Does anyone else feel weird going out in public without their dog? I certainly do! I'm completely codependent. One of my most favorite things to do, especially in La Jolla is to go out to brunch with my mom, Karen, or a bunch of friends. If I can take my dogs along, I'm even happier! Luckily, La Jolla restaurants are extremely dog friendly. The best dog friendly brunch spots in La Jolla are Cody's, Beaumonts, Barbarella's and Prep Kitchen. Not only are these restaurants really cute and really yummy, but they're also extremely dog friendly. Cody's and Barbarella's even have an adorable doggie menu and you can order your pup some hamburger meat, chicken breast or biscuits. All of these restaurants welcome dogs on their patios and even bring a water bowl to your table. To show our gratitude to these restaurants for allowing our furry best friends to dine with us, it's important to make sure that we mind our manners.
Here's 5 tips for having good doggie manners at the table...
1) Make sure that your dog is well trained and comfortable in a restaurant setting. Does your dog know a good down/stay? Will your dog settle and relax under your table for at least an hour? Will your dog ignore other dogs that walk by and not make a commotion? If not, practice at home at the dinner table by teaching your dog to lay under the table in a down/stay while you eat. Remember to release your dog at the end of your meal and reward with a special treat, a toy and/or tons of praise!
2) Always keep your dog leashed and out of other diners' business. The wonderful smells are everywhere in a restaurant and your dog might want to check out the menu for you. Keep your dog close by your side as you head to your table and show off your dog's good manners by asking him to down/stay as soon as you find your spot. Select a table that is well out of the way from other diners and try to keep your dog out of the way of busy servers.
3) Never let your dog eat off of the restaurant's silverware, cups or dishes. That being said, chairs are reserved for human bottoms. Let's keep our dogs at our feet and drinking out of water bowls while at restaurants. At home, share a spoon if you will! ; )
4) Don't tie your dog to a table or a chair, I've seen dogs take off after a pigeon with a chair flying behind them and the chair ended up side swiping a BMW. Don't let that be you and your dog! Tie your dog to an extremely heavy table, to a tree or hand your dog to your friend if you need to leave the table.
5) Enjoy your dog's company and treat your best friend for being awesome. Bring your dog's favorite treats and casually drop a treat between your feet to reinforce your dog's down/stay. If you have a puppy who is new to dining out, bring a bully stick or other chew stick to keep him happily preoccupied while you eat. Otherwise, he might be very tantalized by all the sights and smells going on all around him.
I'm so used to taking my dogs out to restaurants with me that I feel like I'm missing something! Anyone else have any good dining out tips that we need to add? If so, add them in the comments section or on our Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you and your pup!
Happy training!
Brittany : )