10 Dog Etiquette Rules for Visiting Family: Expert Tips & Advice
By Jordyn Alger
Updated on
As the holiday season draws near, so does the time for family visits. If you are taking your dog and traveling across the country (or perhaps across the world) to stay with your family, it is important that you adhere to the basic social etiquette of being a dog-owning guest.
As pet parents, we have a responsibility to supervise and manage our dogs to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable holiday season. To ensure that you and your pup remain welcome guests rather than nuisances, it is essential to follow these 10 dog etiquette rules.
The 10 Dog Etiquette Rules for Visiting Family
1. Practice Obedience Skills Before the Visit
Before visiting relatives with your dog, ensure their obedience skills are well-tested. You don’t want to travel all that way only to realize that your dog isn’t ready to handle the chaos and come to you on command.
Training your dog to listen to commands is especially important when staying with family members. Not everyone wants your dog in their lap, at their heels, or in their bed. Your ability to control your dog’s behavior will largely determine how enjoyable your stay is for everyone involved.
If your dog is a young puppy or is not well-trained in obedience, it may be best to leave them with a dog sitter at home.
2. Ask for Permission Before Bringing Your Dog Along
Don’t assume that your dog is welcome. While you likely consider your dog a part of the family, not everyone will. If your host has not permitted you to bring your pet, you need to ask. If they reject your request, you need to accept it and make plans for your dog’s care.
In addition to asking the host, it is also a good idea to ask all other guests if they are comfortable with your dog attending. If a visiting family member has allergies or is otherwise uncomfortable with your dog’s presence, it may be best to keep your pet home.
3. Respect the Host’s Boundaries
If you have been given permission to bring your dog to the host’s home, express your gratitude by respecting the host’s boundaries. If your dog has a habit of sitting on the couch, but your host doesn’t like that, your host’s needs come first.
This is an area where obedience training is essential. If your dog repeatedly crosses your host’s boundaries and you cannot corral them, your pet is unlikely to receive another invitation next year.
4. Bring the Necessary Supplies
Make sure you are fully prepared for an extended trip away from home. Forgetting your dog’s essential care supplies can be stressful for your dog. An overwhelmed dog may behave in a destructive manner, so it is essential that you are prepared.
A list of your canine care essentials should include:
- A leash and collar: While visiting family members, you must be able to take your dog on walks to burn off their energy. Likewise, you may need to rein them in if they are hyperactive around unfamiliar faces.
- A crate: Bringing a crate for your dog will give your family members space when they need to take a break from all of the puppy love. At the same time, a crate is an excellent place for your dog to have a safe space in unfamiliar territory.
- Food and water bowls: Don’t expect to use your family’s dishes for your dog. Instead, bring a travel food and water bowl for your pet.
- Waste bags and a scoop: Cleaning up after your dog is an important part of being a responsible pet owner and a respectful guest.
- Linens or blankets: Bring a sheet or blanket to throw over furniture (if your dog is allowed on the furniture). This will save your host the trouble of cleaning up after you leave.
5. Clean Up After Your Dog
Whatever mess your dog makes, clean it up, and clean it promptly. Don’t let the mess linger and bother your host or guests. For example, you should spend time each day of your stay cleaning up loose hairs that your dog has shed. It’s a good idea to bring a handheld vacuum cleaner.
By staying vigilant about your dog’s cleanliness, you can ensure that you and your pup are pleasant guests likely to receive repeat invites.
6. Manage Your Dog’s Barking
Loud, obnoxious barking can sour the mood of any get-together. Obedience training is a great way to minimize your dog’s barking; however, the stress of travel and an unfamiliar location may make it difficult for your dog to heed your commands.
Therefore, it is a good idea to provide distractions and activities for your dog. Bring a few toys for your dog to entertain themselves with, hopefully quelling their desire to vocalize. Similarly, if you exercise your dog regularly during your stay, they may be too tired to bother with barking.
7. Supervise Your Pet
Always watch your dog closely to ensure they don’t get into trouble. The holidays can be chaotic, especially if many people are visiting, and it can be easy to lose track of your pet. But if you don’t monitor your dog carefully, they may become a pest to others.
For example, if the house you’re staying in has breakable, expensive items, keeping your pet away from the objects should be your priority. Similarly, if there are children in the house, you should watch all interactions between them and your dog to ensure that everyone is playing safely.
8. Be Aware of Other People’s Boundaries
As impossible as it may sound, some people aren’t dog lovers. While your dog may have been invited to stay, that doesn’t mean every guest will be thrilled at the prospect of a puppy licking their face and jumping up on them.
Being aware of other people’s boundaries with your dog is critical to ensure that you and your pet do not become nuisances. If your pet continues to trample over people’s personal space and you do nothing to stop it, resentment can build and ruin the holiday season.
9. Ensure Your Dog Is Healthy
This is especially important if there are other pets in the house you will be staying at. If your dog is sick, they can spread their illness to other pets and ruin everyone’s trip. If there aren’t pets in the house, that doesn’t mean it is okay to bring your unhealthy dog along for the ride.
Dogs that are infested with fleas or other parasites can become a huge inconvenience for everyone. Ensure that your dog is healthy before bringing them along for the trip, or else you may make everyone’s stay miserable.
10. Know When to Redirect Your Dog’s Attention
Dogs know how to bring the party, but sometimes their enthusiasm can wear others down. Pay attention to how others feel around your dog. If they seem impatient or avoidant, it may be time to distract your dog so that they give everyone space.
To redirect your dog’s attention, you can take them outside, go on a walk, or play fetch. Burning their energy is a great way to mellow them out and make them easier for overstimulated guests to be around.
Conclusion
You love your dog and consider them a part of the family, so it is understandable that you want to bring them to family gatherings. If your dog is given an invitation to attend, then it is important to follow dog etiquette rules to ensure that you and your pet do not become bothersome. The more pleasant your dog is to be around, the more likely they are to receive another invitation in the future.
- See also:Â Dog Walking Etiquette: 9 Top Tips
Featured Image Credit: Monkey Business Images, Shutterstock
