Josie did fairly well in this exercise! She was tense and then relaxed enough to lay down. There weren’t any other dogs but we went right at 11 to avoid the worst of the heat. We were in shade with fans over us and it was quite pleasant.
It’s the women who need to be told to “back up”! The manager types mean well… but end up overwhelming Josie. She barks to tell them to back up and I echoed her request in human…”please give her some room. Thanks!”. I let them know that she’s deaf and a bit insecure and that makes them smile and go “Awww”.
Our waiter is male, he smiles and politely keeps his distance from Josie. He heard her barking at the hostess. Josie ignores him right back as he brings her a water bowl. Good girl! She didn’t pull, beg, paw or fuss at all! Very good manners around food! She was happy to leave but I still asked for a sit at the gate and the car.
Overall a good outing! I’ll just keep piling on good experience on top of good experiences. Nothing bad happened, nobody “got” her. She will eventually relax and trust you as she does me, to protect her in public places. A lot of rinse and repeat by you with her and you will both get there!