dog collars - law?

[Umbongo]

I have a 11 year old border collie, he has never worn a collar as he hated them as a youngster and has the thickest, fluffiest coat so it was always a bit of a faff.

He does always wear a halti muzzle when out, he is very used to it, happy to have it on and doesn't try to get it off. TBH I have only recently heard that is is the law that all dogs should have a collar and identity tag. And I had no idea that our address should be on it.

Could I get away with a small tag on his halti, or should I try to get a collar on him? I guess the only concern would be if he escaped(unlikely) or stolen whilst not wearing his halti.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Strictly it should be a collar but I think a small tag on the halti would be perfectly ok, it would serve the same purpose.

Is the dog microchipped tho, collar or not I would def want that done as they could lose the collar and I couldn't bear to lose my dog.

 

[Umbongo]

Strictly it should be a collar but I think a small tag on the halti would be perfectly ok, it would serve the same purpose.

Is the dog microchipped tho, collar or not I would def want that done as they could lose the collar and I couldn't bear to lose my dog.

Yes dog is microchipped, I could not bear to loose him!

 

[Jools2345]

do you leave the halti on when your dog is off lead?

as it can easily be caught on something and injure your dog it is an extension of the lead and should always be removed with it

 

[Umbongo]

do you leave the halti on when your dog is off lead?

as it can easily be caught on something and injure your dog it is an extension of the lead and should always be removed with it

It is always kept on when off lead. We don't keep the long extension on it. He has had it 11 years and never had a problem. He can be dog aggressive, although we are very careful with him and the areas we walk, most of the time he is fine but there are certain dogs he doesn't get on with...sometimes if there is a certain loose dog running towards me I can't faff about putting it on, but I can clip him on to the lead quickly. If I could remove it then I would!

Without the long attachment, I don't think there is much difference with getting caught on that or a collar. He doesn't go rooting through hedges or very long grass.

 

[satinbaze]

The law does state collar and ID disc. The maximum fine is £1000 a friend who is a dog warden would say that a halti would not count as the idea is that if the dog is straying there is something to get hold of. The collar only has to hold the disc

 

[paulineh]

The only dogs that are allowed to not have a collar on are working dogs, and only when working. At all other times they should have a collar on. All other dogs should wear a collar at all times.

There should be a disc on the collar with the owners information. I put my surname and mobile number on the disc. With all these dogs getting stolen I am very reluctant to put both the dogs name and my address on the disc.

Of course all dogs should be Micro chipped

 

[bonny]

You are all sounding very pedandic ! anyone ever heard of someone being charged for having a dog without a collar ? or an id disk ?

 

[Jools2345]

The only dogs that are allowed to not have a collar on are working dogs, and only when working. At all other times they should have a collar on. All other dogs should wear a collar at all times.

There should be a disc on the collar with the owners information. I put my surname and mobile number on the disc. With all these dogs getting stolen I am very reluctant to put both the dogs name and my address on the disc.

Of course all dogs should be Micro chipped

my dogs never wear collars when off lead due to an accident i witnessed yrs ago,

however if your dogs wear a collar and disk and you wish to be within the law then your surname and mobile phone number does not meet the legal requirements, it has to have your name and full address to be legal

 

[Jools2345]

You are all sounding very pedandic ! anyone ever heard of someone being charged for having a dog without a collar ? or an id disk ?

me neither but i suppose one day there will be a first time

 

[blackcob]

Bonny, I can't remember the last time I heard about someone actually being charged for dog fouling but I would hope that you still pick up...

It's in the interests of your dog's safety and your convenience more than anything. With a tag a lost/stray/RTA dog can be reunited with you very quickly by whoever first finds them. A chip is all very well but means a trip to either a vet or the dog warden to get your details, delaying you being reunited if this happens out of hours and quite probably costing you money if the latter.

I wouldn't put a tag on a halti (or leave a halti on a loose dog) but a rolled leather collar won't snag on a coated dog and can be left on at all times. Tags are cheap, embroidered collars are also handy for dogs that lose tags.

 

[bonny]

Bonny, I can't remember the last time I heard about someone actually being charged for dog fouling but I would hope that you still pick up...

It's in the interests of your dog's safety and your convenience more than anything. With a tag a lost/stray/RTA dog can be reunited with you very quickly by whoever first finds them. A chip is all very well but means a trip to either a vet or the dog warden to get your details, delaying you being reunited if this happens out of hours and quite probably costing you money if the latter.

I wouldn't put a tag on a halti (or leave a halti on a loose dog) but a rolled leather collar won't snag on a coated dog and can be left on at all times. Tags are cheap, embroidered collars are also handy for dogs that lose tags.

People get fined for dog fouling alot around here. We have litter wardens and they watch !!

 

[EllenJay]

my dogs never wear collars when off lead due to an accident i witnessed yrs ago,

however if your dogs wear a collar and disk and you wish to be within the law then your surname and mobile phone number does not meet the legal requirements, it has to have your name and full address to be legal

The legal requirement is House number, Postcode and contact telephone number. It is also advised to mark the tag with "chipped" if the dog is micro-chipped.

With regards to the fine - where I live a lady got a £2k fine (2 dogs without collar or tags)

 

[planete]

We have a very fluffy small terrier cross. He wears a rolled leather collar just to hold his tag disk. The lead is never attached to his collar and it has never left a mark in his fur. I am not sure he even knows he has got it on.

 

[MillyMoomie]

Bonny people get fined ALL the time! If your dog gets picked up by the dog warden, and it has not got a collar on ( even if microchipped) you will have a VERY heafty fine to get your dog back.

 

[Jools2345]

The legal requirement is House number, Postcode and contact telephone number. It is also advised to mark the tag with "chipped" if the dog is micro-chipped.

With regards to the fine - where I live a lady got a £2k fine (2 dogs without collar or tags)

i was teaching dog training up till a few yrs a go and we used to do the kennelclub good citizen scheme and all the paper work form the kennel club used to state that by law it had to be owners name and full address not the above. i will check

 

[Jools2345]

'The Control of Dogs Order 1992 mandates that any dog in a public place must wear a collar and tag with the name and address of the owner engraved on it. Your postcode is optional (but we strongly advise that you include it), and your telephone number is also optional (but advisable). You can be fined up to £5,000 if your dog does not wear a suitable identification tag.'

the above is from a kennel club site, hope it dispels some confusion

 

[Alec Swan]

Over the last 50 years, I've never owned a dog which has worn a collar. Isn't there some sort of dispensation for working dogs? There must be, I've yet to see a Foxhound wearing one!!

No lurcher which is likely to course, should ever wear a collar. It's asking for trouble. I don't know why, but it's when most of the accidents occur.

Alec.

 

[Jools2345]

Over the last 50 years, I've never owned a dog which has worn a collar. Isn't there some sort of dispensation for working dogs? There must be, I've yet to see a Foxhound wearing one!!

No lurcher which is likely to course, should ever wear a collar. It's asking for trouble. I don't know why, but it's when most of the accidents occur.

Alec.

a working dog does not have to wear a collar when working or so i thought,

and non of mine wear collars when off lead ever due to risks. as a kid i was out with my dad walking in some woods and we had 2 of his lurchers with us and one of them chased a squirrel and in the heat of the moment got caught by her collar on a tree, as she was going full tilt it broke her neck, it was a horrible experience and i will never take that risk. her collar was a close fitting wide collar the same as the ones that are used for greyhounds.

a friend of mine also had 2 puppies that were play fighting and one of them got its bottom jaw caught in the collar of the other, they were fine when she eventually managed to de-tangle them from each other, but hers have never worn collars since

 

[satinbaze]

You can purchase collars with a "breakaway" this means that any pressure on the collar causes it to come away. Sorry I can't remember where sell them but I will search.
Locally owners have been fined for dogs not wearing an ID and collar. 1 Weimaraner owner has been fined twice!!!!

 

[satinbaze]

Keepsafe collar on www.friendsoffido.co.uk

 

[Umbongo]

Thanks. I'm going to look into getting him a rolled leather collar. Hopefully he won't even notice he has it on.

 

[Alec Swan]

As a thought, does a check chain count as a collar? I/D tags will easily attach to a ring.

Alec.

 

[Cedars]

My dog has a collar with his name on, and then it has 3 options for phone numbers (home, my mobile and oh mobile) and then "Please scan me, I am microchipped" on the bottom.

I am not happy to put an address on the collar, far too vulnerable - but I think 3 numbers is perfectly reasonable (particularly as if we lost him, we'd be glued to our phones!).

 

[bonny]

You can purchase collars with a "breakaway" this means that any pressure on the collar causes it to come away. Sorry I can't remember where sell them but I will search.
Locally owners have been fined for dogs not wearing an ID and collar. 1 Weimaraner owner has been fined twice!!!!

Fined by who ? I'm not doubting people's stories about dogs being fined for not wearing a collar but some are saying owners have been fined £1000's and surely that would need a court case which I can't say I've ever heard of......does a dog warden have the power to fine a dog owner ? Seems unlikely to me. My dogs don't wear a collar, they are collies, so by Alec's logic are working dogs ? How can a lurcher by described as a working dog though ? Puzzled here.....

 

[blackcob]

Yes, dog wardens can issue fixed penalty fines - not just for fouling but contravention of dog control orders etc.

Just because it's a collie doesn't mean it's a working dog. And the exemption only applies when the dog is actually working.

Correct me if I'm wrong but lurchers are commonly used for coursing, lamping etc. which could be described as work.

 

[bonny]

Yes, dog wardens can issue fixed penalty fines - not just for fouling but contravention of dog control orders etc.

Just because it's a collie doesn't mean it's a working dog. And the exemption only applies when the dog is actually working.

Correct me if I'm wrong but lurchers are commonly used for coursing, lamping etc. which could be described as work.

Still confused, a fixed penalty is not a fine of £1000's which some on here are talking about. Maybe dog wardens have different policies in different areas, here you certainly don't get fined for not having a collar on your dog, you just pay a set fee when picking up your dog if you go and claim it back.
Also, what legal job can a lurcher do ?

 

[cremedemonthe]

Still confused, a fixed penalty is not a fine of £1000's which some on here are talking about. Maybe dog wardens have different policies in different areas, here you certainly don't get fined for not having a collar on your dog, you just pay a set fee when picking up your dog if you go and claim it back.
Also, what legal job can a lurcher do ?

Lamping rabbits for starters, my lurcher doesn't wear a collar when she's lamping but does the rest of the time. I don't use tags as they fall off, I use my own design collars with pouches sewn into them which contain all the info you need.

 

[Jools2345]

Fined by who ? I'm not doubting people's stories about dogs being fined for not wearing a collar but some are saying owners have been fined £1000's and surely that would need a court case which I can't say I've ever heard of......does a dog warden have the power to fine a dog owner ? Seems unlikely to me. My dogs don't wear a collar, they are collies, so by Alec's logic are working dogs ? How can a lurcher by described as a working dog though ? Puzzled here.....

being a collie does not make your dog a working dog it makes it a working breed.

a working dog is any breed that is hunting, tracking, taking part in man work or beating amongst other activities.

lurchers are a working type (they are not a breed) but they are used for ratting, rabbiting, ferreting, flushing for birds of prey,catching deer as well as other activities (not all of which are legal), they are probably the most versatile of dogs that are regularly used/bred to work

 

[Cop-Pop]

I reported someone in January for walking their two aggressive dogs off the leads with no collars and no recall. So far nothing has been done despite myself and other people ringing the dog warden and the police to complain. Luckily (for me not the dog) last time they went for Yellow Dog I booted one rather hard and they're now very wary of me so as long as my dog is close to me they leave him alone.