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?

I think if I saw a bright harness from some distance I would expect it to be an assistance dog, which is probably the opposite of what you want, as people would expect an assistance dog to be docile and stay out of trouble
Ditto

FrangipaniBlue its not the non dog owning general public's responsibility to study canine behaviour so that the OP can absolve herself of responsibility for her dog biting people because it has a yellow harness though! The dog's owner needs to prevent the dog biting people and/ or attacking other dogs! She's admitted already in her first post that it snaps at joggers!

FrangipaniBlue the Ops dog snaps.

I know that yellow means nervous, so I’d defo adjust my behaviour (not make any attempt to greet your dog, I jog a lot and would probably call to you if coming from behind), BUT I’d also expect the dog handler to know JUST how much space is needed rather than expecting me to guess.

If you were walking towards me and didn’t make any attempt to create space, I would assume additional space wasn’t needed.

If he snapped at a person on the pavement then he needs to be muzzled in public. I know it restricts his ability to defend himself if attacked by a dog, but if he bites a person they could sue you plus he’d be seized and destroyed.

What if he bit a child?

You can’t stop kids running up behind him or startling him. You can’t expect everyone to read the harness. You need to take the initiative and get out of peoples way or hold him between your legs if you see people coming.

I say this as the owner of a large dog-reactive dog who is very friendly with all humans but dislikes most dogs. His red warning harness mostly goes unnoticed. I try to avoid places with off lead dogs, and if we have to pass a dog on a lead I stop, try to get off the path, get him to sit between my knees and hold tight so he doesn’t bark and lunge.

He’s always on a lead in public. The only reason he’s not muzzled is he’s affectionate and calm with people. If an off lead dog attacks him (and they have) a muzzle stops him defending himself.

I'd respect the sign if I could see it as I'm an animal lover and understand the intent, but I've also got poor eyesight and might not be able to read the text in time to give you as wide a berth as you'd like. Still, it might be better than nothing.

Much better than not having it! The man sounds like a dickhead. The two women’s behaviour/ remarks were neither here nor there.

I have seen this before and thought 'good'. It saves awkward conversations about whether the dog is friendly. Can you stroke it etc. And if you thought it was an assistance dog, you shouldn't be petting it anyhoo, it's a working dog.

@FrangipaniBlue the dog has already snapped at someone. It's not safe to be out in public.

I also have a yellow 'nervous' lead for my dog, mostly people are great, they will clock it call their dogs back and put them on lead. Some don't notice and some don't care, but I'd say it's still definitely worth having.

You need to muzzle your dog.

You cannot control what other people do, but you must remember that people are selfish idiots. They WILL let their kids run up and grab the dog, they WILL let their dogs run up to a dog on a lead. They dont care.

You need be proactive. it's your responsibility and it's the only way to make sure your dog does not lash out and bite, because if that happens, you're in hot water. Even if the dog is provoked.

Remember, people are idiots. Muzzle the dog.

I really appreciate dog owners who do this. We no longer have a dog (old boy pts a few years back) but my daughter loves them, she asks to stroke every dog we see, unless they have a 'nervous' or other harness on. She knows to give them space, not ask and to just look on lovingly!

I have a dog and have heard that if a dog has a yellow harness then I should definitely not let my dog walk up to it for a sniff.

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.
The man probably thought your dog looked quiet and didn't understand the point of the warning signs. The woman was chatting and thought you'd explain a bit more about him being nervous. The dog walker saw yours was on a leash and didn't allow her dog to go up to yours. These reactions don't seem too weird to me?

I’m a dog person and would take it at face value- that your dog needed space. I’d probably clock the colour of the harness and automatically think it was signifying a dog in training or another issue and then I’d put it straight out of my head and give you space if I had to pass you

FrangipaniBlue
If a dog is so nervous that they snap at people and a muzzle isn't appropriate for the dog because they'll be even more cared then the responsibility lies with the dog's owner to exercise the dog somewhere where they are not liable to snap at random members of the public.

There are some irresponsible dog owners out there, and some of them think that their dog being reactive/nervous/snappy means that everyone else should pay attention to their dog and avoid perfectly normal behaviour (like walking along a pavement or jogging) in order to avoid triggering their dog.

I'd assume you had a rescue dog and think "good on you!".

I've dealt with a nervous rescue and he is much, much better now although it's been a long and sometimes difficult road. I have had people being extremely kind to me about the dog, extremely unpleasant and anywhere in between. The kind people haven't always been the recipients of good behaviour from my dog, nor have the unkind ones always been the recipients of bad behaviour.

It seems a shame that your "warning" harness is seemingly being viewed as some sort of passive aggressive statement by some; I see it as someone asking for help for a dog who may well not have had a very good start in life. Be patient and hopefully in time your efforts will pay off and you and your dog will have enjoyable walks together.

The reactions aren't weird at all. You and your dog aren't a priority for everyone who walks past.

Good idea OP! But trust MN to go off on a tangent as usual. I’d just try to keep a bigger distance personally but I’m not horrible to people or animals.

The problem is that some people ignore the yellow lead or don’t know what it means and lots of people have their dogs off lead with no ability to recall them.

If your dog were only reacting to other dogs, the fact that you keep them on lead (under control) and have the obvious warnings would be enough for now. Muzzles can make anxious dogs more anxious. Unfortunately you need to talk to your trainer about muzzle training your dog because of this - ’he barked and snapped at a woman the other week who I didn’t see come running behind me’. The world is full of runners, cyclists on road bikes that can be near silent on the right surface, children and teenagers who suddenly shriek or move unpredictably. It’s going to be a lot safer for your dog to wear a muzzle.

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

If your dog was off lead and attacked an on lead dog, or got into the face of an on lead dog, or pestered it, and the on-lead dog attacked and killed yours whilst still on a lead... surely that’s your fault for letting your dog approach?

I can’t stop off lead dogs getting into my dog’s face, usually the owner is smart enough to recall or the dog senses mine isn’t friendly, but if a dog attacks whilst on lead you can’t really do anything save try to drive away the other dog!

I found that the "I need space"/"nervous" ones don't do alot. People don't really know in what way. What works for mine is the "NO DOGS" collar paired with an "in training" coat, it's clear what I'm saying, people do respond by putting their dogs on leads and giving her space.

I have a reactive rescue dog so would know exactly what your lead/harness meant. I'd expect you to be trying to keep a bit of distance from other people/dogs and would help you with that by keeping my dog on a lead, giving you a bit of space and not looking directly at your dog. I'd not feel the need to jump out of your way, but wouldn't rush up towards you etc and not leave you time/space to get away from me. I regularly see someone walking a dog with a yellow lead/harness and do this- we usually exchange a silent nod of understanding. But I know I'm in the minority.

Like yours, my dog has never bitten but will bark/lunge if someone/something comes too close and if they ignore that he has sometimes 'air-snapped'. I find a muzzle is more effective than a harness for encouraging people to give him some distance and put their dogs on lead. The other side of this is that under UK law people you can be prosecuted for having a dangerously out of control dog if people say they are afraid they will be bitten (not actual bite has to take place). I am aware, from my reactive dog group, that there have been occasions where people have had to fight for their dog not to be pts even though it has not hurt anyone. Having a muzzle (as well as lead) on the dog is a really good defence to any such argument. Also, especially if your dog is bigger and louder, if he lost it and bit an offlead dog that came rushing up to him and scaring him you would be legally in the wrong even if you warned the owner to keep their dog away. A muzzle will protect you against this.

There are some great videos online about muzzle training. My dog considers his to be a magic food dispensing party hat and gets really excited when he sees it. A well fitting muzzle does not hurt the dog.

I would guess it's a nervous dog from the colour. However although I will then put mine on the lead, I expect you to move out of our way as it's your dog with the problem. If you don't want us walking what you consider to be too close, then go out of the way. Also if your dog were to strain on the lead, and reach my dog and be aggressive, I would be very angry.

I'm happy to control my dog, but owners of potentially aggressive dogs need to be taking all precautions and responsibility.

I call my dog back if I seen any dog on a lead and I hold her collar for the few seconds it takes to pass ( more for the owner, if we are in the woods my dog is oblivious to other dogs) but I would walk past as normal I wouldn't expect to move out of the way. I'd expect the nervous dog owner to move to the side as they know how much space their dog can tolerate.

My dog can be nervous and reactive so it's my job to put him on the lead when I see other dogs approaching. I tell their owners, mine is nervous, and they usually put theirs back on the lead. I don't understand the lead colours and don't expect anyone to give me extra space. To be honest no-one would read what's on your dogs harness until they're very close, which is probably too close. I wait at the side until larger dogs have passed, say good morning and that mines nervous and move on. Why don't you try verbally communicating this with other dog owners, they'll recognise you and will avoid your dog. People are generally nice and understanding if you explain.