Yes and did so even though I trust this dog to behave and she’s never been aggressive. Bottom line is I would never put this poochie I love so much in a bad situation. Too many little kids have no idea how to approach a dog and stick their faces right in a strange dogs face. HOWEVER she is VERY intuitive and have seen her get a little creepy around certain people and she’s usually right. I turned down a offer on a horse from a women who this dog did not like at all and I could not pin point why. I actually had to leash the dog until the women left the property, there was no way she was buying the horse even though it was a great offer.
Gosh, do you ever post anything without profanity? This is supposed to be a civil forum.
If you think your dog needs a muzzle then I would keep it muzzled.
The only people I know who walk their dogs in muzzles own dogs who have severely bitten other dogs and/or humans. My only objection to using a muzzle (when not really necessary) would be that it’s difficult to give a food reward, and I find those to be helpful when working on positive socialization experiences.
But if you like it, whatever, do what you like, 
, a properly-fit muzzle isn’t hurting anybody.
I don’t seem to have the problem of people touching my dog or allowing their dog to be rude. Most likely because I am vigilant and stop them before they get to us. I have two little Papillons that are pretty and small which attract much attention when we go out. If a child approaches while I am working, I say “stop right there” once. If they continue to approach, I step between the child and my dog and body block them. I’ve never had to do more because by that time the parent figure is there, and apologizing. If it is an adult, I don’t make eye contact, I don’t speak to them, I just keep working my dog and they seem to fade away eventually. shrug it would never occur to me to muzzle them to send a negative non-verbal message like a muzzle.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;7985316]
Gosh, do you ever post anything without profanity? This is supposed to be a civil forum.
If you think your dog needs a muzzle then I would keep it muzzled.[/QUOTE]
Last I checked there’s no rule here against profanity. If you don’t want to read any there are horse forums that DO have this rule but I see 0 problem with me cursing at no one in particular. Words are only offensive if you let them be.
[QUOTE=arapaloosa_lady;7986022]
The only people I know who walk their dogs in muzzles own dogs who have severely bitten other dogs and/or humans. My only objection to using a muzzle (when not really necessary) would be that it’s difficult to give a food reward, and I find those to be helpful when working on positive socialization experiences.
But if you like it, whatever, do what you like, , a properly-fit muzzle isn’t hurting anybody.[/QUOTE]
This is why I love the Baskerville 
they’re specifically designed to be able to treat through. They are a little finicky to fit though.
Uh, there IS indeed a rule.
to send a negative non-verbal message like a muzzle.
ever seen a dog trained to muzzle-fight? They can punch someone in the solar plexus with enough force to kill them. And, if they miss and hit a bit lower (males only) usually the victim wishes he had been bitten instead. Muzzles give off a different vibe to me now.
I would do the same with my dog, just to make people leave him alone.
He LOVES people, way too much, but I don’t want everyone molesting him.
He doesn’t like certain other dogs, and a muzzle would definitely give them the idea to pee-off.
I’d use your muzzle and let those people walking their badly-trained doodles on their flexi-leads JUDGE AWAY! 
I have an aussie who can be reactive. He is far less reactive now than he used to be, but if I take him into a crowded situation I will put a muzzle on him so that he cannot make a mistake. (Yes, we have done obedience training and he is highly trained.) When someone gives him a sideways glance, I just say, “He has a habit of taking ice cream out of little kids hands; this prevents it.” This changes their attitude from “Oh my God, you have a dangerous dog out in public.” to “You are such a good owner to be so careful with your dog.” It’s all in the presentation.
Of course, one person heard this explanation, looked at my aussie and said, “Can get nippy, huh?” So, I have been busted by one person, but they did not take offense.
Oh FFS. “Someone said ASS! Dear me!” Gosh, oh golly, put her on ignore if certain words bother you enough that you could start your own online panty-wadding business. Gee whiz! The very nerve of some people, using “adult” language. Tsk tsk.
I second the use of a Gentle Leader. My sweet Dobie was generally not a dog that people approached without asking anyway, but it gave me (a petite woman) a little extra control, especially in busy places, as he was very powerful, but not aggressive. We do live in a fairly urban area and I walked him twice daily for most of his life with me. When I pulled him from the shelter, they told me he was full grown at 70 pounds (average male Dobie size). Nobody expected him to grow another 3 inches at the shoulder and pack on 20 more appropriate pounds…so the Gentle Leader was really just leverage for me, as he and I were actually pretty close in size. Once I was satisfied with his leash training, I did not use the Gentle Leader daily - only when we were going somewhere crowded or busy (Petco, the vet’s office, etc.)
However, for the first 4-5 months I had him, I DID use a basket muzzle on our daily walks, as the shelter had no history on him, I was not willing to risk him biting a neighbor or another dog in our urban neighborhood, and he clearly had no training other than housebreaking when he came to us. My neighbors seemed to understand my reasoning and appreciated my caution.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;7987105]
Uh, there IS indeed a rule.[/QUOTE]
Where? Because I looked for it and couldn’t find it. I’m not just talking out my ASS (teehee) here. There’s this:
Outright inflammatory, vulgar, harassing, malicious or otherwise inappropriate statements and criminal charges unsubstantiated by a reputable news source or legal documentation will not be tolerated and will be dealt with at the discretion of the moderators.
But by “vulgar”, I’m almost positive they are referring to, say, if I gave a graphic description of a sexual act or something, not saying a curse word.
As for gentle leaders, I personally don’t like them because I have firsthand seen them give dogs whiplash. I just don’t think that’s worth the risk for my dog, especially since it took forever to train him not to lunge at the end of the leash and he’d only have to forget that once to hurt himself.
[QUOTE=dungrulla;7983573]
In other news if anyone has an equally effective way to get people to KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF MY DAMN DOG I’d love to hear it :([/QUOTE]
If you are using the muzzle to send the signal that your dog bites… so that folks won’t touch him, you can’t be unhappy that people believe you about the potential biting.
[QUOTE=mvp;7988205]
If you are using the muzzle to send the signal that your dog bites… so that folks won’t touch him, you can’t be unhappy that people believe you about the potential biting.[/QUOTE]
I’m not unhappy about the potential biting believing. I am unhappy about people accusing me of cruelty for putting a muzzle on my dog AND for insinuating I shouldn’t have a neutralized animal in public.
I think if someone one asked if my dog wore a muzzle because he was aggressive. I’d say “No, he wears it so people will stop and think before touching him.” Possibly it would open a dialog about why people should be respectful of ALL dogs muzzled or not because ANY dog can bite/snap if startled.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;7987105]
Uh, there IS indeed a rule.[/QUOTE]
Yes indeed…
“•While debating and discussion is fine, we will not tolerate rudeness, profanity (or attempts to bypass profanity filters), insulting posts, personal attacks or purposeless inflammatory posts. Our decision is final in these matters.”
Back to the topic- Muzzles can make dogs that are fearful MORE fearful. I’d work on desensitizing or not putting him in situations where there is a risk.
I have 3 dogs, one which was feral for 3 or 4 years. He is not good with strangers. He also would bite someone that approaches me, and tries to reach for either him or me if he is leashed. So I walk him around midnight, to avoid having kids come up to us. If I go to the vet, I go during non-busy times, and make sure I have them put us in an exam room right away.
Wait, I missed profanity? Where was it?
It’s not that my delicate constitution can’t handle it, we all let one fly here and there. It just seems excessive and unnecessary and it’s discouraged on the forum. As a rather new poster, I’d hate to see dungrulla get in trouble if he/she didn’t know it was frowned upon here.
I stopped using the gentle leader with my (dearly departed) Doberman because everyone assumed she was aggressive and it was a muzzle. Also because I just didn’t like it (wanted to try it out).
You can’t have people back off because they are scared of the muzzled dog, yet not think the dog is muzzled because it might bite. Sorry. FWIW, I posted a thread awhile ago about how everyone wants to pet my dog (they still do btw–grown cropped Doberman–he’s like a kid and grown man magnet, gals not as much) and how I was being treated as evil when I said no. I got lots of advice on that thread, btw.
I had to say “no” again Sat. But I also thanked the little girl and complimented her dad for asking me. He just isn’t used to little kids and I can tell they make him uncomfortable (reading posture–no growling or anything that bad). Better safe than sorry. I have no idea which stranger’s kid will pet politely and which won’t.
Also, I don’t feel like I have to bring my dog into the store. For example, a laid back Tuesday afternoon is probably a better idea for conditioning a dog than a Saturday morning. It’s up to us to put our dogs into situations we can anticipate and be ready for so they are positive. I don’t mean this at the OP, but I’ve never understood the “I must bring my dog simply because it is allowed” mentality, whether it is a dog park, or store, or whatever. Set the dog up for success.
