Wanting to bring your pup to a dog-friendly patio this summer? Check out our info on Madison’s patio season to get your pup ready to join you on these outings.
As the weather gets warmer, more restaurants and breweries are opening up their outdoor seating. There are a ton of dog-friendly patios in the Madison area and a lot of people want to bring their four-legged pal along with them to join in on the fun.
Before bringing your dog to a dog-friendly patio, it is important they are able to do a few things. To ensure success on these outings you want to make sure your dog has a solid down-stay or place command and can remain neutral in stimulating environments. The goal when bringing your dog out in public is for them to be able to relax relatively easily and remain neutral to their environment. If your dog has a hard time relaxing in new and stimulating environments, it might not be the right time to take her to a dog-friendly patio. You want to ensure that you can set her up for success, and patios are typically very small and crowded in the summer months and aren’t the right environment for every dog. Don’t fret if your dog isn’t quite ready for a patio yet, you can work her up to it with exposure and practicing a down-stay or place command.
If your pet can easily hold a down or place command at home, but you are unsure if they would be able to do it with the added distractions of food, new people, and potentially other dogs, try practicing these commands in public settings. Exposing your dog to a variety of distractions while practicing these commands can help get her ready for a patio outing. Once your dog is doing well with this, try taking them to a patio during an odd time of day when it won’t be super busy. This way you can get an idea for how she will do without feeling crowded and trapped. Slowly work her up to more stimulating environments as she shows you she is ready.
The more you practice taking your dog to patios the better she will get at relaxing at them. Start slow and be consistent with what you expect from your dog in these environments. With practice and a solid down-stay or place command, you and your pup will be enjoying the summer patios together in no time.