Would/do You Put Your Pet Away When Company Visits?

Yes.
People are more important than dogs and I would never want my guests to feel "put out" in anyway over my dogs. They have crates or they go outside if they are being ANY kind of a nuisance at all.
We have a 7mo old lab and a 20 mo old malamute.

when my dog wont leave people alone I put him away. he is harmless and he knows not to climb on us but he will on other people. He is sweet so people initially do not mind and they pet him so in a way it reinforces his behavior. then after a while he keeps coming back for more so we put him away. I think we need to work with him and make him get down immediately and only get up when invited.

I have a phobia of dogs. I have tried my hardest not to pass that on to my kids, but they know that if they ever got a dog I had better never see it or I would not be coming back for a visit. So, yes, I have a huge problem with this and would tell her either the dog is put out of sight/sound while I am there or I will no longer ever be there.

My dog lives here - you don't. My kid lives here - you don't. Neither my dog nor my kid is allowed to be rude to guests. Both were trained from an early age as to how to behave when people come to visit.
Your friend has not properly trained and socialized her dog. You may just have to restrict your visits with her to public places such as coffee shops where Phideaux isn't allowed.

If she invites you, I would just decline and be straight with her--"Sorry, I wish we could come visit you, but our last experience with Fido left us uncomfortable. How about we meet up for coffee?"

Don't visit her at her home. Invite her to yours. You don't like her dogs, and she doesn't like to be criticized. I can't see any other way to handle the situation gracefully.

People trump dogs.
Yes I have put my dog downstairs when someone is afraid, dislikes dogs, etc.
Have her to your place.
IF she notices you are declining invites to her place tell her you & your daughter aren't comfortable around her dogs. It's true right?
Again--people trump dogs!

For me it has depended on the dog and the company. I had a Golden who could be trusted around anyone who wanted to be around her. If the person visiting wasn't used to dogs, or I wasn't sure I put her out until I knew what to do.

I had a rescue that I was never completely 100% sure of so he was only allowed with specific people.

Now, we have a chocolate lab who is very stubborn and every once in awhile will jump up on someone. She's not in when my MIL is here because if she did jump up on her, she could seriously injure her (close to 90). I have a nephew who is terrified of dogs, so they stay out until he's comfortable or they can be seperated from him....

Again, depends.

My sister is much like your friend and says, "This is there home, anyone who doesn't like it can leave!" She asked me to back her once when her rescued cattle dog nipped the nephew I mentioned above. I calmly told her I didn't agree. She still didn't back down and family almost left during a holiday. They are not "Babies", they are dogs and certainly don't suffer for a few hours outside or in a crate. It actually helps teach them manners.

Of course pets should be put away when one has company. Whether or not they are 'friendly' and 100% if the guests are small children or request the pet be away.

I certainly do not need someone telling me 'their dog' is perfectly friendly and considering a fearful child a challenge to bring around. Have you ever looked around the waiting room in a cranio facial surgeon's office. I did - 90% of the kids were there for facial dog bites. Most were on their second to fourth surgery. Not a one from a strange dog they met on the street. Most of them were their own dog that was 'super friendly, 100% dependable and had never ever bitten before'. So not worth taking a chance.

I am a veterinarian so I work with dogs every day. And I would never take a chance with my son or any other child. The worst incident I am familiar with involved a Lhasa Apso family pet (had never bitten, had growled) that with a single poorly placed bite destroyed a 3 year old's eye (forever).

I would check in with your friend by phone before you head over. A quick - just calling to give you a couple minutes notice to put the dogs away since we are heading over. If you are met with anything other than a 'thanks so much for the heads up' I would simply not go.

Reminds of the time we were staying with family across the country and my 2 year old was a wreck because their dog constantly kept sniffing at him as he sat at the table trying to eat. It was annoying and my SIL who is very sweet, would not put that damn dog outside because he's part of the family. People can be funny about pets, so much so that they end up turning off their guests.

We have a very great standard Poodle who loves kids and people and yet his bark is very deep and scary. I have to put him in our bedroom and shut the door until people get in and settled. Then depending on who is here I tell him if he wants to come out he has to be good and he does understand me. He then comes out and if he is 'good' he can stay out but I know some people, like my mother, don't like dogs really and if he put his nose on her or anything even close to that she feel she's 'dirty' or contaminated. Not a pet lover at all. In that case he comes out if she wants to see him or feels bad he's not out with us. Sometimes the kids/teens make him too rowdy so back in the bedroom he goes. He's family to us but also he has to fit in with whoever is here and people come first. Your friend doesn't feel that way I guess and she feels they are her 'babies' and puts them first. I guess I would agree with QueenoftheCastle in that case. Just say the kids don't do well with your dogs. Or something on that line. Don't hurt her feelings if you can help it though as these dogs seem to be even 'above' her husband, not good.

We alway lock up our puppy when someone comes over. Always.
She is sweet and well behaved for a puppy - but still she is active and when I have guests I'd rather have a good time with them than making sure the puppy is behaving.
Being crated is not a punishment for our dog, she is crate trained and loves her crate... so it's not an issue.
I don't see the big deal about crating the dogs for a few hours - less stressful for them too!
I would stay away if she does not keep the dogs away.
Good luck!

sounds like she needs to have dog training lessons.

I wonder why the change with her attitude towards animals. seems sudden.

My SIL is attached to her dogs - they are English Mastiffs and she doesn't llike to leave them alone either. She is attached to her dogs because she wanted more children and only has one son who she is estranged from. Is it possible that this W. experienced a loss and the dogs filled that void??

If my boxer mix bothered you - I would do my best to assuage your fears. It is typical of boxers to bark and jump. However, my Grady knows when I say "ENOUGH" or "NO BARK" he had better stop. It's called manners and even dogs need them.

So what would I say to my friend? I would tell her that, while her dogs are lovely, they are stopping us from having a relaxed visit and we can either meet somewhere else or would she PLEASE be willing to put them in their room while I am there? If the answer is no - we will not 'cage" our dogs, then she doesn't value your friendship like you do - and all visits can be held at my home or somewhere else in the future.

I wouldn't want a repeat visit either.
I understand that your friend doesn't like to leave her dogs for long, but an hour or so is enough time to get a cup of coffee and a piece of pie at a neutral location for a brief visit.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an ill-mannered dog. I don't even blame the dogs for it. I know that even the best of dogs can get excited when someone comes over, but I'm scrawny, and I don't want an animal that outweighs me charging at me or jumping on me. I don't want to be barked at and I don't want to feel like I need to stand on a chair to keep a small dog from nipping at my feet or legs. And I'm an adult. It's even worse for little kids.

I attended a bbq where the hostess had three large dogs. Everyone brought their kids and one child was just a baby. The youngest dog kept jumping up on the father who was holding the baby. The higher he tried to hold the baby, the higher the dog jumped. The hostess thought it was cute, the people with the baby left without eating, and everyone else just kept trying to keep the dogs away from them and their food both inside and outside of the house. I get that it was their home, their yard, and their dogs are like their "kids", but a fun time was not had by all. The dogs should have at least been kept in a separate part of the yard.

I agree that concessions should be made for guests because in the case of the bbq hostess I mentioned, you might end up having no guests at all after a while.

Just my opinion.

I am a dog lover and we have 3. 2 Cockers and 1 toy poodle. I am FAR more worried about the toy poodle than the others as far as agressiveness.

I have gates in my house which limits the areas where the dogs have access. They are barkers. When we have company, they are friendly, they do bark and I am the one who blocks them from company whereas my hubby says, they'll be ok. This is 1 area where hubby and I disagree... As much as I love my dogs, I can appreciate that others may not love all the attention they get from my dogs so I try to look at it as a matter of respect for the other person.

When my housekeeper is here, there is 1 area of my house where my dogs stay. She does not come to this area at all, I maintain it myself.

We do not leave our dogs more than 5 hours alone. We have a house/pet sitter with access to our home and she comes in as planned when we know we'll be away. If it is overnight, she sleeps here. Our dogs are not crate trained but they have limited access to our entire home.

They are godsends to us when they alert us that the bobcats are outside, someone is on the property, etc and I love that about them.

I don't know why someone would be so sensitive as to not put the dogs away if they had a guest that preferred not to be around them, most especially a child. That sounds disrespectful to me.

Our dogs have all been around us and our daughter (now 18) since they were pups. They have never been around smaller children and I do not allow them around smaller children because my dogs are not accustomed to small children and I prefer not to take a chance.

I am with you one this one... your friend should respect your boundaries and put her dogs away when she has guests, especially dogs that some people truly fear.

Good luck with this conversation!

We have an american fox hound mix we got from the pound. I have worked with her to keep her from jumping up on the family when we walk in the door, but when visitors come she still jumps up on them wanting lovins.

Unfortunately we don't have visitors often enough to really reinforce this is a no no.

HOWEVER, she does get crated until she calms down if she refuses to listen when I tell her to sit or get down.

Christina N.-- I just love your Louisian spelling of 'Fido'--'Phideaux'! Too cute! ;D

I wouldn't go visit them anymore.

I am an animal lover and have had and have, many types if pets. Furry and not.
I don't let our pets, impede or obstruct our visitors.

My cousin has a dog. A dog from hell. No one likes, their dog. But they LOVE their dog. They don't have kids, this dog is their "kid." But even at that... they do not allow their dog... to act like that and they will keep their dog away, when guests are over at their home.

Your friend's Husband, must be going nuts-o with "her" dogs too.
She's a little off the deep end.

Depends. I like Toni V's response a lot.
I have a dog that is a member of our family. A large dog (German Shepherd). She does not get put away when we have guests. But she is well behaved. IF she were not trained and habitually barked at and jumped on guests, then she would be put up. She doesn't.
She does get very excited when guests first arrive, but in less than 5 minutes she is calm and doesn't get in anyone's face or anything rude like that. The kids are in and out of the house and she goes with them. Not aggressive at all and LOVES children. IF we had younger guests (children) who did not know how to behave around dogs (kept pulling tails or poking her or whatever) I might be more inclined to put her in our bedroom, for her own protection. Typically, that is what she would do on her own anyway if someone was annoying her---leave the area and lie down somewhere private.

What I would be unlikely to do is put the dog away just because some child was "afraid" of her. If the child had been previously attacked by a dog or something so that there was a REASON they were afraid, fine. I'd put her away, or likely would just suggest meeting elsewhere. But for the typical "my kid is afraid of dogs" bit, no. Most of that is dramatics for the sake of dramatics, in my opinion. Our son didn't like dogs when we got her. Part of the reason we got her. He loves her dearly. And no longer "doesn't like dogs".
What I find rude is when you visit someone with a "minimally" trained dog who is just rude that gets in your face constantly. There is one home we visit sometimes that has a dog like that. A lab. She is very sweet and friendly, but this person doesn't have enough seating to have more than 2 or 3 guests, and there are 4 in our family. So someone is inevitably sitting on the floor. And the dog is constantly coming over licking whoever is on the floor in the FACE. NO thank you! Our dog doesn't do that.

We have had babies, toddlers and older kids here. A few of whom weren't fond of larger dogs. All of whom LOVED our dog by the time they left. One little girl asked to take her home with them. (Sorry---we are keeping her, lol)

The best option is to meet elsewhere. If your friend won't agree to do so, then it is on YOU whether you agree to visit at her home again. You know what to expect when you accept (or decline) the invitation. Invite her to visit at YOUR home and be up front that you do not want her dogs in your house.

It is not uncommon to not stay away for more than a short few hours during potty training. But once that is done, dogs don't NEED to be attended to for up to 5 hours or much more depending on the dog. Ours CAN go 8-10 hours, but I don't like doing that unless it absolutely cannot be helped. It just is unkind to make her hold it that long, even if she CAN do so.

Sometimes, you just have to make other arrangements.

I have a sister who will put her enormous pit bull away... for a while. Then, eventually, the dog comes back out. I could see that even though we'd stated our concern about the dog (not because of his breed, but because he's huge, unpredictable, and seems very high-strung---barking included), she just didn't feel the same way. So, we offer to visit elsewhere now.

We have other friends who have very friendly dogs, which our son is scared of--because they are curious about him and get in his face. They've been very kind about holding the dogs in a separate area; that said, I know it's difficult to spend the whole visit like that and so we usually host so they can enjoy their time more.

I have put my cat away in the past, when a relative with allergies came to visit.

We always lock up our dog when people come over. He has no manners and can be aggressive. Some people are very irresponsible with their pets, and it sounds like your friend is one of them. Who refuses to put a dog away when it is scaring a small child? I would make it very clear before you go over again that doggy needs to be put away the entire time you are there or dont go over there. I had a similar situation that ended with my daughter getting bit in the face. The dog kept growling at the kids, wasnt put away, and my dd, 2 years old at the time bumped into it and it went at her face. There were other children there and after we left, the dog was let back out again with the kids there. Some people never learn. If the bite had been half and inch higher my dd could have lost an eye. If a dog ever barks or growls at a small child it needs to be removed from the room immediately and not brought back.

If the dog is not comfortable with a guest or vice versa, then it should be moved to another room or sent outside or something. My SIL's dog is a large mix breed who overwhelms DD. They put him in their rec room (where he sleeps and is happy so it's not like they are dooming him to a dungeon) for our short visits. Conversely, because I also do not want their dog to be shut away too long, they baby sit for us here, vs us dropping DD off there. He is not aggressive but he is energetic and has knocked her down. Their other dog is not a problem.

I would simply say, "Your dog seems agitated by my daughter. Can you put him somewhere else while we visit?" Or I'd suggest somewhere else to visit. Is it just your daughter or is it any visitor? If you went by yourself, would he be any better?

I've got a dog and a cat. When people are over who don't like my pets I remove them from the house during the visit. Making my guests comfortable is important to me.

I'd say that you can certainly ask your friend to remove her dogs for the duration of your short visit however she'll probably agree but then feel bad for the dogs and let them out 'because they won't be any trouble.' I wouldn't trust her to follow through.

You'd do better to visit in a neutral location where you can leave at any time. You can also have her to your house making it clear that her dogs are not allowed.

YES, and I am a life long dog lover and owner. I would not wait until my dog was jumping all over someone.....if you know your animal has this trait and you have not been able to break the habit, YET, then I would put him away before the company arrives,
For the next invitation, I would just ask the friend to come to your place because your child is afraid of the dogs and honestly, you are also uncomfortable around them. You should include that as much as you love your dog, you know it's a pain if he jumps on people.

Can you try to keep your visits at your house or not take your daughter? I don't blame you for feeling the way you do, it's frustrating, but if you feel like she won't be receptive to asking if you put the dog away, maybe you should avoid it all together, if possible. If it's not possible, then I guess I would just say that your daughter was concerned about the dogs and you had to cut your visit short last time so you were hoping maybe the dog could be put away this time.

I am afraid of dogs so when/IF my friends do not put their dog away, they know I will leave. My mother brings her dog everywhere she goes. Even to my house. The dog, of course, stays outside but my parents cut their visits short because they can't stand to put their dog outside.

As for a tactful way to address this, I would say, "I'd love to visit but really, if your dog is going to be in the same room with us, then I won't be able to visit you." Simple.

I have 2 small dogs a Pom and a Long Haired Chihuahua, both bark their fool heads off when someone comes over and the Pom will jump in anyone's lap if we let her. The Chihuahua is scared of his own shadow so he will hide or sit on or by me. I can put them in the bathroom if a person is afraid of them but they are actually well behaved and if they are told NO or down they go lay on the pet bed.

If a dog is being aggressive toward a guest it needs to be put in another room. I know they think they are protecting you but I would be concerned the dog would suddenly bite a guest.

Another vote to decline to visit. Some people are just weird about their pets. When my son was very small, like 2 or 3, he was terrified of dogs. I had a "friend" with a dog who was hosting a playdate. She included us on the invitation so that everyone could see that she didn't not invite us. But she privately contacted me and asked me not to come because she didn't want to put her dog away for my son. Nice, huh?

Depends on the guests. Skiddish guests and children, yes...in the yard or a bedroom. Pet friendly, pet loving guests that are known to the pets, not necessarily. That's my rule anyway. If she is your friend, she will understand your request when you request it.

I had a friend who told me me knee her jumping dogs. NO, I am not going to knee your dog. Anyway, she would leave her dogs out and they would settle down after about 15 minutes.

My tax accountant keeps his pitty in the office. He is so lovable, but my daughter panics the entire time we are there.

My grand finale...my MIL came to visit for a few days and to my surprise she invited her two friends, "The Boys". Well, she asked my husband to stop by the mall and it would only take a few minutes. Oh, to my surprise again, she was picking up the dog from the car in the parking lot. Well, I thought the boys would stop by and pick the dog up, but like I said, she invited them. The thing is, I had a dog too. My dog was going nuts, so we had to separate them. Now the dog got sick and crapped diarrhea poo all over my kitchen/laundry room floor and then all over my garage.

People are nuts about their dogs. It takes all kinds.