"Why is your dog wearing a lead on his walk? "
Because it keeps him safe.
"Why don't you just train him. So he doesn't need a lead at all anywhere?"
Because that would be dangerous, he might cause an accident.
"Maybe you shouldn't take him out in public if you can't train him?"
But I keep him and others safe because he wears a lead in situations that could otherwise be dangerous...
Now swap the word "lead" for "muzzle"....
Honestly Everytime I post a photo of a dog in a muzzle I get quizzed " why is that dog in a muzzle?".
To which I usually explain the dog is reactive.
And I usually get a speech telling me some ridiculous reason why I'm cruel and why I shouldn't do that.
The muzzle is simply like a lead, or a seatbelt in cars. You hope it's not going to be needed, but if it is, it could massively change the outcome of a negative experience.
It is an excellent tool to assist in the training of reactivity or aggression in dogs.
Arkle is an dog who has fear based reactivity. So he barks and lunges at dogs when they get too close.
I take Arkle places where dogs should be onlead, but people struggle to follow these rules, wherever you go.
This often results in offlead dogs running into his space, being pushy and rude.
Arkle finds this scary. So he becomes defensive.
He will snap.
I don't want him to be pushed to biting.
So he wears a muzzle, to keep himself safe, and others safe.
It is no different to dogs wearing a muzzle to prevent them scavenging or to ensure a prey driven dog cannot kill wildlife that may pop up.
“Why don't you just train him?!”
Of course I train him! The muzzle is not a replacement for training; it's a management tool.
It means I CAN safely train. We got out with his treats and reward disengagement. I make sure that i keep him under threshold ( the distance he can handle dogs) and we don't bother anyone.
However; it doesn't matter where you go, there will be people letting their dogs offlead, where they shouldn't be.
I cannot guarantee that Arkle will react well to a dog jumping on him.
Arkle has been attacked.
His mum was reactive.
Arkle has chronic pain since a puppy.
These helped create a dog who is untrustworthy of a dog running straight into his face.
So wearing a muzzle means Arkle and society stay safe.
The muzzle is trained positively and Arkle has no concern about wearing it.
He enjoys his squeezy cheese in it and his nice walks!
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