“Etiquette” is a word often heard around the dinner table, where good manners are taught and practiced. It should be noted, however, that the table isn’t the only place you can practice etiquette. For dog owners, there are a set of rules to follow to ensure that the relationships between you, your dog, and your neighbors remain cordial. Here are five essential dog etiquette rules you should practice as a pet owner.

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5 Dog Etiquette Rules

1. Clean Up After Your Dog

This first dog etiquette rule should be a no-brainer for dog owners.

Anytime you take your dog for a walk on a sidewalk or in any other public space that you share with others, use proper dog walking etiquette and make sure you’re prepared to clean up after your dog.

Curbing your dog is the act of keeping an eye on the bathroom habits of your dog while in public. Keep him from relieving himself on buildings or on the properties of others.

And always practice good dog poop bag etiquette by collecting and properly disposing of his waste.

An easy way to never forget your dog waste bags is to clip this small dispenser onto your dog’s leash.

2. Keep Your Dog Leashed in Public

Proper dog walking etiquette means keeping your dog leashed at all times when out and about.

This is not only for the safety of your own precious animal, but also to help put the people around you at ease.

Not everyone is automatically comfortable around dogs.

Lets others around you know that you are in control of your animal by practicing proper dog walking etiquette and keeping your dog close to your side and leashed at all times.

Another important dog etiquette rule to implement when taking your dog out for a walk is to try and respect the space of others. Don’t let your dog come up and sniff or jump up to say hello to any other person, or any other dog, you encounter along the way.

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3. Respect Others’ Property

You should still apply dog etiquette rules even when your dog is off his leash on your own property.

If you have your own yard, then you probably take pride in how you care for your lawn and tend to your flower bed.

You probably have set many ground rules to keep your dog out of your own garden. But you should also make sure that your dog respects the property of your neighbors.

A good way to prevent your dog from wandering from home to home and getting into all kinds of unwanted trouble is by simply enclosing your property with a quality fence. According to HomeAdvisor, the cost of installing a fence around your property ranges from $1,643 to $3,857.

If fencing is not an option, a cheap and easy solution is a dog tie-out. This will allow your pet to roam your yard without the worry that he will break any dog etiquette rules at neighboring homes.

4. Keep the Noise Down

We all value the time we set aside in the evening for rest and relaxation. Sometimes when a car speeds down the street though, or the wind starts shaking the gutters, our dogs will loudly let us know about it.

Dogs typically bark with good intentions, but loud and constant noise will eventually wear down your nerves and those of everyone else on the block.

There are a few steps you can take to help curb your dogs barking in order to reduce the amount of times he breaks this precious dog etiquette rule. This includes keeping the blinds down, playing relaxing music to drown out outside noises, or training your dog to bark less.

5. Take Care of Your Dog

You may ask:

“How is taking care of my pet a way of practicing good dog etiquette?”

Keeping your dog brushed, clean, and well groomed protects other neighborhood pets by preventing the spread of ticks and fleas.

Additionally, you want your dog to be up to date on all his shots so that your dog and others remain healthy when they come into contact with each other.

Practicing proper dog etiquette is how we respect our neighbors. Not all your neighbors may be dog people, but showing them respect is how you earn respect back. By following these basic dog etiquette rules, you and your dog will be the talk of the block.

This article was written by author Aurora James.

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