Dexil, a company in the United Kingdom, has devised collars with a message. When walking your dog, the Dexil Friendly Dog Collars make people aware of your dog’s temperament and whether or not s/he is approachable.
The system hopes to avoid unwanted encounters, both with humans and their dogs.
There are different colored collars, harnesses and leashes representing different messages. The green collar with the word “Friendly” means the dog is good with people, children and other dogs. The orange collar embroidered with “No Dog” tells everyone that your dog is unfriendly towards other dogs but okay with people. A red collar with the word “Caution” means do not approach or touch this dog. A blue collar with “Training” is exactly that – the dog is being trained and you are asked not to interrupt. White collars are used to indicate either a deaf dog or a blind dog. Yellow collars with “Adopt Me” are good ads for shelters or rescue organizations. Gold collars with “Nervous” is a dog that is unpredictable.
These message collars, harnesses and leashes will work well if you can read and are close enough to see the message. However young children could have a problem. And the messages should not take the place of a well-behaved dog that has been trained and socialized well.
While on the subject of collars, consider the importance of using a breakaway collar. Dogs as well as cats can get caught on objects and may be unable to escape. When playing, a dog will often grab the other dog’s collar in its mouth, teeth becoming stuck on the collar. A dog can easily be choked this way. Breakaway collars avoid this hazard and could potentially save the dog’s life.
