advice re dog muzzles

[debtfreeiwish]

hi i have a patterdale x who is 4 years old and i'm now finding dog walking to be a nightmare whenever we come across another dog walker she has a fit she just doesn't like other dogs!! i also have another dog a lab n she's fine with her n also fine with my neighbours dogs yet any strangers dog and she just goes mad,i was thinking of a muzzle that would maybe help keep her under control in these situations but my husband is against the idea has he thinks if another dog did have a go at her she wouldn't be able to defend herself so really my question is,is there a muzzle that i can gain control in a situation yet she still has the freedom to carry her ball which she loves to do on walks,lol(hope that makes sense), thanks

[notmeagain]

Muzzles will not really give you any more control over your dog but of course it will stop your dog actually biting another but the dog can still lunge snarl and air bite etc.

Have you thought of a head collar. Then you can turn the dogs head away from other dogs and prevent the bite. I would use both together on a very reactive dog but I think you should get advice from a qualified behavourist on this one.

Your OH is right in that if the muzzle is not introduced correctly the dog can feel more threatened with it on and is aware that he can not protect himself and so be more reactive. However with proper introduction and using the muzzle properly this can be avoided.

I would work hard on desensitizing approach which is time consuming but does work well.

[debtfreeiwish]

hi thanks will look into a head collar and advice sounds a lot better than a muzzle

[Memoo]

We used a head collar on our dog when she was younger. It worked brilliantly. It took time but we don't need to use it any more. The only thing she goes mad at now is ladders!

[debtfreeiwish]

lol memoo where did u get the head collar from!!

[notmeagain]

gentle leader

halti

amazon do both so does pets at home and most pet shops

[notmeagain]

Meant to say I would try the halti first as this can also be attached to the dogs collar so if he is really secure

[MrsJohnDeere]

Muzzle will make things worse IMHO. The dog will associate it with other dogs and react even more aggressively to them.

Halti or body harness much better.