Our First Trip to an Outdoor Restaurant Together
ByI thought it would be a nice idea to take Cooper to an outdoor restaurant today. I was a little bit hesitant, as Cooper is a fairly hyper-active dog and I’ve yet to master training him, but figured I’d give it a shot. Ok I’m lying. I was extremely hesitant and he’s a super hyper-active dog!
I was very relieved to see that nobody was sitting outside. I picked a seat in the sunshine and I was armed with Cooper’s water bowl and treats. He sat down beside me and I gave him a treat. I was already impressed. I secured the leash around the bottom of the chair. When the waitress came over I was forced to step on the leash to prevent Cooper from jumping on her as she was taking my order. That worked out fine.
He sat beside me the entire time! The only issue we had is when the waitress came back to hand me my bill. I was preoccupied, fumbling with my purse not realizing that Cooper was jumping all over her and “attacking” her with kisses. He’s tends to wiggle with excitement when people approach him. (That’s another blog post). I apologized, but she had no issue with it as she claimed to have 4 dogs at home.
All in all it was a fantastic experience! I feel like Cooper and I really accomplished something new today.
What’s your experience with taking your furbaby to a restaurant?
Cooper at an oudoor restaurant
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3 Comments
May 9th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Congratulations! Like anything else, it takes practice – Cooper needs to learn what is expected of him. We still try to go to the restaurants before or after the “normal” meal time so there are less distractions on the patio. Trust me, our dogs aren’t 100% perfect either – yet!
May 9th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
How fun!! Chloe does well at restaurants if she’s had a good round of exercise first. It also helps, I’ve found, if I put down a small towel or (usually, because who ever remembers a towel) my jacket for her to lie on. It sounds like pampering, and it also sounds tough on the jacket (yep), but she lies on a mat at home, so putting a mat-like thing down for her helps her (I think) understand that we want her on that spot. Nice work with the bowl and treats! Some restaurants will bring you a bowl (and I’m always pathetically grateful), but some don’t. Also, Cooper is a total doll. WHAT a cutie!!!
May 9th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Both of you have great advice. I love the idea of bringing Cooper outside of “normal” eating hours. I don’t even think I would have attempted sitting down with him if there was an outdoor dining crowd.
Also, I don’t mind a little pampering! I like the towel idea. Whenever I groom Cooper, brush his teeth, put drops in his ears, or anything similar, I put him up on the counter on a towel. He knows that when he’s on the towel he needs to sit and behave. This will definitely work in a restaurant!
(Cooper just gave that sweet face because he wanted a piece of my grilled chicken).