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Location: Wiltshire UK
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 14,404
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Originally Posted by
astle9
My Border is a bit of a ****** to be honest and does not like strangers touching him without permission, i have him under control and on a lead but i have been caught out a few times when people have just stooped to say hello without warning and he has acted aggressively, i have looked but i cannot find a collar with a worded warning such as 'no touching' or something similar, he wears a Julius k9 harness so maybe a velcro patch with a warning on it, somewhere must sell these.
Thank you.
Right, first of all you have prior knowledge that your dog is not comfortable in certain situations so therefore your first responsibility is to ensure that he is never put in a position where he puts others at risk; you, as his owner, have a duty of care not only to him (and your dog does not actually have to BITE a person to be pursued under the DDA); in addition, you have a duty of care to OTHERS who may be affected by your actions or inactions.
The hierarchy of controls in ANY situation, is first to eliminate risk and only THEN, if you cannot, put in other measures.
It is a no brainer really, as there can be NO possible justification for NOT muzzling your dog. You cannot control OTHERS but you CAN control your dog. Failure to do so not only leaves you liable to criminal prosecution but also to a civil suit due to negligence.
Is it worth taking risks with a) your dog's life b) the life of others and c) do you have money to burn?
Putting on a collar or coat with a specific warning on, will not materially reduce the risk to:
illiterate people,
people who do not have English as a first language,
children too young to read,
the visually impaired
Dyslexic etc etc etc.
mentally handicapped
So, teach your dog to accept a muzzle happily and maintain his safety and that of others. A basket muzzle is the most practical as a dog can drink, pant and even have treats.
HTH