All of ours wear collars when out in public but when training on private land they don't.
No collars when working obviously.
I like that our dogs have collars and tags. Call me sad, but when they pass on, we keep the collar and tag and hang it over the newal post. We have quite a collection now. It means that they are all still in the house as well as our hearts.
I know, soppy mare!
Sarah xx
'To err is human, to forgive canine' - with apologies to Alexander Pope
Sarah, my dogs all have hand made bridal leather collars that last for life, I too have a "dog wall" with a good framed photo of the passed dog with their collars with tags affixed hanging on the corner. You are not alone.
Legally your dogs should wear a collar and tag with your name and address on when out in public, this includes your car, unless working. Mine wear collars at all times except when training or working as I have to follow the rules and set a good example! If training in a public place I take the collars off and have them on my game bag to show any passing dog warden (ha ha ha ha ha!). The fine is up to £5000 so is it worth it not to?
When my lad was little more than a puppy, I was at work and he was inadvertently let out by an incompetent friend who was staying at my place, and who managed to leave both the door to the dog run and the garden gate open after taking him for a walk. At that time, I kept Flynn without a collar and, worse, it turned out that I'd not properly changed the information on his chip after I acquired him. I rang round all the local vets and, sure enough, one was looking after him, but they had already got in touch with the Council Dog Warden service when they couldn't contact me.
The result was a visit from a warden who was like Atilla the Hen, threatening me with hell and damnation and a mutli-thousand pound fine. A few not so well-chosen words repelled her (in fairness, she repelled me too), but now I keep his collar on except when training or walking in fields or when he's working, even though he probably wouldn't wander anyway now. I reckon that dog warden is just waiting to pounce.