Hosting Dogs in Your Brewery

Paws Sell More Beer

There’s something extra special about dogs in breweries.

Being a “dog-friendly” space attracts customers, who might choose this hangout spot over other options because they can bring their dog along. These customers also might hangout longer if their dog is with them rather than waiting for them back at home. (Bottom line: more beer sales for the brewery.)

Being a “dog-friendly” space builds community around the brewery. People love to post pictures of their dogs doing fun things - the brewery they tag as the location gets some nice advertising and community buzz. (Bottom line: more beer sales for the brewery.)

Dogs Come With More Than Kisses and Love

Welcoming dogs in your brewery space might seem like a win-win at first glance, but unfortunately there are some drawbacks. To name a few:

• The mess potentially left behind (including hair, slobber, spilled water bowls, urine & poop)

• Constricted traffic flow (such as dog lying in the aisle, blocking access to the bar, tripping bartenders bussing tables)

• Noise (barking & whining)

• Health risks (diseases, parasites, physical injury)

• Dog incident risks (including growls, snaps, bites and fights)

Looking at these headaches, risks, and liabilities, it’s no wonder that some breweries who were once “dog-friendly” have changed their policies to exclude dogs from their taprooms - many after a specific incident with a dog in their breweries.

Together We Can Mitigate These Risks

Through our work with the students at Summit Dog Training, we have seen first-hand the value that having a variety of dog-friendly public places has brought to our students. We want dogs to stay welcome in as many breweries as possible, and that is going to take a team effort!

Through our Drink With Your Dog® Project, we are pulling together brewery staff, dog owners, and dog trainers around the country to work together to create great brewery-dogs (and great brewery-dog owners) and more truly “dog-friendly” breweries to host them.

We hope you join us!

Making the Term “Dog-Friendly” a Little More Clear

What does it mean to say your brewery is “dog-friendly”? This is typically used to mean that you allow dogs to accompany their owners to your brewery, either on the patio-only or in other areas as well.

We use the term “dog-friendly” a little more specifically, however. Our definition of a “dog-friendly” brewery:

A brewery that welcomes dogs and understands how to safely manage their presence in the brewery space.

If a dog-welcoming brewery is equipped to handle the challenges that come along with their four-legged guests, this is a true dog-friendly space!

Thankfully, you don’t have to be dog experts on top of being beer experts to figure all of this out. We’re here to help!

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