To muzzle or not to muzzle?

Hey everyone!

The lady from Dogs Trust came out to inspect the house on Tuesday and she said the back garden was "perfect" for Belle to roam around in. Well it would be, my dad saw fit 22 years ago to slab the entire length of the 13ft garden. The only grass that grows are the weeds that spring up in between the slabs.

Anyway, I spoke to the lady about taking her Belle out for walks, and she recommended (strongly actually) that we should buy a muzzle for Belle if we take her out walking. She stressed that she's not a violent dog, but she is wary of other dogs which I think I mentioned in a previous post.

We're all a bit taken back by this. We have associated muzzles with dogs who may bite you or go for you. But Belle is a nice mannered dog. Surely if people see her with a muzzle they will immediately be wary of her, and it may even mark her as a target for other people? I read one story here that one man kicked a forum members dog because it could have been vicious. I definitely don't want that happening!

On the flip side though, if we don't put Belle on a muzzle, I don't want to be in the situation where some idiot let's their dog annoy or attack Belle only for her to protect herself. Obviously then "she wasn't wearing a muzzle and bit the dog" comes in to play.

What are peoples experiences with muzzles? Do you guys use them on your dogs?

we don't use a muzzle at all, the only times marley has ever gone for other dog's is when they have snapped in his face or attacked him first. marley is dog friendly and we have never felt the need to even consider using one

I wouldn't use a muzzle peesonally but have never been in the situation to.

Why are they stressing so much that she should wear one? A dog can be DA and not have to wear a muzzle just kept on lead.

What till you get Belle home and see how you go, I bet you won't need one!

I've never muzzled mine and have no interest in doing so even dought its law in Ireland that all staffs have to be muzzled in public. If Bella is wary of other dig just keep her on a lead around them. As long as u control her on lead there is not need for a muzzle. I'm sure if u work with her u can get her to be ok with dogs

I don't understand that at all, and agree with Janey, see how it goes as I think it very unlikely you will need one.

I have used one, but only at the Vets because Harry hates the Vets and can give them a hard time, but thats not unusual as lots of dogs of all breeds are the same.

My aunts bf looked after lexi when i was on holiday once and i asked him to muzzle her purely because he didn't know her and how she reacts to other dogs and wouldn't know what to do in the situation of a fight. I don't muzzle her myself because i know what to do when she growls or lunges, but then again in 9 years i have never came across another agro dog off lead, only ones that run away or get called.

Personally you might want to do it for the first few times so you can get used to her and guage her reactions to certain situations. She will still be getting used to you and the area so will feel out of whack and a dog coming up to her won't make her feel confident and i think its very possible she will attack.

Good luck x

I wouldn't muzzle either, it makes your dog look aggresive even though it isn't, your dog has no chance to defend it self should it need to. On the flip side of this though, if they do wear a muzzle they cannot do any damage to other dogs.

See how things go by keeping her on a lead to start with and then begin to intoduce her to other dogs (getting owners permmision first). Just test the water first.

i dont use a muzzle with either of mine but if your worried the dog might be aggresive and wary use a short lead. maybe familiarise her with other dogs if your friends or family have any.

mickburkejnr wrote:

We're all a bit taken back by this. We have associated muzzles with dogs who may bite you or go for you. But Belle is a nice mannered dog. Surely if people see her with a muzzle they will immediately be wary of her, and it may even mark her as a target for other people?
What are peoples experiences with muzzles? Do you guys use them on your dogs?

This is the problem half the time, alot of people associate muzzles with been aggressive and think the dog is a nasty piece of work and will attack them .. couldnt be further from the truth 99.9% of the time the dog is muzzled because they are DA or they have a habit of picking things up on walks and wont stop.
I rescued my old boy and he was always muzzled on walks and always on a short lead puerly because he was DA no other reason than that, he wasnt DA to ALL dogs but to most so for his an other dogs safety we muzzled him .. he was the softest lad with people.

Being wary of other dogs doesn't mean she is dog aggressive. She just may not want full-on play.

Before you make any decisions on whether to muzzle or not ask the Dogs Trust exactly what level of 'wariness' does she display? Take her out for a walk (on lead) and watch her reactions to other dogs.

As already said, if your dog is on lead then she is under control. If you feel another dog is getting too close and that she is reacting badly to it, just politely ask the other person to take their dog away as yours 'may not be very good with it'.

Personally I wouldn't muzzle a dog unless there was a chance that it would bite a human.

I agree with Caryll

Thanks for the replies guys! When she first mentioned it we thought it was extreme. We'll probably not go down the muzzle route and just have her on the lead. We've never really let any dogs off leads (we're always afraid they'll never come back!)

Caryll wrote:Being wary of other dogs doesn't mean she is dog aggressive. She just may not want full-on play.

Before you make any decisions on whether to muzzle or not ask the Dogs Trust exactly what level of 'wariness' does she display? Take her out for a walk (on lead) and watch her reactions to other dogs.

Well when I took her for a walk every time a dog was around she'd stop dead and look at them. She'd pull slightly on the lead to go to them but she'd be on her all fours in what I would say was a defensive stance. She didn't bark at them, but as soon as I pulled the lead to go away she'd stop and come with me, but I got the feeling she was still thinking about the other dog she saw and gave off the impression she was still thinking about the dog. I say this because she was far more playful before she knew there was a dog in her area. She'd be all "woo yeah cuddles.... that dog is still over there though".

I unfortunately do have to muzzle my boy he is very nervous of other dog and we have had a few dogs charge up to him and even though I have said he's not good on three occasions the other owners have not called the dog away and although mine has been on a lead and close to me he has caught them. So I do muzzle him when I see other dogs. On the flip side when he has his muzzle on I do relax abit more and he's fine with dogs that say hello calmly but some owners you just can't tell
I agree with the others see how she goes

i muzzle one because i live near the country side and my dog loves horse and fox poo and the other is the fact my bitch can snap at other dogs if challenged or snapped at her self she is dog frindly but is very bossy so some smaller dogs grab her ears and neck she then pins them down in a playfull was but other owners seem to fink shes some vicious creature but my 10 month old boy never muzzled he only interested in walking and hanging from tree branches lol

If there was less idiot out there a DA dog would possibly be ok with the correcr handling on a short lead and no muzzle .. However there isnt and a simple my dog dont get on with other dogs will not hit home with them and they will unfourtunatly still let there dogs come close even after the warning.
I had this alot with my old boy so we had to muzzle him fr his safety and the other dogs safety .. If he was to attack a dog then he couls be reported and possibly pts a muzzle was a minor thing i was willing to take on to prevent that from happening.
Yes a muzzle may look scary and yes a muzzle may intimidate other owners but did i care? No, aslong as my boy was going to be safe from accusations of attacking another dog that was all that matterd, he never minded the muZzle anyway and as said above he was alot calmer when dogs were near with it on that without it on.
I would rather explain "his not vicious his a daft so n so who just dont get on with most dogs" .. Rather than "well i warned the owner and they still carried on so my dog bit his dog"
No brainer for me

My old staff was da from about the age of 5 months. No amount of socialisation or training got him out of it. However, I never muzzled him & although he did bite a couple of dogs he was on lead & it was totally the other owner's fault. I always warned people not to let their dog come close, and he always gave plenty of warning!

If I am in control I will not muzzle unless there is a danger to humans.

Its a shame that as soon as your dog bites a dog its a requirement to muzzle .. Which is why my boy was muzzled because he attacked a GSD it was the owners fault but still my boy was ordered to be muzzled .. Like i said i prefer not to take risks and loose my dog over it so i agreed to muzzle

It's strange, but it seems to depend on the area you live in. Round here, the police just aren't interested in dog on dog attacks unless they are extreme & deliberate attacks.

Really? .. He didnt damage the dog either thats the thing he went for him yes but after been provoked but because the opposite dog owner reported it it was made out as if my dog went for him for no reason and the police are round the corner of us :@ stupid really . When i took him tebpark tho id take him deep in unmuzzle him n let hin have a run on a long lead bless him

When the doberman attacked Dempsey & I called the police they weren't interested at all. All they did was ask if any humans had been injured or threatened. Also, when we had Bandit (London & Wales) the police weren't in the least interested. One owner reported us & the police popped round to see us, but all they did was ask me what happened. They were happy to accept that my dog was on a lead & was safe with people (he licked the skin off one of them!).

Awww, see some police are better than others arent they? .. since then we have moved and the police around here are always stopping to fuss my two .. goes to show the differance as you said in areas.