How to train a dog to settle in a pub?

To train a dog to settle in a pub, you need to think about what you DON’T want them to do, such as dragging you into the pub, jumping up, interacting with other dogs, stealing food, and behaving unsociably. Dog’s don’t really understand the word ‘no’ - a more effective way of training them is to give them something else to do instead, teach an alternative behaviour. Teaching your dog to settle on a mat is another thing to teach before you hit the pub, choose a nice, foldable, easily portable mat for this. You can “shape” a nice settle at home, lay the mat on the ground and reward your pet every time he or she steps on it. Once they work out that “mat = good” you can ask them to have all 4 paws on the mat before they get their reward, as time goes on, develop 4 paws into a “sit”, then into a “down” and then start extending the amount of time they are laying down before the reward appears. Dogs learn quickly, it won’t be long until they are happily lying on the mat and snoozing at home. It’s very easy to then ask for the same behaviour in a different place - the garden, the coffee shop, the pub. Take a walk first, that way your dog can get the twinkle out of his toes, go to the toilet and have a good old sniff around to wear his or her brain out. Go straight to your seat in the pub, walking confidently and not stopping to faff about or chat, spread out the settle mat, reassure your pet without getting them all excited, present them with the chewy bone/distraction toy and then relax and enjoy the whole experience.

It’s hard for your dog to learn how to settle when there are distractions, so it’s best to begin practicing somewhere quiet. To begin with you may just need to reward your dog for any behaviour that doesn’t involve staring at you, pulling on the lead, or barking. Sit quietly on a chair with your dog on the lead and a blanket on the floor. Drop tiny bite-size treats to your dog as a reward for settling down on the blanket. Gradually reward more relaxed behaviours. Once your dog starts to get the hang of it and is shifting their weight so they’re comfortable and relaxed, you can start practising with them off lead. Add in distractions slowly by practising the ‘settle’ in increasingly busy areas or ask a helper to create a distraction by walking past, progressing to more exciting activities like sweeping or skipping. If your dog becomes unsettled or gets up, ignore them and wait until they settle again before rewarding them. Try training in different locations with more distractions. Try to resist telling your dog what to do during training, the aim is for them to learn for themselves to be calm and to relax.

We built up a settle in the home environment on a specific mat that he has learnt to settle on at home where there are no distractions. We made an effort to visit pubs and cafes when they were QUIET and we usually opted to sit outside with him if at all possible. We made sure he had a huge walk before-hand so he was at least a little more tired and ready to settle. We would sit down and ignore Byron, until he would eventually lie-down. As soon as he was down, we would very CALMLY AND SLOWLY put some treats between his paws. We then started to reward when he wasn’t looking at us and when his head was naturally resting between his paws. We then left longer and longer between each reward.

You wouldn’t expect your dog to learn to sit, roll over or shake hands without a good grounding of training, and so the same goes for asking them to settle in the pub when you’re on holiday. Until they’ve learned that lying down quietly is the way to get rewards, they’re likely to keep pestering you or others around you for attention. At home, before you even brave a pub garden or a café terrace, get your dog used to lying at your feet around a dining table by asking them to do exactly that: stick their lead and collar or harness on, give them the down command while you sit at your table, and occasionally reward their passive behaviour from a stash of treats in your pocket. Reward fairly regularly to begin with, but gradually lengthen the gaps between rewards until you can go for several minutes without a nose nudge or a fidgeting dog. If you notice them disengaging from you (such as looking away, or resting their head on the floor) during these gaps, reward this too, as they’ll begin to learn that they needn’t keep all their attention on you. Once you’ve mastered this at home, it’s time to take it into the wild – head out alone so you can focus on the training and don’t order anything too involved, you’ll want to be able to keep one eye on the dog at all times while they’re still learning.

When introducing a new environment, it’s important to take things slowly, as too much too soon can be overwhelming. Instead, start by going to a quiet pub, for a short period of time, before gradually building it up. Remember, if your pup seems afraid, calmly take them away from the situation, as you want to avoid them developing a long-term fear. When socialising your dog at the pub, take some treats with you, so they can nibble on something nice while they’re there. This will help build positive memories of the pub, making it more likely that they’ll be happy to return in the future. Making sure that your dog knows the command for ‘leave’ before you head to the pub, can help you remove the item before it is swallowed and causes harm. A toy, treat or puzzle will help keep them occupied while you eat. Paying attention to their body language can help you understand when your dog is giving you the cue that it’s time to head home. Holding their ears back, tucking their tail underneath them, licking their lips, yawning and hiding away, are all signs your dog is feeling unhappy.