What would you think if you saw this dog?

[Tailbetweenlegs]

I’ve bought my dog a bright yellow harness and lead that say I NEED SPACE and NERVOUS in big letters. I got it because he’s a nervous rescue and doesn’t like strange dogs approaching, and can be nervous of people getting too close/if they startle him (he barked and snapped at a woman the other week who I didn’t see come running behind me which prompted me to buy this).
We’re working with a trainer and he’s improved a bit but I think there will always be a management aspect to his behaviour (fairly sure he’s not bitten anyone in his history, not let off the lead, he’s never around children so I don’t think he’s a danger to anyone).

I walked him in his new outfit today and a man rolled his eyes and dramatically jumped out of the way, a woman stopped me to ask if he was nervous (really!) and a woman with a dog walked right past with her dog staring at mine. I normally walk in quiet places, this was just a quick trip round the block and happened to be busier than normal.

So should I not bother with an I NEED SPACE lead/harness. I’m interested to hear how it comes across and what you’d think if you saw a dog in this/if you’d notice. I just mean it as a warning so people give us a bit of a wide berth so they aren’t startled if they get barked at by quite a big dog. I don’t expect people to go massively out of their way to avoid us (he’s on a short lead anyway) but I’m worried it comes across as passive aggressive or will invite attention which is the opposite of what I want. Dog people and dog haters (I know there’s a lot on here) what would you think?

[Rillington]

Your dog should be muzzled if it's snapping at people.

[Dutch1e]

I don't much like dogs and very much appreciate clear signals like this. The only problem is I'm not attuned to the details of colourful leashes & harnesses so would likely be one of the numpties who only really see a bright yellow dogcoat (or similar, the type worn by service dogs in training).

It's still much better than nothing though, and there are plenty of us who appreciate the effort.

[Bryonyshcmyony]

a man rolled his eyes dramatically and jumped out of the way

Isn't that exactly the reaction you want? I'd muzzle him if he's a snapper.

[LolaSmiles]

I used to be terrified of dogs and if I'd seen you dog and the harness back then I would have actively avoided you, if need be walking across the grass in a park to be nowhere near your dog. It would have made me worried your dog was likely to snap, pull, growl etc.

Now I'm not scared of dogs and am a dog owner myself, I'd put mine back on leads (if off lead) and would still avoid you, but it would be more passing at more than leash distance rather than actively moving away. If your dog started snapping I would wonder why it wasn't muzzled.

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Ps yes I would expect a dog with such issues to be muzzled in public.

Why though? We have a dog that’s nervous, but she just jumps back away from other dogs and cowers. Never had a hint of a snap or a growl in the years we have had her.

Because unlike your dog, OP has described their dog barking and snapping.

I dont understand why so many dogs with behaviour issues are being kept as pets. These animals do not sound suitable to be kept as pets.

[LaProcureure]

My kids like dogs, I’d be glad to see it so I knew to make them give the poor doggie a wide berth

[idontlikealdi]

There is a colour code but unfortunately only doggy people realise what it is.

DDog is blind, deaf and diabetic. We have the white blind dog one but dogs bounding up to him in the park can't read so the onus is on me as his owner to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

I'd keep with the yellow, but don't expect everyone to know what it means.

[NeedNewKnees]

I’d be more likely to steer clear of a muzzled dog than one in harness - I would probably assume the harness dog was being trained as a guide dog.

I certainly wouldn’t be aware of a colour of lead sending a message. Is that a Thing?

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

Like a pp I would associate anything bright yellow as a service dog, which are usually impeccably behaved - so it would have the opposite effect too, I wouldnt be expecting bad behaviour.

[Thefaceofboe]

I would respect you have a nervous dog and keep my distance, but I don’t think you can be annoyed about another dog ‘staring’ at yours if you’re out in public

[HoppingPavlova]

I would think you were insane taking a dog that supposedly requires a warning out amongst other people and dogs and expecting everyone to work around you. If it requires such a warning, it’s suitability yo be out in public should be questioned. Maybe take it for a walk in the midnight hours when you are not likely to come across other people or dogs, problem solved.

[BuddySpice]

I had a nervous rescue who was collie sized, clearly old and fluffy - no one seemed to believe she wasn’t friendly with other dogs even when we said it and stood in between and my partner regularly had to intercept dogs charging at us! I think the nervous harnesses are a good idea even if just to protect you and yourself dog from people who don’t control theirs. Yours is on a short lead with a visible warning and I’m sure you would verbally say so to an owner letting their dog run up too, there’s nothing else you can do. Anyone who has their dog odd lead and sees another dog on a lead should put theirs on until they pass that dog, it’s just basic courtesy. And yes we would cross roads / move out of the way of other people / take quiet routes around the park (we called our route the ‘ASBO dog path’ and avoided all the happy playing dogs in the main grassed area 😂) but if a dog is just occasionally nervous if run at I don’t think it’s fair to say they can only be walked in private hired fields and it’s impossible to totally avoid other people and dogs otherwise. People tend to respect / fear muzzles though so a soft one might do the job if your dog is snappy. Our old girl only had fewer than 10 very worn down teeth after we had to have most of them removed so even if she’d gone to snap a dog (which she never did) it would just have been very gummy

[TeanupFlutter]

I would steer clear if I noticed but honestly to be near enough to read it I'd be pretty close anyway. I've seen harnesses with names on but never a warning so I would probably assume it was a name until I was near enough to read it. My dog is always on lead anyway though and we wouldn't approach another dog without checking with an owner.

[Deadringer]

I think it's a great idea. We had a dog who didn't like being touched by strangers (fair enough) but because he was cute looking he was constantly being approached by people and stroked even when i asked them not to. He never actually bit anyone but it made walks quite stressful. I wish i had thought of something like that, though of course people probably would have ignored it anyway.

[Bryonyshcmyony]

I dont understand why so many dogs with behaviour issues are being kept as pets. These animals do not sound suitable to be kept as pets

I agree. There are so many nice natured dogs out there. Some dogs just aren't supposed to be pets.

[LolaSmiles]

idontlikealdi
To be honest, as a dog owner I struggle to keep up with all the codes. On here I regularly read "and I put a (insert colour) lead on dog" as if it's a universal language and people are meant to know what each colour means vs people who happen to have a lead.

I've got a blue lead and a green lead for my dogs. It doesn't mean anything other than they're nice thick, short leads that are robust. There were other colours but they were thinner and not what I wanted.

The only one I know is the bright yellow, usually with some warning on a harness/lead.

[YesPleaseMary]

I am not a dog person (black lab in my face at the age of 3) and I would be quite relieved of the warning actually. I have two dc and am trying to get them to always ask the owner if it’s ok to say hello to a dog, so if there’s a sign saying nervous it helps me to explain why they can’t approach.

[Alannawhorideslikeaman]

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Ps yes I would expect a dog with such issues to be muzzled in public.

Why though? We have a dog that’s nervous, but she just jumps back away from other dogs and cowers. Never had a hint of a snap or a growl in the years we have had her.

Because unlike your dog, OP has described their dog barking and snapping.

I dont understand why so many dogs with behaviour issues are being kept as pets. These animals do not sound suitable to be kept as pets.

Many are rescue dogs who have had a bad start and most are absolutely fine and loveable inside the home. Should we kill them all because they find outside walks stressful if other dogs and people approach them?
The vast majority of problems is caused by other people not knowing how to behave around dogs.
I've got a rescue lurcher who is reactive on lead. We work with a behaviourist and she has improved a huge amount but she will always find the outside world over stimulating because she wasn't socialised well as a puppy and was possibly used for hunting. We muzzle her, despite her never having harmed another person or dog because of the reactions we get from other people. She's just shouty and goes on hind legs when other dogs approach her. We constantly get loose dogs running up to her, which sends her wild. Should I have her out down, or only walk in the back of beyond (where there are deer which she wants to chase...) because a few cockerpoo owners don't know to keep their dog on the lead?
Rehabilitation is a hard and long process, but it doesn't mean they don't make good pets. She spends 90% of her day upside down in my bed, giving out kisses and tail wags.

[Bryonyshcmyony]

I've had dogs for 50 years and had no idea what lead colours mean.

Honestly, dangerous horses are put to sleep to stop them injuring people and I don't see why we aren't better at doing that with dogs. It sounds harsh but better than a life in a muzzle never off lead with the constant threat that it could bite someone.

[monkeysonthemoon]

I understand your thinking behind it but imo it's the owner's responsibility to keep a nervous/aggressive/reactive dog away from other people or dogs, not other people's responsibility to give such a dog some space. And I speak as an owner of a dog who is reactive to some dogs and occasionally people, so I'm always looking ahead and ensuring that my dog is sufficiently under control and away from the potential trouble.

[Shannith]

I had a very nervous foster lurcher who was dog reactive - she'd bark, lunge and be up on her hind legs - taller than me.

There was no bite risk to humans (she was a softly), but she wore a muzzle because if she'd got free she would have killed a small furry, no fussed what species it was. She also had a yellow harness and 2 yellow leads.

I live semi rurally and walked her at quiet times away from other dogs and shouted well ahead to people to put their dogs on lead. Despite being a very foggy area there were a couple of incidents with absolute numpties who let their small happy off lead dogs run up to her - with no recall.

I took to wearing high viz and shouting my dog will try to kill yours, put it on a lead if my nice requests/being lit up like a Belisha beacon, walking away did not work.

Muzzle- a soft one. Be very rude and give not two fucks. My dog will kill yours is very effective.

[NotTheMrMenAgain]

I have an overly friendly/affectionate Basset Hound - she wants to sniff all of the dogs and say hello to all of the humans, most of whom she thinks she already knows even when they're complete strangers! She is without a doubt the friendliest dog I've ever owned. I keep her on the lead unless we're in a secure, fenced area, because she has no recall and basically has no fucks to give. It's largely a Basset thing.

I think the harness is a good idea. I won't allow my dog to approach another unless we get a 'it's okay to sniff' sign, but the harness means I'll walk her on and if you take evasive action I'll understand why. If the harness makes you feel more comfortable, then it's a good thing.

I couldn't stop my hound from staring at yours though. She is a nosey girl - she often sits and stares at other dogs as they walk past on the other side of the street, in a rather drastic fashion.

[Bryonyshcmyony]

Be very rude and give not two fucks. My dog will kill yours is very effective

Jesus. If your dog killed my dog it would be you who would be to blame, lead or no lead.

[CustardGoodJamGoodMeatGood]

I'd think you were being responsible by letting people know, I'd pop my dog on a lead and give you a bit of space!

[FrangipaniBlue]

People suggesting a muzzle for a nervous dog clearly know fuck all about canine behaviour - it's the last thing you should do because you are taking away their only defence mechanism thus enhancing their level of fear!

Muzzle for an aggressive dog yes, but for a nervous dog - absolutely not.

You are doing the right thing OP and I would know to walk wide around you.

It's not about people giving way to you as some have suggested, because I'm sure you try to move as well. But it's difficult to move away sometimes when people continue to walk directly at you! It's about consideration for each other.