Has dog, will dine. Tips for taking your pup to Louisville's dog-friendly dining spots

The weather is finally starting to warm up, which means it's time for dining outside with your furry best friend. Louisville is the trifecta: We've got great food, all the bourbon and we're one dog-friendly town, so you and doggo can spend many a meal just where you want to be — together.

Fair weather finds my big pup Cassius (“Cash”) Thunderpaws making the rounds of the dog-friendly restaurant patios in town. I'll share some of our favorites and those of our friends in the dog set, but first things first — let's talk about being good citizens with our pups.

We know you love your dog, but how do you know if your dog is ready to join you for a dinner out on the town? Tyler Ohlmann of Rosie Dane Dog Training — where Cash trained to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test — has some tips.

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(Brace yourself; he doesn't pull any punches.)

“Canine etiquette at restaurants is extremely important, as it's the only thing that allows us to continue to have that fun option,” Ohlmann said. “Every time I see a dog poop on a patio, or nearly trip a waiter, or bark obnoxiously, I wonder if that place will still be so dog friendly next time.”

And there are some non-negotiables when it comes to taking your pup to dinner, Ohlmann said.

“A dog should be 100 percent house trained. The time to work on house training is not a restaurant. If you're looking to train your dog to hold it elsewhere, begin at a family member's house who understands," he said.

And when you are ready to make that first trip out, "have poop bags on hand. It is absolutely unacceptable to be caught without them if an emergency happens,” he said.

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We can all second this one: “A dog should also be quiet when told,” Ohlmann said. “We may love dogs and find it forgivable, [but] a very large cross section of the public doesn't even like dogs when they're quiet puppies."

Groans from those diners "quickly become complaints to management. So train your dog to stop barking when you tell them [to]," he said.

And this one's going to take some work, folks.

Before going out to eat with you, the dog “should be able to ignore social distractions,” Ohlmann said. “This means he shouldn't be pulling his owner down to go investigate the people staring at him or talking to him. He shouldn't be jumping on the server when the server ignores him or, even more difficult gives him a treat," he said.

And while thorough obedience training will result in "a dog who can be kept under control in those kinds of high distraction situations, people need to take an honest inventory of what their dog is capable of and what their commitment to homework in those training classes prepared them for," he said.

Think you're ready to go? Hold up. Always confirm it's OK to take your dog to the restaurant first. Patio does not necessarily equate with dogs allowed. And as Ohlmann said, things can change.

And for our fellow diners at dog-friendly restaurants, here's a giant request for you: Please (please!) don't pet our dogs without permission. That's a good rule of thumb anytime.

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OK, with that covered, on to our dog-friendly go-to spots:

Garage Bar, 700 E Market St.

When we need pizza and people watching it's off to Garage Bar in NuLu where there's plenty to entertain Cash.

Lydia House, 1101 Lydia St.

If it's brunchtime and we're after the Hot Mess to soak up Saturday night's fun, we're headed to the back patio at this Germantown standby.

Monnik, 1036 E Burnett Ave.

We love the big patio out back, where there's plenty of room for your pooch to wag his tail without hitting somebody else's plate. Staff is great about bringing a bowl of water.

Old Louisville Brewery, 625 W Magnolia Ave.

OK, this one's not a restaurant, but on a nice day you can sit out back and let your dog play in the fenced in lawn while you sip a craft brew. They love pups here, donating proceeds from certain brews to local rescues, and canine customers get OLB dog biscuits. Our guy has grown up here.

Pearl of Germantown, 1151 Goss Ave.

It's also not a restaurant but this is Louisville and bourbon is a food group. Also, you can have pizza delivered to this laid-back Germantown bar. Dogs, a free jukebox, and wallet-friendly Old Fashioneds: what more can you ask for?

Royals Hot Chicken, 736 E Market St.

Fried chicken for the humans, a parade of NuLu passers-by for the pup to watch: win/win.

But wait, there's more. We asked around for some more pup parents' picks and there are plenty. Here are 10 more dog-friendly places:

3rd Turn Brewery, 10408 Watterson Trail Blind Squirrel, 592 N English Station Rd. Comfy Cow, various locations Double Dogs, 13307 Shelbyville Rd. Great Flood Brewing Company, 2120 Bardstown Rd. Grind Burger Kitchen, 829 E. Market St. Red Hot Roasters, 1007 E. Main St. Saint's, 131 Breckenridge Ln Selena's, 10609 La Grange Rd. The Post, 1045 Goss Ave.

Tell Dana! Send your restaurant “Dish” to Dana McMahan at thecjdish@gmail.com and follow @danamac on Twitter.

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