I do try to take my dogs with me whenever I can; I think it's good for them to get out and see new places and meet new people, and have novel experiences. It's mentally stimulating for them and good practice for me to see where they are with their distractions training, for example. Ozzie has gotten to be an old pro at this, having stepped into Desi's rather large pet assisted therapy dog shoes. Ozzie does one pet therapy visit each month, and I also try to take him to coffee or lunch with me once a month as well, just so we can have one-on-one time and he can get a break from Henley. Henley isn't ready for pet therapy visits yet as he still can be a little bouncy with new people. I take him out, however, as I like to walk him around populated malls and busy stores as I want him to continue to improve. For his recent stage presentations, he had to walk through a parking garage, board an elevator, go through automated doors, greet new people, greet new dogs, pose for pictures AND perform alongside me onstage. He did great, but he was still bouncy in a few of his greetings, so we'll keep working on that. You might be thinking, "Well why didn't you take Ozzie for those presentations?" Well, the answer is that I didn't take Ozzie because he'd have hated doing that! Ozzie knows a lot of tricks, can do elevators, etc., but having screaming kids running at and around him isn't his cup of tea. In fact, screaming kids make him anxious, so I avoid taking him places where that's likely to occur. Now, he's certainly heard/seen screaming kids when we've been in restaurants, and while he'll alert to the sounds, he doesn't get anxious as he's pretty sure those screaming kids are going to stay at their table and not encroach on his space. Henley, on the other hand, loves kids, screaming or not. He figures screaming kids need a collie to hug and that's his approach.
So, why am I telling you this? Every single one of us needs to know our own dog and be mindful of the situations we put them into. While there are certainly steps you can take with your training to prepare your dog for being in public spaces more often, you do need to keep their personality/temperatment in mind always. If your dog is a total introvert for whom loud noises, screaming kids, and random approaches from strangers might trigger anxiety, don't force them to do it. Instead, choose hikes or park excursions for that dog, at off peak times, so that they can experience working with you away from home, but not be forced to deal with situations and people who create anxiety. Yes, you can certainly still take your introvert with you to busy malls, events, etc., just remember that doing so is stressful for them. Weigh your options: Is taking them with you in their best interest, or is it that you just want to do so? And if your dog doesn't like being approached or petted by strangers, please don't take them with you as it puts you and your dog at risk. People are going to approach you and many will try to pet your dog without asking. I know, I know. They should ask, but frankly they often don't and you don't want to put someone, or your dog, at risk.
Training your dog in public access skills is a worthwhile endeavor and a good way to mentally stimulate any dog. Start with simple outings such as walking to the post office or bank, sitting quietly next to you while you drop mail in the box or use the ATM machine. Work up to taking your dog into dog-friendly stores and walking them around the displays. Have your dog sit each time you stop walking. Do not allow extensive sniffing, rubbing on displays, etc. Brief sniffs are fine. Find stores with stairs and elevators so that you can practice both. Stairs come in all forms, some you can see between the stairs, others are solid, some are made of wood, and others are slippery or covered in carpeting that can retain odors. Practice all of those different kinds of stairs, encouraging your dog to go slowly, stopping at the top and sitting before descending. Do not allow your dog to linger or sniff excessively on the stairs. On the elevator, you can start with having your dog stand next to you, but work up to having them sit next to you or between your legs so that they don't take up too much space or block someone else's access to that elevator.
When you are working on taking your dog to eating establishments, do take it slow. If your dog is still surfing counters at home, you'll want to have that issue addressed before you try to walk through a restaurant where people have food on their tables as you pass by! Start simple with a coffee shop, yogurt shop, or smoothie place. Sit at a table with your dog and offer them treats for sitting calmly at your side or laying at your feet. Don't bribe them to behave, instead reward them when they do. If they can't focus or are fidgety, just pick up your coffee/yogurt/smoothie and move on; you can try again another day. Once your dog is good at those coffee shops, you can move on to a casual restaurant, just remember that a busy restaurant on a weekend may be more than your dog can handle that first time out in public. Maybe try that restaurant on a weekday and work up to a busy weekend. Dog friendly restaurants are terrific, but they get busy and if there are a lot of dogs there, that may be too much your first few trips out together. Don't push it. You want your dog to enjoy going out to restaurants with you, not dread them. And take some advice from those toddler parents and walk your dogs outside the restaurant if they become fidgety, bored, or start acting up. Don't allow your dog (or your kids!) to impinge upon the dining experiences of others. Nothing gives kids or dogs a worse rep than when they are ill-behaved in public and their parents/owners do nothing about it. Consequences are important! We need to be fair to the other diners around us and keep our dogs away from their tables. And by the same token, those parents need to keep their kids at their own table as well. And remember not to allow your dog to block the path for the servers just trying to do their jobs. If you have a big dog, ask for a table in a corner where you can keep your dog closer to the wall and not block pathways.
Just as those toddler parents have baby bags filled with what they need to survive out in public, so should dog owners! Carry your own water, water bowl, treats, a mat/towel for your dog to lay on, and of course poop bags. You can even bring a bone or other busy toy for your dog to chew on, just make sure the toy you've brought isn't messy or noisy. When Henley was a young puppy, I used to always bring a bone and a bullystick with me, allowing him to chew on one for a bit, and then switching it up. It took most of his first year practicing for him to get to the point where he can now go to a busy restaurant and hang out with me for an hour. He's not ready yet for much longer than that, but he'll get there. For now, I don't push him and we keep practicing! He's been the most challenging collie I've ever owned from the standpoint of teaching calm behaviors. Henley is super-smart, loves to problem solve, is bold and fearless, and is only now understanding the pleasure that comes from sitting still and observing the world. Calm was not in Henley's vocabulary for much of his first year. Now, at almost 18 months, he's beginning to see how fun it is to be out in public, calmly accepting attention from new people, and being able to further explore the world as he becomes more proficient at handling what busy public spaces have to offer. Slow and steady wins the race, and if he had never really gotten it, that would have been fine too. It just would have meant less time out in public and more time working at home. He'd still be a great dog, but now that he's gotten a little older, he can go more places and I trust him to make better choices when we're there. And if he's having an off day, I don't push him. Just as I've cut pet therapy visits short for Ozzie because I could see he was done, I don't push Henley to remain out in public longer than he's able. If he gets fussy or fidgety, we're out of there.
I hope that gives you a training path to pursue more time out in public spaces with your dogs. If you still have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Here's Henley just calmly watching the people go by at our Golden State Warriors event in San Francisco. He's in a sit/stay, dropped leash just loose on the ground. Six months ago, I wouldn't have dropped his leash like that and walked away for a photo; he'd have wanted to get to the other dogs and people going by. Now, he's able to do this, no problem. Henley is maturing, clearly loving his time out in public and teaching people all about smooth collies!
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