Comments on: Social graces: Any petiquette experts out there?

By: Russ Mathena

Russ Mathena — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:03:24 +0000

We usually don’t visit others with our GSDs. For socialization, we visit pet stores or some of the home repair chains allow dogs in their garden areas. My dogs go with me on short trips to the local store/gas station every day.

We think it’s a good idea, especially for puppies, to take them on leash to anywhere that they can see other people and be aware of what for them is an unusual situation. Parking lots are great learning centers as a dog learns not to bark at everything or learns to sit as others walk by. I’ve taken many of our puppies to the local post office, stand outside and let people pet them if they wish.

The key I think is to expose your dog to unusual situations before they go to the parents or in laws. If your dog is truly part of the family, he should be exposed to other people without wanting to bark or bite. The younger the better!

Russ

By: Georg

Georg — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:38:40 +0000

I should add the newest dog was acquired about two weeks ago. He’s a mini schnauzer. He’s still extremely handshy- but now he knows how to use stairs! but he’s still working on doors. This is just not something you spring on people! :)

By: Georg

Georg — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:26:02 +0000

As an adult child with no kids, I am expected to travel to see my family. I also have 4 cats (one of which is diabetic and needs her insulin shots) and two dogs. The newest dog spent his first 6 or so years living in a puppy mill and we’ve almost got him housebroken. That almost is enough to make him Not Welcome in my mother’s home, and understandably so. For Dead Bird Day, which is also my mom’s birthday, I will probably be driving up by myself for the day- a 2.5 hour car ride. For Kissmoose, I am more likely to pack up husband, diabetic cat, and both dogs for a trip to visit my folks and stay a couple of days. The 2.5 hour car ride becomes a 4-hour marathon of frequent stops to walk the dogs and let the husband have a cigarette, and rearrange the pets so they aren’t arguing so much. After working with an animal who came from a background like the puppy mill, sending him to a boarding kennel, no matter how nice it may be, just is not something we consider. We would have to start the housebreaking all over again and regain trust. The other option is leaving the husband home with the “kids” and we’re both fine with that.

By: Kellianne

Kellianne — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:58:44 +0000

After one surprize visit with a huge German Shepherd on Christmas Eve I have a standard comment that goes with my invitation for dinner etc “I’m sorry I can’t have Rover too, my cat is so sensitive (or something of that nature)” It would never OCCUR to me to take my Doberman to someone’s house. If we are traveling to family for a visit, we board him at a pet hotel. In my house he is sometimes crated when we have visitors who are skittish around my big boy until they are comfortable. Of course by this time he is sound asleep in his crate anyway!

By: Alice

Alice — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:39:31 +0000

As much as I love dogs, I don’t allow them in my apartment, for several reasons. I most definitely didn’t appreciate it when a friend showed up with her dog without prior notice… my two rabbits and my cat were freaked out for weeks afterwards!

By: Sara Jo

Sara Jo — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:30:09 +0000

I should add, we don’t leave home over the holidays. We stay at home with our animal family and visit family and on non-holidays when it’s easier to get space with our beloved pet sitter. Lately we don’t have guests either because of our rattie.

By: Sara Jo

Sara Jo — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:21:34 +0000

We leave our dogs with a pet sitter who takes care of dogs in her home when we travel, and this works great. Our problem is having guests over. Our rat terrier, a rescue with little early socialization, was great with guests until my brother-in-law visited last Thanksgiving. BIL is a very, very big man, he has Asperger’s, and he also has a strong odor. Well, I have never seen a dog react so strongly (negatively) to a person in my life. Our rattie was completely and totally freaked out and turned into a crazy, aggressive dog towards this man. Before that, no problems with guests. After that, he has been terrible with guests, so now we board him. He developed a fear of big people in general for a while too, but with some work he is over that. I will have to work with a trainer to try and eradicate his “PTSD” regarding guests coming in, though.

By: Caveat

Caveat — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:24:44 +0000

I’m with Patrick. I’ve had people stay here, bringing AmStaffs for shows. My guys are dog-friendly, but they are tiny, so while everybody gets along well, I don’t want rough-housing in the house because little bones break easily. Dogs behave differently on their own turf, kind of like kids.

So, the show dogs are either crated or kept in their guest rooms between walks and always supervised when loose in the house (because I have a cat, too).

I personally never ask to take my dogs with me when visiting, unless we are doing a doggy-type thing together and they’re invited. I board my dogs when I go out of town to visit family or even for the day if we have a booth at a festival or show. Dinner engagements mean they just stay here until I get home, usually away no more than 5 hours.

As for people who like to complain, well, they don’t usually come here because I don’t hang with people like that.

My brother, petless by choice, once said “Your house is kind of like the Museum of Natural History, except everything’s alive. I expect to see Wallabys bouncing through the living room.”

Next time, bro, next time.

By: Janeen

Janeen — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:24:28 +0000

Yikes! I could post a few thousand words here. My training business always spikes in a big way right before and after the holidays. I could tell stories that would curl your hair…

But - in a nutshell two rules apply:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and “A well-trained pet is a happy pet who is a joy to be around”

I regularly visit family members (including dogless inlaws) with my dogs. Sometimes with two, enormous, shaggy ones. I groom them before travel and keep them on their best behavior while in others’ homes. I also give them (the dogs AND our hosts) lots of breaks by taking the dogs out for walks. Even if the weather is vile.

When guests visit here with pets (and I do not remember the last time we had an overnight guest come *without* a dog!) I calmly and politely require that they follow basic rules: No dogs running loose in the house w/o close supervision. No rough play indoors. No begging for food. No pestering of those who do not want your attention (and this goes both ways for two-leggers AND four-leggers).

But really, don’t all the above rules just go right back to the first two?

By: Theresa

Theresa — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:02:01 +0000

My solution is simple; I don’t socialize with people who don’t like dogs. I know such people exist, but I can’t fathom their mindset and don’t want to be around them. My dogs go with me to visit a few friends (one friend has very old,cranky dogs who can’t take the stress of visiting dogs), and friends that visit me know their dogs are welcome. My cat disappears if visitors are present, so nobody ever sees her.