Patio Dog Training Day 5

Patio Dog Training Exercise 5

CHEW FREE VISIT TO A DOG FRIENDLY RESTAURANT (BREWERY, ETC) PATIO

• Again try to find the quietest time you can

• Pick a table tucked away out of the traffic flow as best you can

• Bring your mat and put it either by the table or under it depending on space and your dog's size

• Have treats with you incase you need to help your dog if they get distracted (like when the waiter comes to the table, people talk to them,etc) but try not to use treats to help them settle, usually that will just make them more operant trying to get more treats and can prevent them from actually settling

• If you are not sure if your dog can handle it, pick a place you pay when you order and ask for a to go container so you are ready to bounce quickly if you need to

• Be on the lookout for signs of increasing stress! It is normal for your dog to find it weird and they may struggle to really settle, but we don't want to force them to stay where they are feeling really worried! Signs to look out for: whining, pacing, big wide eyes/whale eyes (where you can see the whites of their eyes), lots of yawning and/or lip licking, panting when it's not hot, seeing the corners of their mouthes having creases as they pull their lips back from the tension in their faces, trembling.

• Her first time out Julia did not lay down and was alert and not sure about things, but she did not throw stress signals. She was more up from being excited and trying to figure out what was going on vs being scared. She did calm and sat down, but she was not relaxed enough to lay down until our 3rd time at a restaurant. So again a little bit of excitement is normal and goes along with curiousity, but increasing stress is not what we want, they should get less stressed as they are there, if stress is increasing it's time to go.

• It's ok to let your dog move around close to you and to sniff and explore where they are. This will help them settle better in the long run. Just hold the leash short enough they can't reach other tables or get in the way of staff or other customers, but you don't have to death grip them close to you.

• Take as long as you need with the previous exercises before heading out to a patio! Just keep in mind that if you do too many visits to dog friendly patios that can create it’s own anticipation energy that can increase their arousal for going to these places, so don’t over do it either. I love coffee shops, and places like that where I can grab a togo coffee and sit down for a few minutes and then leave rather than trying to a full meal to start.

• Try really hard to remember that our dogs energy can be influenced by ours! So if you are nervous and nitpicking and micromanaging their every move you're more likely to make them think this is a very stressful thing to be worried about. So breathe and try to feel chill yourself! Practice on those quiet benches!