Changes to the Dangerous Dog Act from 13th May

Changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act comes in to force on 13th May and this applies to all breeds of dogs.
The main change I worry about is the one about people entering your home/garden as my boy still
'over greets people' and he scares some people by his appearance and enthusiasm.

I already have a post box built in to my garden wall to save the postman from entering and a sign saying
'dog loose in garden'.  Seriously going to think about locking my gates from now as the new law says
someone only has to feel scared, the dog doesn't have to bite or do any damage!

Don't know whether I am just being neurotic    but this is what I have read :-

What should dog owners be doing now?

Ensure your gardens are safe

The most important point to consider is how to keep unexpected visitors or delivery drivers safe on your property. The requirement for the law to cover private places as well as public ones has long been campaigned for by the Communication Workers Union. Numerous Royal Mail and other delivery services employees are injured by dog bites each year and up until now there has not been the legislation to enable action to be taken to ensure their future safety.

You need to make sure that any visitor can safely access your front door without encountering your dog.

There is a slight grey area in these changes in that if the person attacked is a burglar or trespasser your dog may not be considered dangerously out of control if it is in a building that is your private dwelling at the time of the attack. However, this does not cover incidents in your back or front garden so while the law is yet to be tested, all dog owners should ensure that all areas of their gardens where their dogs could encounter unexpected visitors are secure.

If necessary it is also worth talking to your neighbours and asking them not to let their children climb your fences to retrieve balls etc to be on the safe side.

Manage your dog when someone knocks

We all know that fewer letters are being sent through the post, but the rise in internet shopping means that more parcels and especially signed for parcels are being delivered, which requires the delivery person to knock at the door. This change in legislation should be a wake up call to all dog owners to ensure their dogs are under control when they open the door otherwise they risk committing a criminal offence.

It is not unusual for a dog to be reactive to any visitor to your door, so you need to decide now how you are going to manage that situation. The easiest thing to do is to shut your dog in another room or in the garden, provided of course the dog cannot access the front door from the garden. If that is not an option, then you will need to seek the services of an experienced or qualified dog trainer or behaviourist to teach your dog some new behaviours around the door.

You also need to consider how your dog greets people. What you view as a dog being friendly by jumping up at visitors may be seen as threatening behaviour by a stranger.

I keep my gate locked and have a bell on it for visitors to ring   may be a solution for you xx

My postie told me the other day that they are not to enter a garden if the dog is loose, luckly he loves Katy so wont take any notice but I will have to watch it as she is very vocal & over greets everyone   

Whenever someone knocks at our door Rocky is shut in his crate. He also goes in there as people leave so he cannot get outside.

Our dogs only have access to the back yard as we don't have a high enough wall to keep them in at the front and if we get any deliveries I shut the door between the living room and the front door mainly so the dogs can't get onto the road. But now obviously now with the new laws will cover us for this as well.