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What is a Brewery Manners Class?

Practice Manners. Build Confidence. Enjoy Every Outing.

At The Social Pup Raleigh, we teach the official Drink With Your Dog® Brewery Manners curriculum - delivered with our own personal style of instruction, backed by over 20 years of professional teaching experience.

This class is designed for dogs and their humans who love exploring the dog-friendly brewery scene but want to do it confidently, calmly, and courteously.

The Drink With Your Dog® program was created to help dogs learn how to relax, behave, and enjoy themselves in real-life brewery environments. It’s about much more than obedience - it’s about connection, composure, and community. When your dog can settle under your table while you sip a pint and chat with friends, you both win.

By training in these realistic settings, you’re not only building your dog’s skills - you’re helping preserve and promote dog-friendly spaces throughout our city. Well-mannered dogs keep taprooms open to pups, and that’s something worth celebrating!

Beyond the Brewery

The same skills that make your dog a star at the brewery also apply everywhere you go together- patios, coffee shops, festivals, outdoor markets, and neighborhood gatherings.

These are true real-world life skills that make everyday outings more enjoyable. Your dog will learn to relax at your feet while you eat lunch on a patio, calmly walk through a crowd, or ignore the cookie crumbs under a café table. We focus on practical manners that fit seamlessly into your lifestyle, so you can include your dog in more of the places and moments you love.

Prerequisites

Since Drink With Your Dog® Brewery Manners classes are considered a Level 2 skill level, we recommend that you and your dog have taken at least one formal training class together before enrolling.

If you haven’t attended a structured class but have been practicing at home, that’s perfectly fine - just make sure your dog already has a few solid foundation skills before stepping into this more distracting environment.

Your dog should be able to perform the skills listed below at a basic level at home or in low distraction environments. This allows us to focus on introducing real world distractions, like a brewery setting, while continuing to build confidence and reliability.

If you cannot check every box, that does not automatically disqualify you from participating. Please reach out to us so we can talk through your dog’s needs and make sure this class is the right fit.

Our goal is always to set both you and your dog up for success.

Foundation Skills for Success

• Ability to eat treats in the presence of other dogs and people

• Not reactive or aggressive (no barking, lunging, or growling) toward other dogs or people

• Can settle on a mat for short durations

• Basic leash walking manners

• Understands Sit and Down cues

These basics ensure you and your dog start off confident and ready. Brewery Manners builds on what you’ve already practiced, fine-tuning those behaviors around the smells, sounds, and excitement of a real taproom - or anywhere you love spending time together.

What We Teach & Why It Matters

Our Brewery Manners Class is about turning real-life brewery visits into enjoyable, stress-free experiences. We meet you and your dog where you are, without judgment, and help you both grow together. Every exercise is practical, positive, and tailored to real-world outings—at breweries, patios, coffee shops, and anywhere you love spending time with your pup.

Settle on a Mat

We don’t care what cue you use - “mat,” “place,” or anything else that works for you. What matters is your dog’s ability to settle and relax. We work toward a calm 30-second duration for the exam, but we also focus on teaching your dog howto relax. You’ll practice sipping your drink while your dog rests quietly beside you, even as people walk by or stop to chat. We encourage you to keep working on longer relaxations at home so your dog can succeed in busier environments.

Polite Greetings

We teach dogs and handlers how to stay composed when meeting both people and dogs. You’ll learn how to control the interaction - your dog looks to you for guidance when someone approaches, and you decide whether to give permission or call your dog away. We’ll cover how to read your dog’s body language, advocate for their comfort, and use calm communication like, “Not right now, we’re in training.” During class, we also practice walking past another dog within 10 feet without pulling, barking, or lunging.

Walking Through Crowds

We take this beyond standard loose-leash walking. You’ll guide your dog through real brewery distractions - other dogs, clinking glasses, laughter, and tempting smells. It’s about teamwork and focus, not perfection. You’ll notice your leash getting lighter as your dog starts choosing the right behaviors on their own. By the end, you’ll both walk confidently through a crowd, calm and connected.

Polite Ordering

This one’s a favorite! You’ll practice walking up to the bar with your dog, ordering your drink, and waiting together calmly for 20 seconds or more. Your dog learns to stay by your side without jumping, pulling, or pawing at the counter. Then you’ll carry your drink back to your seat while your dog walks nicely with you. We suggest a sit-or-down wait, but it’s not required - just encouraged for success. It’s a fun, practical skill that makes brewery visits smooth and enjoyable.

Leave It & Distraction Recovery

We start with simple exercises, like dropping a food container near your dog and rewarding them for ignoring it. Once your dog understands the behavior, we add the verbal cue “Leave It.” For the exam, your dog will leave a treat on the ground for 10 seconds on cue. We also work on quick recovery after startle - like when something drops or a loud noise happens. These are important safety and focus skills for any busy environment. We often practice beyond exam level to prepare for future certifications.

Handler Confidence

This class is as much about you as it is about your dog. We teach you how your body language, confidence, and energy flow right down the leash. You’ll learn to communicate clearly, mark behaviors at the right time, and reward effectively to build consistency. We use primarily positive reinforcement but also teach when and how to use negative markers appropriately. By the end of class, handlers walk taller, leashes are looser, and dogs are making confident choices instead of being steered. It’s teamwork in motion - calm, connected, and joyful.

The Exam & Celebration

At the end of the course, you and your dog will have the opportunity to demonstrate your new skills in a short, friendly Brewery Manners Exam. Think of it as a fun “final cheers” to celebrate how far you’ve come together!

Pups who pass earn the Drink With Your Dog® Certified Brewery-Friendly Dog Certificate - a proud milestone that shows your pup has mastered the art of good brewery behavior (and makes you both true ambassadors for Raleigh’s dog-friendly scene).

What to Bring to Class

We want you and your dog to feel set up for success from the moment you walk in. A little preparation makes a big difference, and these essentials help you stay organized, focused, and ready to train in a real-world environment.

Your Dog
If possible, save their next meal (breakfast or dinner) for during or after class. A slightly hungry dog stays more engaged and motivated.

Leash
A 6-foot (or shorter) standard leash works best. No flexi-leads in class.

Harness or Collar
A front-clip harness is helpful for dogs who pull or need a little extra support. A flat collar is also totally fine if that’s what works best for your dog. We do not use choke, pinch, or electric collars in class.

Reinforcement
Bring more treats than you think you’ll need. Mix in medium-value and high-value rewards - especially those “wow” treats your dog doesn’t get at home. A treat pouch or pockets you can reach quickly make training smoother.

Mat or Blanket
Bring a mat or small blanket your dog can comfortably lay on each week. It can be something they use at home, or something dedicated just for class.

Long-Lasting Chew
A Kong, bully stick, or other safe chew keeps your dog relaxed during settle practice and helps reinforce calm behavior.

Water & Bowl (Most of our breweries provide these - feel free to ask!)
Your dog will get thirsty, especially during warm weather or in busy environments. A travel bowl makes it easy.

Clicker or Verbal Marker
Use whichever marker you’re most comfortable with. Clear communication makes learning faster and easier.

Backpack
Optional but very helpful. Keeping all your training gear in one place makes class smoother for both of you.

Appropriate Equipment for Class

Drink With Your Dog® policy does not allow choke chains, prong, or electric collars or other aversive training tools for the purpose of testing for the DWYD Certified Brewery-Friendly Dog title. If you have previously used or currently use one of the tools listed above, your instructor would be happy to help you find an alternative tool suitable for your dog’s training needs.

Training tools that may be used in the  evaluation include one or more of the following: flat collar, front or back-clip harness, limited slip (martingale) collar.

Who Can Participate

This class is designed for adult handlers and their dogs. Because we train inside active brewery spaces, handlers must be 21 or older. 

Each dog is trained by one handler for the full class series. A single handler helps your dog learn faster, stay focused, and receive clear coaching throughout the course.

If someone in your household wants to learn alongside you, one observer is welcome to join for an additional fee. Observers must be at least 18, provide their name and email, and sign a waiver before attending. They’re there to watch, support, and learn - not to coach or handle the dog. Observers may sit with your team, and if it becomes distracting for your dog, we may simply adjust seating to help everyone stay successful.

Because this is an adult-focused class held in working brewery environments, it’s not the best setting for young children. 

If you have questions about a unique situation, just reach out - we’re always happy to help you decide what works best for your team.

 Ready for class? 👉 Sign Up! 

Say hello — we’d love to hear from you (and your pup)

Text: (984) 381-3715

Email: Jillian@TheSocialPupRaleigh.com

IG: @thesocialpup_ral