Pet Blog
Collar Color Code needed?
We are so tired of hearing stories about people who randomly approach other people’s dogs and assume they can pet them. The owners even ask them NOT to approach and the stranger does it anyway – often saying “oh, dogs love me, it’s okay”. Why does everyone think they have doggie magic and dogs won’t bite them?
I remember being taught from a very young age NOT to pet someone else’s dog without permission. I even forgot that rule once and was promptly bitten – lesson learned the hard way. So we have a solution…
For those of you who have ridden horses in the show ring you are taught not to come behind a horse with a red ribbon on their tail because the horse will kick. If you do ride up on this horse and you are kicked then it is your fault because the message was clear and you ignored it.
So if dogs were to wear color coded collars then the stranger would have a clear, universal sign about the dog’s temperament. Green collar means ‘safe to approach’, yellow collar means ‘in training, not predictable’ and the red collar means ‘DO NOT approach under any circumstances’.
The biters could even wear a vest with lettering on it that says ‘DO NOT APPROACH!!’ I don’t know how long it will take for the world to catch on but something has to be done. Should we start a ‘Collar Color Code Campaign’? What do you think?
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In my opinion if a dog’s temperment doesn’t allow for strangers to pet it, the dog should be kept at home, it obviously has no right being in our society.
I disagree with this 100%.
Untamed dogs just like untamed gorillas have every right to share our planet and our society…but if you keep one as a pet it’s 100% your responsibility to keep society safe.
Agreed with Marko
Keeping a dog locked away from the world isn’t the answer.
The best policy is always to ask the owner. If they do not and go in for a pet it is the owner’s responsibility to warn.
Just like I’m sure not everyone likes the proverbial pat on the back, not every dog likes to be pet by strangers!
I think that is a great idea I totally disagree with Morgan. I own a dog who is not approachable by strangers he will bite. He has issues and I do not put him in situations that could be a danger to him or someone else. Morgan should I lock him in a closet or better yet have him pts. I am guessing you agree with the PB ban as well. My dog is not a pit but was never properly socialized with dogs or people other than the family who owned him and then wonder why he bit. There should be a law against stupid people owning dogs but there is not. I think this would be a great system but the public is so dense how long till they catch on. People ask if they can pat him I say no but they like you said “ooh I am so good with dogs they love me” well Clark does not love you and will bite you. But they still try and then when he starts to bark and lunge at them they yell at me. Well if they would have listened there would be no problem. Funny but Clark does have a red collar. I would have no problem putting something on him with a warning. I know what he is capable of and I do not want anyone harmed.
Luckily, the Border Collie that I grew up with had obedience training and was very approachable. I understand each dog has their own personality. If allowed by the owner, I’ve always put my hand out to a dog to allow it to sniff me and if it was accepting of me and wagging his tail, sensing affection. Well lets just say the dogs gave me permission. I honestly believe that even if the owner grants permission that their dog should as well and I’ve never been bit yet, knock on wood. Now if you are the owner of a dog that doesn’t do well with strangers, maybe it might be a good idea to put a nozzle on it when allowing it to run about or just even taking it for a walk.
I completely agree with mastifflover…all dogs have different personalities and Have been through different situations and had different lifes….I have a rescued Border Collie/Blue Heeler who is an AMAZING dog when he gets to know you in HIS OWN way…because he WAS so mistreated, he is not comftorable around certain people and certain “vibes”. So when he is approached by someone running at him to pet him or someone grabbing him, yes, he is going to defend himself, due to the horrible things and cruel people he was exposed to before we rescued him. Dogs remember things. Just like we do. If you have a person who has been beat their whole life, then taken away from that crappy situation, and placed in a safe enviorment, but someone yells at them or lifts their hand in an aggressive manner, the automatic reaction of that person is to protect themself. They are not TRYING to hurt the person who starttled them, it’s just a habbit. Should they be put to sleep? Or should they have the same chance to learn to live and enjoy life the same as someone who has had a perfect, safe, life does? The same for dogs…you never know what a dog has been through. They can look perfectly content, but if you starttle that dog or put it in an uncomfortorable situation, you DONT know what that animal is capable of. I constantly tell kids AND their parents, DONT LET THEM RUN UP ON “JAKE”, but it’s like the parents and kids think I’m bluffing, and just like said above, as soon as he growls or barks at them TO WARN THEM MORE BEFORE BITING, they get mad at me and act like I AM the ignorant jerk! He is learning, but the terror of what that baby has gone through, is still in the back of his mind, and always will be. Plus, he is protective over me and my family….are dogs not supposed to protect their family? Are they supposed to let some thug attack and mug their 70 yr old owner who is just out on a walk? I don’t think so!! The purpose of dogs is for protection, companionship, love, and loyalty. I would DEFINATLY be willing to color code my dog’s collar for the public, even though society should be respectful and bright enough to be cautious of stranger’s dogs. You aren’t going to run up or let your kids run up to a stray dog with foam coming out of his mouth are you? (well, some of you ignorant people out there would) So why can’t you just treat every dog as dangerous, until told otherwise by the OWNER!! The person who know EVERYTHING about the dog!!! I also have 2 Labs…one white and one yellow. They are extremely loving and love to meet new people all the time. I have raised them from puppies, so they have never been in a bad enviorment or bad situation, but they STILL don’t care for people just running up and petting them, or kids running up and pulling their ears and tugging on their eyes INFRONT OF THEIR PARENTS! It’s the same as pregnant women walking through the mall and some stranger coming up and rubbing their belly WITHOUT permission! It’s RUDE, and you NEVER know what’s going to happen! That is THEIR bubble, THEIR personal space, and you are invading it! You get a mad pregnant lady, or an upset dog, and the outcome isn’t going to be pleasant! So STOP being SO STUPID! Ask the owner before going up to strange dogs and acting as they are your own! It takes 5 seconds to ask how the dog is going to react, an I promise, it will save alot of time, pain and money just with those few words…”may I pet yor dog? Is he friendly?” and if the owner tells you “No, he doesn’t do well with strangers,” WHO CARES! it’s a DOG! There are TONS of them around that WILL allow you to pet them! That is NOT the last dog in the world! Get over it! So please, quit being so DANG IGNORANT!!!!!!
Message to Morgan:
Morgan, I’d like to know how you would feel if all day long strangers came up to you and started to pat you on the head without asking you for permission.
For some stupid reason or another society seems to think that dogs should tolerate this as well, and there is nothing farther from the truth. I’m sure we’ve often heard about the dog who one day, all of a sudden turned around and bit someone without notice. These dogs are the ones that finally get fed up and lose their tolerance.
If you observe two dogs introducing themselves to each other, you’ll see that they poster, gesture, sniff butts, they do this positively or ngatively depending on the chemistry, but I can guarantee you the the dog who puts a paw on the neck, back or head of another dog, is a dog looking to dominate and looking for a fight…. yet we humans seem to think it’s a perfectly acceptable act to pat a dog on the head that we don’t know. Please need to learn that not all dogs are tolerant to this and act with wisdom and education. It is because we are trying to breed dogs to adapt to human stupidity that we run into problems. We as humans have lost too much of our own sensibility when it comes to animals. Some of us are downright stupid about it.
All dogs have the right to be here with us on our planet. There is nothing written anywhere that says that people have the right to walk up to you, or your dog and start to handle them. Dogs are not humans and people need to learn to respect that.
Food For Thought
I Think a petition shouldbm be made, and if there’s enough signatures, we can see where things will go from there.
Though it’s a nice idea, it’s gonna take a long while to materialize.
When I am out walking my dog I honestly do not always enjoy people stopping to pet her. They do not ask and just go straight for the dog. The majority of people do not even know how to approach a dog properly so it is their fault if they are bitten. Yes peopple do give me looks when I ask them not to but they should also understand that it is not their dog and actually have no right without asking permission. More and more parents these days are not teaching their children that it is very important to ask before petting because depending on the dog it could be dangerous.
It is one thing to teach our pets to behave in public but how do we go about teaching the public to behave with our pets…..
Yeah It was implemented the same in our region. Local government unit was able to formulate a bill to have this system to pets especially the dogs. There are lot of issues of missing pet dogs. To battle the issue this bill was formulated.
Marko has a good Idea. You could also use a yellow collar for for who are going to jump a other dogs if you bring them too close.
It is appalling just how many innocent dogs are punished and even put down – or in my view MURDERED – all because of human idiocy. I’m sorry, but if the owner says “please do not pet my dog” and you do it anyways, YOU DESERVE A GOOD BITE!!! What part of “please do not pet my dog” do you not understand???? And yes, I can certainly understand why dogs would eventually lose their tolerance for people just randomly coming up and petting them on the head. Even if the dog is friendly, you should hold out your hand and allow him/her to sniff you and give you HIS OR HER permission to put your hands on them.
In answer to the question, if people won’t listen to someone who says “please do not pet my dog”, I don’t think they’ll have the intelligence to figure out any kind of a colour-coding system, or even a jacket that has “I WILL BITE YOU – PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH ME” printed on it in blinking hot pink letters. What we need to do is treat bites like car accidents – figure out whose fault it was, then punish the correct party. So if someone just walks up and pets a dog sans permission and gets bit, they get fined. If the owner is present and fails to say “don’t pet my dog – he/she is not friendly” then the owner should be fined. The only problem with this is you need a reliable witness or a video camera.
Nonetheless, as many of my fellow commenters have pointed out, it is the OWNER’S responsibility, not the dog’s, to give warning if their dogs don’t like other people.
Folks, if someone tells you “don’t pet my dog” then do yourself, the dog, and the dog’s owner a huge favour – DON’T. PET. THE. DOG.
Thank you Crystal.
It constantly amazes me how society tries to make us dumber and dumber, and unfortunately, it s working!!!!
I totally agree. If people can’t follow a simple instruction, they aren’t smart enough to decipher colour coding either.
You have no idea who many people have trouble following a simple command like; “Don’t touch my dog”. or worse – people who think it’s absolutely acceptable to be able to walk up to any dog and assume it’s ok to touch them just because they feel like it.
What is wrong with using a muzzle? If you know that your dog is unpredictable, this is surely the easiest way of preventing an issue? If a small child sees a coloured collar on a dog, the child will not know the difference. In a scenario like being on the beach or in the park, children and adults need to feel free to enjoy the space without worrying about pet behaviour.
If dogs are in training, such as rescue dogs that have just been found and are undergoing assessments, they should wear a jacket to show this. That way people will respect the dogs and dog handler and won’t be tempted to try to pet the dogs. If this is a legal requirement, and is clear legislation that the whole general public know about, it should prevent bite incidents. If a member of the public ignores this and gets injured, that is thier consequence and the dog should not be the target (unless the case is severe).
You dog is your responsibility.
You can act all high and mighty and try to shift the blame, but in the end, if your dog was not properly socialized or trained and is prone to displaying aggression towards strangers, you are accountable. It’s easy to blame the victim, but it’s not right. There wouldn’t be victims if you eliminated the risk.
Trying to get on the moral high horse and saying rescue dogs have special needs? Meet those needs. It is your dog. Special needs mean special owner responsibility. So be responsible. This is common sense, people.
You are correct to say dogs have personalities. And as the dog’s owner, you know this better than anyone else. Is your dog at risk of biting? Take the necessary action and muzzle it in public. You want a warning to strangers that the dog may bite? Know what? A muzzle does wonders.
People like dogs. Strangers will want to pet your dog. If you can’t handle this, limit where you take your dog or muzzle it to avoid conflict.
It sounds a bit like some of you owners are not properly socialized either.
It’s a great idea to have the color coded collar, even though it might take a bit to catch up on what the colors mean. But I’m Pro the idea
I think people should take responsibility for themselves. If you run up to a dog and start reaching towards them and you get bit well you deserve it! Would you run up to random people on the street and start rubbing your hands all over them? No you wouldn’t (i hope not) it would be considered assault! I truly think there are too many people with serious entitlement issues and feel as though they have the right to pet other peoples dogs even if the dog and owner do not want them to. If you want to pet a dog so bad then maybe you should buy one or adopt one! If you see someones cat in a window do you go up to their house and insist on being able to pet it? Again I hope not!
I’m so embarrassed
A few weeks ago I popped into the grocery store for a quick shop and as I rushed by the ATM machine a lady was using it and beside her was the cutest dog !!! It looked like a toy or miniature spaniel – so cute – and it had boots on its short legs – almost all the way up to its stomach.
I stopped in my tracks and bent down to see it and rubbed behind its ears.
i know, I know !!
The lady told me not to pet it as it was a support dog – I was so taken aback by its sweetness and funny looking snow boots I didnt even notice that its winter jacket had printed on it that it was a
assist dog.
I can’t believe I did that; but will be much more careful in future. So I am not sure if a coloured collar would be enough; and some children may not remember the colour code, and also some adults, and some adults are colour blind.
My dog wears a Gentle Leader when i walk her because she pulls me (my husband uses the expandable leashes). The Gentle Leader doesnt hurt her, but I am sure she could not bite anyone with it on (not that I think she ever would bite)…. but couldn’t someone who has a dog that is prone to biting just put a gentle leader type head harness on while its in public?
Sorry, I am not as familiar with the problem as other commenters here; just trying to make a suggestion.
Just because people love dogs, does not give them a right to come up and touch. People love babies, but is it acceptable to touch someone elses child without permission? Why would a family pet (who some reguard AS their child) be any different? Dogs known to bite or be overly protective of their family pack should be muzzled when in public to protect both the public and themselves (from being put down) but they have every right to be out in the world without being bombarded by touchy feely hands just like every human being out there!
I am not sure why we equate a dog with a human baby.
Of course, I do…. actually, Lucy is our “grand-dog” and we treat her like a grandchild BUT in the real world, she is a DOG.
Every been to a ceremony where certificates are handed out? Why is the presenter (if a man) shakes the recipient’s hands of the men, but kisses the women on the cheek???
Perhaps the next time a man who is not my husband pecks me on the cheek I will bite his nose off !!
I agree that dogs should be out in the world…. but does that include a
store? What interest would a dog have in shopping at Home Depot?
I wonder if you’ll consider how you’d feel if someone you didn’t know walked up to you or your baby and stuck their face in yours or your baby’s. It’s the chimpanzee in us that does this, but dogs aren’t chimps, and we need to remember that. I agree that the dog had no business in a crowded store, which probably only added to it’s angst, but the store employee had no business to assume that every dog is interested in being her friend either.
Truly, we are often a dumb, dumb species sometimes.
I don’t think a collar code would help because some people just seem to do whatever they want to do anyway. If you tell someone not to touch your dog and they choose to ignore you and start grabbing at your dog anyway, that type of person will not care if a dog is wearing a coded collar. These are the same people go through red lights and stop signs and then claim they are the victim when they cause an accident.
Lindsay posted :”There wouldn’t be victims if you eliminated the risk.”
If someone is given a warning and they chose to ignore it, that person is not a victim, that person is deliberately putting this or her self in harms way. If you stupid things, bad things happen!!!
When I was in school i was told not to approach strange dogs or pet them without asking for permissions from the owner – now keep in mind I was 7 years old at that time and many years later I still remember those words of caution.
I have no sympathy for people who can’t follow simple common sense. I don’t care if the dog is wear a cute coat or little boots or has the most adorable haircut – if its not my dog then I have no need to touch it !
When you see a nice car parked on the street you admire it from a distance – use the same idea when you see a cute dog and everyone involved we leave happy and bite free!
If someone really can’t control their need to touch dogs then they should volunteer at a shelter and focus their attention to a good cause.
How about inventing dog shirts that the dog wear that says in big letters WARNING I BITE
Ha ha, good idea Nina – and maybe some humans should wear similar shirts: “Don’g bug me to-day, I’m in a bad mood”
Seriously, though, the day I petted the dog, it HAD a jacket on – As I have said, I should have known better but … in the moment…..
My young nephew had been told time and time again NOT to run into the road…. but one day, he forgot, and ran after his little toy car – I’ll spare you the details – he is now in his 40s and has “inflicted brain damage.”
Are people saying that they have never done something they ought not to – tasted a grape in the grocery store, kissed a woman on the cheek that they don’t even know (and vice versa) at a ceremony….. put their hand on a co-employee’s shoulder, etc. etc.
Of course it is wise not to touch anyone’s dog but your own, but we are human (and as someone just said – like chimps.) So, if you concede we have some chimp instinct, perhaps we are drawn towards dogs and cats and want to hug them or show them our love.
A LOT of advertizing needs to be done on this subject as people are still touching others dogs and babies AND are still getting bitten (not yet by the babies).
My sympathy, even as a dog owner, still lies with the employee who was bitten and nothing said will change MY mind – sorry.
Even when I didn’t own a dog, I was respectful of them because I was taught as a child that no matter how friendly a dog is, you don’t approach/grab a strange dog unless the owner said it was okay, because you could get bit.
As a society, we know even the nicest, most tolerant dogs can snap one day. Over the smallest matter.
I’ve also now worked with rescues who are fear aggressive and even more so in a muzzle which makes the problem worse. But we took the time to give people/dogs a wide berth and remain alert. If someone says ‘HEY DON’T APPROACH/TOUCH’ for whatever reason (known aggression, still a new dog, a rescue that is still being rehabilitated ect) then it is the person approaching who is at fault.
If people can’t understand basic body language (of the dog and the person handling the dog) or the verbal warning… they are just being ignorant. Even a child when yelled ‘NO!’ and ‘DONT TOUCH’ by a stranger will pull up short. If you’re doing your duty while walking your dog, you should be able to spot them before they are too close. And keep your dog on a short enough leash (making sure you’re strong enough to handle your dog) to get them safely out of harming way if need be…
Agreed with the comments of those people who absolutely won’t listen to a verbal warning wont look for the collars. they’ll STILL figure ‘oh, but dogs LOVE me, so I’M fine to come invade their space’
WOW – just read these comments. All good points and a great debate.
I do not know what the answer is to the question on color coding,but I do know we as humans are fallible as are dogs.
I would hate to see legislation on this issue a portion of the population does what they want anyhow.
Dogs used to be the ones that followed you to the playground and joined in the game of tag but those days are long since gone I am afraid.
Maybe “talking up” with friends, neighbours, fellow co-workers will spread the word about asking before you pet an unknown dog!
In my view, I like the color coding collar idea. I have a 2 year old weimaraner and he wears a green collar. Just today, I brought him in my little neighborhood pet store and they all love duke. But, I think they should have appropriate dog collars, and dog vest that are collars to let the general public know that certain colors mean don’t touch me or make unusual sudden moves that make a dog suspicious or mean like towards you. My sister has a full blood pit. Everyone should know and this goes for every dog that just because a dog may like you that day doesn’t mean he may be approachable to you the next day. When I use to walk my sisters pit he would not like when you slowly put your hand out to him or unsure to pet him because in his mind he thinks somthing is wrong if your acting like this. But if you don’t hesitate and act like he is a regular nice dog than in his mind that person can pet and love on him. I would tell people when they stopped me to pet my sisters dog and make an unusual movement to him id tell them to stand away nicely and explain to that person what they did wrong and why I know he may snap now since they made a slowly uncertain move to him. I’ve done that several times to people and they responded positive to the way I handled it and learned somthing at the same time.
There are colour coded dog collars, leads and harnesses out there, just google colour coded dog collars. I am going to purchase a green ”Friendly” collar and lead for my nearly 4 year old chocolate lab Scout for a few reasons. I have owned and raised Scout since he was 8 weeks and he is the most tolerant dog in every situation becasue I have rasied him right to be a polite member of society, he doesn’t jump, he loves people, children, babies and other dogs and animals, he’s a great house dog, very well behaved in the home with me and my family and visitors, and the same outside, he is very polite when meeting people, dogs and other animals when at home and outside.
A friend brought her baby around to our home once and scout was just lying there for ages letting the baby crawl on him and play with his ears and mouth etc, of course I kept an eye on things as this was scouts first time with a baby in our house, things couldn’t have gone better! the friend stills brings her now toddler around and he plays with Scout and his toys, he grabs scouts fur and pulls his tail, he even fell on scout once when scout was sleeping and scout just looked at him and went back to sleep, the friend tells her toddler to be gentle with scout and he is for a bit but scout doesn’t mind at all! we live near school to and if I happen to be walking scout past there when it’s brake time, nearly all the kids in the yard run the the wall to see and pet and talk to scout and he loves it he doesn’t even mind if kids run up to him screaming etc and patting him, he has even had one little girl run up behind him and pat him on his back and he didn’t flinch or act negativley, he just looked, wagged his tail and gave her lick on her cheek, he acts super friendly with everyone man and animal.
He has been attacked a fair few times by lots of different breeds of dogs becasue of incompetant dog owners, some attacks have been in the street when he and the attacking dog have been on lead becasue the owner of the aggressive dog couldn’t control it other attacks have been when other stupid owners let their known dog aggressive dogs of lead and they have charged at my lab when he’s been off lead walking close to me, yet with all the attacks he’s had he still loves other dogs, but now is a little nervous of certain big breeds even though he is a taller than average lab himself, he is also a little nervous of other dogs of any size if they are pulling on their lead to get to him or run toward him if there off lead, but once he knows there friendly, theres no stopping his play session with new friends! and he has never snaped or growled or retaliated in any way toward aggressive dogs and I don’t think he ever will, which is good, the only time he gives a little growl to other dogs is if they try to mount him.
Also, another reason I am getting a friendly collar for him is becasue even though he is so friendly toward everyone and everything, I have had so many people being scared of him, crossing the road, pulling their kids or dogs away from him etc etc etc and even some people asking if he was a doberman , rottie or staffie type!!!!!! he’s a chocolate labrador for petes sake!!! so I want to get a friendly collar and lead for him to prove to these stupid people he is friendly and to see what other reactions I get.
I would like to see it made law for all dog owners to get the correct colour coded collar and lead or harness and lead for their dogs and to act accordingly, I would also like to see it made law that people who own known aggressive dogs should not only have a colour coded collar etc stating this but also when they are walking their dogs to ALWAYS have their dogs on lead and wearing a muzzle, and I think these owners should also enrole with their dogs on a specific training course to see if they can get their dog to be well mannerd etc. and I would like to see more people learning and passing on the knowledge to always ask a dog owner if they or their kids can pet your dog, not that my dog is bothered, his law is you must pet me!!, but it is just considerate. I also think their should be some sort of course for all new dog owners to enrole on by law before they get a new dog/puppy that way,hopefully there will be far far less aggressive dogs and attacks by these dogs and less dogs in shelters.
Right on Marko. We don’t own the planet we can’t say who can leave and who can stay. Lets just make collars or shirts of red for DANGER. And let it be advertised everywhere. Then if some idiot touch our biting dogs then too cad for them if they get bit. I don’t want nobody suing me if they touched my dog without permission especially if my dogs got there ReD collars or shirts on. Or even s red lease. Because done dogs fair I’d long and you can’t see the red collar. So if the lease is red. But if in the dog park when you take lease off. The biting dog will need to have something Red visible on do no one will think he’s people friendly just because he’s in park playing with other dogs. You know? We need a Red dog rule to protect us and our pets. This don’t refer to dogs who go over to people and Just bite either. Lol. Those type just need to be muzzled.
Right on Marko. We don’t own the planet we can’t say who can leave and who can stay. Lets just make collars or shirts of red for DANGER. And let it be advertised everywhere. Then if some idiot touch our biting dogs then too bad for them if they get bit. I don’t want nobody suing me if they touched my dog without permission especially if my dogs got there ReD collars or shirts on. Or even a red lease. Because some dogs hair is long and you can’t see the red collar. But if in the dog park when you take lease off. The biting dog will need to have something Red visible on him so no one will think he’s people friendly just because he’s in a dog park playing with other dogs. You know? We need a Red dog rule to protect us and our pets. This don’t refer to dogs who go over to people and Just bite them either. Lol. Those types just need to be muzzled.
Okay I just came back from walking Clark, and was just approached by some guy wanting to pat him I said NO he is not friendly with strangers. He still insisted and I said No again but if you really want to you have been warned he will bite you so don’t come crying to me when he takes your hand off. Then the brilliant guy says you should have him PTS. Why because he cannot understand the word NO. For those who think muzzling is the answer it is not always. If I muzzle Clark he becomes more guarded and aggressive, it makes him worse. I don’t pat your kids so leave mine alone.
I have just stumbled across this debate and it is a great read!
Recently we have been trying to find something as because our dog is great with people and kids, but not very good around other dogs. Time and time again we would tell people please don’t let your dog come close and they would ignore it, and then a dog fight would happen even though I had already told them to stay away!
I was told about a company called ‘FriendlyDogCollars.com’ who straight away had what I needed with a ‘NO DOGS’ harness and leash. They have a color and a slogan for every need a dog has and I can not applaud them enough. Since using mine, I have noticed the items are around much more recently and it inu opinion works really well. Good job, great idea!
I do like the idea of color coded leads and collars as some dog owners feel it’s fine to let their dog roam as far as they want with their retractable leash even though I’m clearly trying to avoid them since mine isn’t a fan of other dogs.
According to another website, GREEN = completely approachable — ORANGE = OK with children and adults but no dogs — RED = all must approach with caution.
However, I do wish they’d have more colors. My dog walks beautifully on a leash, will not be distracted by people walking, jogging, biking, strollers, scooters, you name it. But he will bark at someone if they try to pet him. With the use of this suggested 3 color system, my dog will be grouped with aggressive dogs; the worst of the worst even though he doesn’t bite! He just barks and hides behind me.
We are working on desensitizing and counter conditioning his apprehension toward strangers in close proximity to him but that won’t work if people see the red “CAUTION!!!” labeling on him. People will give off the fearful vibe/scent which will prevent us moving forward in our training.
I suggest more colors and and “IN TRAINING” text on the collar/lead instead of the harsh “CAUTION.”
I agree that there should be some kind of color code. We are constantly telling people not to try petting our dog because there are some people he likes and some he doesn’t and we have no way of knowing which one you are. Examples, our dog loves some of my kids friends and there are others he growls and shows his teeth towards. It doesn’t make a difference if they have a dog or cats themselves, we can’t figure it out. So we just tell people he isn’t always friendly and don’t want to take a chance. Also, he is not a fan of other dogs at all. We have BEWARE OF DOG signs posted to warn people to stay away.