How To Successfully Settle Your Dog in a Coffee Shop

Taking your dog to a coffee shop can be a fun experience for both of you, but it requires a little planning and training to ensure things go smoothly. Here’s a simple guide to help you set your dog up for success when venturing out in public spaces like coffee shops.

Meet Your Dog’s Basic Needs First

Before you even think about heading to a coffee shop, make sure your dog’s foundational needs are met at home. A happy dog is one whose physical, mental, and emotional needs are satisfied. This includes:

• Breed specific jobs

• Outlets

• Enrichment

• Practicing natural dog behaviours

• Exercise

• Sleep

Basic Obedience

The dog must have some form of obedience, you can’t just take your dog into a place that serves hot food and drink and let them run riot.

The main things I would teach are :

• Down

• Sit

• Wait

• Heel

• In between my legs

• Leave it

If the dog is overall happy and content, with basic obedience, then we move on to taking them out in public. If you take a dog to a busy shop and their needs haven’t been met, they aren’t listening, arousal levels are sky high - it’s going to end badly.

I wrote a post previously ‘No, my dog does not want to say hello’.

If you haven’t, maybe give that a read first. A lot of the time, without even knowing, owners set their dogs up to fail.

So this means putting them in a position where they are going to be ‘naughty’ or present an ‘undesirable behaviour’ because of what we have set them up to do.

When a dog shows us an undesirable behaviour repeatedly, they strengthen what will now be a habit - we don’t want that.

So, when you first decide to take any dog to a cafe, a lot will play a part in whether the trip is successful or not. Always set your dog up to succeed. If they strengthen the habit of succeeding, then your dog is going to learn to get better and better.

• The time of day matters

This might sound silly, but you don’t want to throw your dog in the deep end. Go at quiet times of the day, not lunch time. This allows you to comfortably practice settling your dog without the stress of people every where you turn.

• The location matters

I’d personally choose a cafe that I knew the tables were well spaced out, as well as the walk way, incase we come across any triggers we need to avoid, or create space for.

• Where you sit matters

If your dog is seriously people/dog nervous or reactive. Start slowly, maybe start outside, away from people.

Once inside, sit your dog out of reach.

I always choose a corner table so my dog can sit against the wall or window, I always avoid having them in reach of people.

• Advocate for your dog

Don’t hesitate to advocate for your dog by saying “no” if someone or another dog approaches. During training, allowing too many distractions can derail your efforts to get your dog to settle. Here’s why it’s important:

• Interrupting the “settle”: People or dogs getting too close can prevent your dog from settling down or even sleeping, which is key to a peaceful café experience.

• Reactivity: If your dog is reactive, allowing a close encounter could result in a negative reaction, setting them up to fail.

• Excitement: Unwanted interactions can cause your dog to become over-excited, which might lead to barking, lunging, or whining.

• Take a chew or lickimat

Taking a chew or lickimat not only encourages your dog to settle, it will help them associate that place with something good happening, making the experience enjoyable.

As well as that, they’re practicing natural behaviours which will help drop any stress of arousal levels whilst also being an amazing distraction.

For Reactive Dogs: Make It Clear

If your dog is reactive, it’s crucial to make it clear to others that they need space. Consider using visible signals like a “caution” vest or a “do not touch” lead to provide an extra layer of protection for your dog. Sometimes, simply saying “no” isn’t enough to prevent people from getting too close.

The more positive experiences your dog has at the coffee shop, the better they’ll become at it. Set them up for success by planning carefully, taking your time, and doing lots of repetitions. With the right training and patience, any dog can become a well-behaved café companion.