They will be joined on their stand on Thursday and Saturday at Crufts by Professor Carri Westgarth who is Chair in Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Liverpool department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences. Carri is an expert and researcher into all aspects of human-animal interaction or companion animal welfare and has specialised in dog behaviour particularly looking into dog bites and attacks at the front door. She is author of the book 'The Happy Dog Owner' (2021) Welbeck and "Dog Bites: A multidisciplinary perspective" with Daniel Mills (2017) 5M Publications. She is a Full Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and occasionally teaches dog training classes on the Wirral. Her PhD was conducted from 2005-2008 in the University of Liverpool Veterinary Epidemiology Group and was titled "Contact between dogs, and between dogs and people. Carrie is advisor to the Royal Mail helping to educate postal workers on dog behaviour and preventing dog attacks and through the University of Liverpool advises the Mersey Side Dog Safety Partnership.
This is a group of organisations including dog charities. The Police, The NHS, Royal Mail and County Councils who have come together to offer advice to the public and organisations on dog behaviour and the effects of dog attacks.. The Dog G8 Company has been collaborating with them for the past few years and this has led to the development of their dog safety gates.
Even the most docile dog can lash out when feeling frightened, startled, hurt, confused or provoked, leading to a nightmare scenario for the injured party, the pet parent and their canine companion.
Over the last 12 months, there were more than 2026 dog attacks on postmen and women across the UK. This is an increase of 15% from the previous year. Over 30,000 postmen and women have been attacked by dogs in the last decade! Over 80% at the front door. 42 postal workers are attacked by dogs every week, and over 1000 postmen and women have had a finger bitten off or severely injured whilst delivering the mail through the letterbox in the last 5 years. Some of the injuries have prevented people coming back to work and have in some cases, proven fatal. UK cities and towns that see the greatest number of people coming back to work and have in some cases, proven fatal. UK cities and towns that see the greatest number of attacks include Belfast, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Bristol, Swansea, Exeter, Nottingham, Brighton and Oxford according to Royal Mail.
.Chris Maxted, Director of Dog G8 said,
“The public need to be aware that if their dog attacks a postal worker, they will be prosecuted either by the Police, Local Authority or by Royal Mail via a private prosecution under the agreement between Royal Mail and the CWU. Police forces around the UK have also launched the LEAD (Local, Environmental, Awareness on Dogs) campaign which is all about encouraging the responsible ownership of all dog breeds – with the aim of improving public safety, reducing anti-social behaviour and ensuring dogs are looked after appropriately.”
There are approximately 13.5 million pet dogs in the UK, according to UK Pet Food’s Pet Data Report 2024. The number has risen due to the increase in dogs taken on as pets during the Covid lockdowns. These dogs were largely un-socialised and now with owners back at work, some dogs have behavioural problems or suffer with separation anxiety.
There is a whole host of reasons why dogs may bite. It can be to do with behaviour fallout resulting from a lack of early positive exposure, experience and comfort of being handled.
Other reasons a dog may bite could be to do with possessive guarding of items such as bowl, toy or bed. A dog may also be sensitive to handling or could be suffering with pain. Some dogs are fearful or are easily startled. Inappropriate handling especially from children can make a dog agitated. Some dogs are also easily redirected where a dog can become agitated on the leash and bite the first thing that comes to hand and this can then happen in the home environment leading to dog attacks.
The Dog-G8 gate was the inspiration of Peter Maxted, the founder of the company who has been a pet sitter for over 20 years and a dog owner for the same amount of time. He was very aware of the risks associated with dogs at front doors e.g. escapes, attacks, thefts and although there were other gates on the market, he felt they were inadequate and ineffective enough to work for all breeds. He therefore decided to design and sell his own version so he could keep his and client’s dogs safer at the front door. Peter’s son Chris is also a director in the business and has been working alongside Merseyside Dog Safety Partnership and the University of Liverpool to raise awareness of dog attacks and their impact on delivery workers.
The Dog-G8 product is British made and features a concertina, modular and retractable design. The product is incredibly versatile and can be used on multiple configurations ranging from the front door to stairways, hallways and many more. The gates modular design enables it to be spanned to any width, allowing the gate to be fitted to the widest of configurations such as patio doors where standard, conventional gates cannot fit.
The gate is made from mild steel, coated in chrome or white powder coat, bolted together with bespoke, customised clips which give the gate strength and durability.
When the gate is not in use it sits flat and compact to one side it’s neat, unobtrusive, and out of the way. Finally, it is removable, enabling it to be easily stored away or docked to other configurations such as the Stairway to the Doorway (if extra brackets are purchased).
The Dog-G8 can also be used in horse boxes, mobile home and caravans. When the gate is spanned across the entrance, this allows any motor home or caravan user to have their habitation door open, without the risk of their dog dashing out. The gate will provide dogs with much needed ventilation and offers great visibility.
The gate is excellent for when you’re parked up at campsites or beaches where perimeters cannot be formed but you wish to have the door open.
For breeders, show dog owners and agility/dog sport competitors, the gates are ideal. For dog breeders who need to segregate their dogs in the house but also want to allow their dogs to be un-caged, the gates provide the perfect option. They will also keep puppies safe as well preventing them from escaping from a room. For competitors on the road, the gates will keep dogs safe in any van or mobile home once parked up.
Since launch the company has seen massive growth and now sells directly to customer in the UK, Canada, United States, and Europe. The product went viral on Tiktok and Facebook attracting over 100 million organic views across all videos and they were the Theo Paphitis' Small Business Sunday Winner in March 2021.
Sales of the Dog G8 Gate were boosted by a Christmas direct mail campaign by Royal Mail in 2024 which recommended to home/dog owners to install a front door safety gate to prevent dog attacks on postal workers. The gates are available to buy directly from www.dog-g8.com