Petiquette is simply the etiquette involved in sharing your pet with the wider world. Pets are unique creatures with minds of their own and little to no intrinsic understandings of our own human cultures and mores. It is bound to happen at least once to every pet owner that he or she will wind up facing an embarrassing situation caused by their pet’s actions. These can be as small as your cat horking up a hairball during a dinner party, or as mortifying as your dog turning a guests leg into his girlfriend (without even the decency of taking your friend’s leg out to dinner first).
Petiquette involves an understanding of how to react in the face of such situations, but also includes a healthy dose of preventative training, as well. Most of the time you will be able to anticipate some of your pets likely petiquette faux pas based on their own behaviour with you at home. Does your dog routinely jump on you (and maybe even pee) every time you walk in the door? Chances are, he or she will react the same way if you bring a guest over; he or she might react even more excitedly, due to the novelty of meeting a new person. Identifying and then working on your pet’s behavioural issues is important for good petiquette. Even if the behaviour is something that you easily tolerate, you should think about how a guest would react to it. If you decide that you are not willing to change your pet’s behaviour, be prepared to do most or all of your social interaction away from the house, inviting over only those select friends that you believe would be as tolerant of your pet’s behaviour as you are. Of course, any behaviour that may cause a risk of injury to another person is unacceptable. While it may be a normal part of your daily routine, a guest may not be as able to handle having a rotweiler attempt to ballroom dance with them, so make sure that your pet has been trained out of any unsafe behaviour before inviting guests over. If someone (especially a young or elderly person who may not have the reflexes to react in time) gets hurt, the authorities will simply make sure it never happens again.
Some of your pet’s behaviour among other people may be unexpected. A common issue is when your normally housebroken dog pees on the furniture at a friend’s house, or your cat tries to make creative use of their houseplants. In a situation like this, immediately clean the sullied area and/or offer to pay, whichever is required. It is sometimes difficult to take preventative measures for surprising behaviour, so the best bet is to act as human etiquette and common sense dictate in this situation.
The other side to petiquette involves situations where the offending animal is not your own pet, but someone else’s. How do you react when your neighbour’s beloved pet is your beast of burden? If you are on the receiving end of one of the examples mentioned above, or if you are bothered by a neighbour’s noisy dog or a cat getting too familiar with your garden, try to remember that your frustration is with the pet or the situation, not the person. It is all too easy to see a pet’s transgressions as an extension of the owner, but it’s important to remember that pet owners do not have absolute control over their pet. Remember to treat the owner as a person and with as much respect as you would want to be treated. If someone’s pet acts up during a visit, try to take things in stride and remain calm, purhaps even try to see the situation with a sense of humour. If the offending animal belongs to a neighbour or acquaintance, try to express your concerns in an objective and polite manor. Leaving a gentle note explaining your concerns is much better than wrapping up the poo your neighbour’s dog left on your lawn and dropping it in their mailbox (although the latter may make you feel better, it will most likely have an negative effect on your relationship with your neighbour).
In short, try to keep a level head when faced with a tricky petiquette situation and do whatever you can to react with grace and calm. Try to weigh your pet’s needs with those of your guests and find a balance that suits every body.
