# Going to a restaurant with a V



## AlexTheVizsla (Jun 20, 2021)

It is a blessing to be part of such a great forum.

It is our 2nd month with our 4.5 months old V. His name is Alex. It is our first dog experience and we feel like our hearts grew with him. Experiencing his growth and changes both phisically and mentally is like a miracle.

I have a few questions that you might already know the answer. Me and my wife are social people who like to enjoy cafes and restaurants. We love having Alex around us and thanks god there are many dog friendly restaurants/cafes in Istanbul. However we find it challenging to keep Alex busy with chewing toys or artificial food bones and he starts minglling around or jump and trying to eat from table even if he exercised properly earlier. (We have never let him eat from table or our food but he keeps trying and trying as a side note.) In the end my wife hugs him and keeps him on her lap. I know it is not the best way but after a while he falls asleep, so seems working. But as he grew it seems to be impossible over the time.

So my questions are

1) Do you think it is ok to hug in general and keep a V on a lap? I am asking for both psychological and phsical reasons.
2) What are your restaurant/cafe experiences? How to train him to socialize in dining places?

Many thanks in advance and loves from Istanbul!


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## Kat Tray (Jul 30, 2021)

Great questions…I would love some advise with that as well.


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

i have had both of my boys in my lap, even assisting me at conference calls.  it is funny when the little moaning i am going to continue sleep sound becomes audible for my colleagues around the world haha. so anyways, i don`t think there is an issue with that as long as the dog is comfortable.

in terms of restaurants: i did plenty of short sessions, like the eating a sandwich and having a coffee type with one of mine as a puppy. always had plenty of treats and fresh water with me. the treats were given on regular instances for being a good boy and sitting/laying next to me. none were given for standing or walking round. also managing my expectations, that a young pup won`t lay around for an extended period of time in a restaurant. 
so you can keep working on it, but most possibly it will be a while till you have a vizsla which just lays down next to you in a restaurant and falls asleep.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

I haven't done restaurants with Ellie but we did start bringing her to my daughter's softball games very early on. I would walk her for 40 minutes or so, then we'd sit and watch the rest of the game for another 40-45 minutes. At a young age it is difficult for them to sit still and once she got bored of chews or toys, it was a challenge. Now that she is older at 10 months, she is far more apt to make her self comfortable to hang out for awhile. I would like to teach the "place" command where the dog will stay on a mat or blanket until you release them. The idea is they are to know it is a command to settle and just lay down and get comfortable for awhile. I really need to get back working on that. Try looking up training techniques for "place" or "spot", there are many out there. That being said, it may be a lot to ask of a 4.5month old to stay in place for very long, you may want to wait until he is older.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Hi there!

This is just such a lovely post! Alex is super cute!

He is just so young. Oscar grew up on my lap. Until he got so big that I could no longer hold him. He was on my lap as I was working, while at the restaurant, when watching TV - in a word all the time. He was like those children who always demand to be carried while on the street with their parents 😅. As he grew up, he became more and more independent. He does not like his mama hugging and kissing him all the time 😅. Btw, Oscar ended up on my lap for the exact same reason as Alex - it was the place where he was quiet and slept, and of course, he melted my heart. 

I think that closeness and security make a pup grow up confident and well balanced (combined with a proper education, of course). A Vizsla will always be happy sitting on top of you, or as close as they can get. And I think it is good for him to experience that closeness. This is just my opinion, though. I am more up my dog’s butt than he is mine, so idk if I am the odd one. However, Oscar grew up very balanced and is very easy for me to do anything to him or ask anything of him - and I do believe leadership, proper and structured education, as well as love and comfort are all part of this, not just the first two.

Regarding restaurants - our pup has always joined us every single time since he was a little pup. It was a bit crazy in the beginning, so we always chose the table at the end, with more space and less people around. Also, we chose those restaurants where we knew people are more laid back. He did not have the best manners in the beginning, but bringing him every time, helped us educate him on proper restaurant manners. We began with the basic sit and down and kept him on a short leash (1 meter). We kept calling and pulling him over near our chairs and would continue giving the commands to sit and down. After a while, we learned wait, so that made things a bit easier. With early exposure, he got the idea, in time, that when we sit at the table, he has to lay down next to us. Now, he is great, but I'll be honest, it was a mess in the beginning. 

What we also did, and frankly still do, we ask people around, in a nice way, not to pay attention to him and not to call him over (people tend to do that more often than I would like). He is smart and exploitative and if an unknowing person starts talking to him, or petting him, he will be right over at their table trying to score a piece of hamburger, or stake. If people around do not disturb him, he will just lay under the table until we get up. At this point, he gets something from our plate. I always, even now, put something aside for him and give it once we are done and standing up. I always used table food as reward in restaurant (I am not sure it was good, but it appears to have worked). Standing still for 5 minutes got him a french fry and I upped the time as he grew up and could relax for longer.

Also, what worked for us when he was young, was putting him on a chair. He has always loved to sit where we are sitting and that seemed to calm him down. In the office he still has an office chair that he has used since he was little, and in the restaurant, he seemed to chill and go to sleep once we put him "at our level". 

If you keep on taking him with you every week, he will get better and better. Not right away, but if you do it now and keep taking him with you in all places you wish for him to be able to join, your odds are much better that by 2 year mark you will have and exceptional dog, that understands what he has to do in a restaurant, at the pet store, at the market, on busy streets, on the bus and tram, in the car etc. Just be consistent as he gets older and he will learn in time. I know it is a bit exhausting now and you cannot properly enjoy that meal if you always have to pull a leash and say sit and down every 2 minutes, but I do believe it will pay out and when he grows up, you will even forget he is there.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

they have to mature some, and you have to be willing to put in the work. 
This was Ranger at a restaurant, put on by the local vizsla club. He had been with me a few months, when the picture was taken.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

It takes time and patience. 4.5 months is still very young.
keep at it. Repetition is a great trainer.
As for sitting in the lap,,,, Alex is your dog, no one else's. If you want hm in your lap and he behaves. that is for you to decide. He is only half his adult size and weight, so keep that in mind.
One thing you may want to consider is to bring him his own "spot". This can be an old bathroom rug/mat, that can be easily rolled up. 
"Spot" training is a tried and true retriever training method. You will not be the first person to carry an old bathmat under your arm. I promise.


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## rubicon (Dec 9, 2019)

AlexTheVizsla said:


> 2) What are your restaurant/cafe experiences? How to train him to socialize in dining places?


Our boy grew up in Germany where almost all restaurants welcome dogs. What we did was train him with the “mat” (I think some people use “place” also) command. We bring a mat for him to lay on and train him to lay on it. And he shouldn’t get off until we say so.

You start training that at home of course. If he tries to leave we physically block him. We reward him for staying still with little treats. Then when that’s fairly solid we moved to a coffee shop. Same drill. As long as he’s calm, surprise him with treats to keep him still. Although before too long he just started to get drowsy the moment he’s on his mat. You can really see the conditioning working.

He’s just not supposed to go wandering around or bother people although sometimes waiters can’t help but coo at him and then he does his best “pet me” routine which is a slight disruption. But we kind of let him get some love, as long as he doesn't push the boundaries too much.

we also use that during dinner at home. We put the mat a couple meters away and he is to stay far away from the dinner table. Absolutely no begging. These days we don’t need the verbal command. If he’s about to beg my husband just points away from the table and he knows he’s supposed to go away and settle down LOL.









this is him in a restaurant in London on a chilly night.


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