Yappy Hour: Ten Tail-Wagging Tips to Enhance Your Embarkment

Happy Hour has gone to the dogs. It’s true. Now you can let loose with your pooch at a Yappy Hour near you. It’s a spot-on embarkment and we’ve got some helpful hints for both hounds and humans to help ensure your adventure is a tail-wagging experience.
What is Yappy Hour? Yappy Hour is a lot like Happy Hour for humans except it caters to canines as well as their owners. During a designated time, usually in the afternoon, participating establishments treat dogs and their owners to special incentives such as free or reduce priced drinks and snacks. It’s a great chance to unleash and unwind, especially after a ruff day. The event may be held inside the bar area or outside on the patio or in the yard. Sometimes there are additional perks too like contests and activities.
Since our furry friends don’t indulge in alcoholic beverages, they are accommodated with other K9 friendly amenities. Some Yappy Hours feature H2O bars where dogs can drink in the lap of luxury with various flavored waters like chicken, beef, bacon or vegan. Doggie treats are often served too.
Some establishments go all out for Yappy Hour like the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey where in addition to the food and drink festivities, dogs can enjoy a dip in the pool or jump onto the agility course.
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Southern California is big on Yappy Hour. Pooches are pampered with fancy flavored water while their owners can relax and sip on an alcoholic beverage with such names as Unleashed Chardonnay, Play Dead or Merlot Over. The hotel bar cordially invites prospective participants to “bark their calendar” for the scheduled dates and times which can be found on their website. On a side note, the proceeds from Yappy Hour at this Ritz-Carlton go to benefit the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence.
Denver is hailed as one of the most dog friendly cities in the world so of course there are a number of Yappy Hours to be found around town. The Bark Bar features a dog-friendly establishment all the time where dogs are welcome inside as long as they are under voice control and can also romp in the puppy play area out back. The designated Yappy Hour is daily from 4-7 p.m. with $1 off beer, wine and well drinks (for humans, of course). Special drink prices for the official Yappy Hour happens daily from 4-7 p.m. Bowser beer (a.k.a. chicken broth) is available for those with paws and wet noses.
The Watering Bowl is Denver’s first dog-friendly tavern so they certainly celebrate Yappy Hour. But that’s not all they have. On Wednesdays, they have Mutt Mic where your dog can possibly become the next American Idol, or is that Idog? This tavern also hosts Dog Weddings and Bark Mitzvas too and they are set up to do it well with a 7000 square foot private dog park on the premises and two fully stocked bars.
Yappy Hour doesn’t always happen at the bar. Sometimes it’s on the beach, at the river or in the mountains. You’ll find all sorts of fun going on like Silly Dog Games, talent contests and so much more.
Wineries are big on Yappy Hours too like Keswick Vineyards in Keswick, Virginia. At his beautiful winery your dog can play while you enjoy a glass (or two) of wine. A portion of the proceeds go to help dog rescue organizations. The Wine Den in Mount Dora, Florida is another proud Yappy Hour host establishment where the dogs have so much fun, there’s never a reason to whine but their owners sure do, wine, that is.
Yappy Hour is trending! Bars, Taverns and Pubs are catching on to the craze from coast to coast. You can find out if there is one near you by doing a search online, checking with patrons at dog parks and other locations where dog people frequent or you might check with your veterinarian or favorite pet shop. BringFido.com is another great source for locating Yappy Hours across the nation.
If you are considering treating yourself and your four-legged friend to Yappy Hour, here are ten tips you might find helpful:
Socialization. If your pup is great around people and other dogs, chances are he will do well at Yappy Hour too. On the other paw, if he has issues with either, you might want to help him work on them before venturing out.
Tag your friend. Most bars require you to have proof of your dog’s current rabies tag and/or dog license. While this may seem a little intrusive and inconvenient, it helps keep people and pooches safe and since that includes your dog and yourself…it’s all good.
Beat the heat. In an attempt to prevent “over heating”, some facilities only allow dogs that have been spayed or neutered. These places may require proof that your pup is “fixed” so don’t be surprised if you are asked for paperwork or a link to his medical records.
Dress for success. A good number of establishments don’t allow spiked, pronged or choke collars.
Doggie Bags. To avoid potential problems, bringing your pup’s personal items such as toys or food is usually discouraged.
The scoop on poop. As with any other place you go with your pooch, picking up the poo is just what you do. Most establishment will provide a designated potty area and poop bags too.
Manners matter. It’s important that your dog minds his manners. Yappy Hours are set aside for well-behaved dogs. Generally there is fairly strict security set in place to make sure that both canines and companions are safe.
Time out. If your dog gets out of line, don’t be surprise if he is asked to go to time out. Some establishments hosting Yappy Hours adamantly insist that unruly dogs spend some time in the corner to work on better behavior. If you can, try to not be offended and get all hairy if this happens. We aren’t perfect and neither are our furry friends so the best advice is to count it as a learning experience. Besides, pup parenting is progress, not perfection, right?
Try, try again. If at first your pup does not succeed at his first Yappy Hour, or if, for whatever reason, you don’t feel he’s a good candidate to even give it a roll, don’t feel like an underdog. There is hope. He’ll get over the hurdle with a little help!
Some dogs don’t warm up to the idea of Yappy Hour until they’ve been exposed to it a time or two. You might try taking him in for a just few minutes the first time. The next trip, stay a little longer and gradually build up. Soon, he’ll most likely love it.
Perhaps your dog exhibits unwanted behavior like anxiousness, aggression or maybe he’s even too friendly. If any of these ring true, chances are Yappy Hour is not the only activity the two of you are missing out on. Dog parks, dog beaches and just a walk around the block all require a certain amount of socialization so you might want to pick up a book on dog training, enroll in an obedience training class or even enlist the help of a professional trainer.
Call ahead. Yappy Hour rules and regulations vary from place to place so it’s a good idea to call ahead to get the scoop firsthand so you and your bff aren’t caught off guard.
Yappy Hour is definitely the lick when it comes to a great way to unleash and unwind with your favorite four-legged friend. Now that you know a little more about what to expect and what is expected of you and your dog, hopefully the two of you will get to dig one soon!