

 

[hcdavis3]

My dog always climbs to the top-back even with the dog seat belt/hammock. He loves it but worries me because he blocks most of my rear view. Any tips?

Get a smaller dog.

 

[Hungry Mile]

Get a smaller dog.

But seriously, I’d be worried about an emergency stop!

 

[DwightKSchrute]

My dog always climbs to the top-back even with the dog seat belt/hammock. He loves it but worries me because he blocks most of my rear view. Any tips?

Well you should get a harness or buckle to attach their collar to the seatbelt. That's unsafe for several reason: visibility and a projectile in a sudden stop. my dog would open the window on my previous car. Surprised the you know what out of gas station attendants as we are too dumb to pump our own gas in New Jersey

 

[MentalNomad]

My dog always climbs to the top-back even with the dog seat belt/hammock. He loves it but worries me because he blocks most of my rear view. Any tips?

You can use the rear-view camera instead of the mirror.

 

[hcdavis3]

But seriously, I’d be worried about an emergency stop!

Sorry. My feeble attempt at humor. I would be worried about an emergency stop