I'm probably just being prickly because I was sniffly told that you don't get any chocolates working in the field (no longer true as I know there are working chocolates not too far from me); but is it right that a Labrador that will be used for working doesn't need a collar even when off lead in a public park? I just had a devil of a job getting a young lab away from Ripple after they had been playing and it all got over the top, I managed to catch Ripple but the other dog just kept on jumping and play biting him and when I asked the guy to get him away I realised the dog had no collar and also very little intention of being put back on his slip lead. I commented that he would be easier to catch with a collar but was told he didn't need one as he was a working dog. I'm afraid I used my Primula cheese to get him to quieten down so he could have his slip lead put back on which didn't make me very popular - I got some comments about how difficult it was to train his dog in the park. I probably took it all too personally but I was really surprised by the collar comment .
No, the exemption for dogs used for sporting purposes (so it's not necessarily 'work' as such anyway ) only applies while the dog is being used for sporting purposes.
Thank you @JulieT - I don't feel so bad about the Primula now (assuming the law is the same in Scotland).
