Yellow Dog Bandanas, “Do Not Pet Me, I Need My Space”
I’ve spoken before about my rescue dog Darcy who came to me as a very scared and nervous little man. The problem I had was that people approached him on our walks wanting to say hello. Sometimes parents even let their children run up to him and I had to pick him up quickly, before they got hurt. This was ok because Darcy is a miniature dachshund but imagine if the anxious dog was a Labrador or German Shepherd, you can’t exactly pop them under your arm.
Wearing a bright, yellow dog bandana, harness or collar and lead should signify to strangers that the dog should be given space. It doesn’t completely solve the problem because three-year-olds can’t read, but it gives a massive signal to the parent.
Unfortunately, in the UK a dog who bites could have to be destroyed, so it is always the owner’s responsibility to keep people safe. Of course, it may not be the animal’s fault that they snap when scared. In the case of many rescue dogs, past mistreatment could lead to fear-based aggression.
However, any dog can react unpredictably when he/she is spooked or in unfamiliar surroundings.
When I adopted Darcy with a history of aggressive behaviour I (wrongly) assumed that if he was always kept on a lead he couldn’t hurt anyone. I hadn’t thought about people approaching to pat the ‘cute little sausage dog’.
It is our responsibility to stop our dogs from harming other people, so wearing the yellow bandana is a very effective way to stop others from getting hurt.
These are some products from Amazon which I purchased to allow Darcy to enjoy his walks more. I hate to label dogs, but a ‘nervous’ statement doesn’t make him a bad dog, just unpredictable. I also feel more relaxed when I am out on walks. In addition, I also recognise when I see a dog wearing a yellow bandana to give them their space.
The harnesses also come with the words ‘ TRAINING’. ‘SERVICE DOG’, OR ‘ADOPT ME’ which are also extremely useful. It is always the yellow dog bandanas and harnesses which signal a ‘NERVOUS’ DOG.
NERVOUS (Give Me Space) Harness
Do Not Pet Me, I Need Space Dog Bandana
These are such a great idea.
I agree x
I need something that would be good for a bigger dog. A husky mix. She already has the vibrant but plain yellow harness, collar, and leash. The leash also has caution things on it as well. But people dont seem to understand it. I’ve actually bought the yellow harness in the picture above but it was way to small.
How annoying that they don’t make the yellow items big enough for larger breeds! Surely it’s more important because a small dog can be picked up by the owner if someone approaches. I hope you find a solution Kaitlyn. We need people to understand that the yellow colour means ‘give me space’ !! Thank you for stopping by and your informative comment, it means a lot xx