Dog Aggression & Muzzles

Question
QUESTION: I have a Bouvier, who is 5, he is a male and is neutered.  He weighs about 90 lbs.

In the past year, while walking my dog, he was attacked by a loose pitbull.  It happened two additional times before the dog was caught.  My dog was not hurt, however his personality has greatly changed.

I can no longer walk him on a leash because he pulls me and will attack other dogs that get near me.  I cannot always stop him from breaking free of his leash because he is so much more powerful than me and pulls the leash out of my hand.  He has attacked, but not seriously injured, two dogs since he was attacked.

I exercise my Bouvier by having him run with me.  However, this is no longer enjoyable for either of us.  He pulls me on the leash and I am very anxious (which he picks up on) that we will come across a dog and he will attack it and injure someone's pet.  In order to give me some peace of mind and protect the safety of other dogs, can I run him while having him wear a muzzle.  If so, can you recommend a style of muzzle?  Thanks.

ANSWER: While muzzles aren't 100% dependable, I think it might give an additional degree of safety as well as making you feel less anxious (which surely goes right down the leash to your dog) Are you working with a trainer? I would. You might also consider something besides a collar for walking your dog. Possibly a front connection or two point of contact harness or a head halter (which allows you to turn your dog's head.) Pushing into a collar cuts off the air, and makes the dog feel more reactive, not less. So, if you can get the pressure off his throat, that would be a good thing. When you see another dog, resist the urge to choke up on the leash. Instead give him a bit more leash, and ask him to do something else - and possibly go the opposite direction. This of course, needs to happen before he becomes reactive. Having strategies on what you will do if you see another dog gives you more confidence, as well as letting you help your dog. For loose dogs, you may want to carry something like "Direct Stop" from cleanrun.com. This is a burst of harmless citronella spray which you can aim at an approaching dog. While it's not toxic or dangerous like pepper spray, it can be effective in repelling that dog. I'd also be working on changing the meaning of other dogs for your dog (at sufficient distance that he's under threshold - not actively reacting) Suggested reading for this would be "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons and "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt. For muzzles, this company has some good ones. morrco.com I'd recommend a wire basket muzzle, which still allows him to open his mouth and to take treats. Start conditioning him to it at home. Let him put his nose into it for a treat. Treat several times with it on his face, take it off and ignore him a bit. Do this several times a day for a couple of minutes each time. Eventually, he'll love his muzzle. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com

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QUESTION: Thank you for the great response.  I have been through several trainers who teach behavior modification using fear based techniques, which I do not believe in.  My next trainer is unable to start until the end of September.

Will you please elaborate on your sentence: Possibly a front connection or two point of contact harness or a head halter (which allows you to turn your dog's head.)  I am not familiar with harnesses or halters.  Where could I buy the product you recommend?

Answer
Good for you waiting for a positive trainer. Punishment based training can make these situations so much worse. Check out TTouch.com for step in harnesses, which can be used with a double ended leash to give you the ability to give the dog more information. Often people who have been using all their strength to control the dog find that this allows them to influence the dog very subtly. See if you can get a copy of Linda Tellington-Jones' "Getting in TTouch with Your Dog" for diagrams and description. Google Gentle Leader, Snoot Loop and Halti for head halters. If the dog pulls forward, it turns his head. If you can control a dog's head, you control the rest of him. This is obvioulsy very useful for a reactive dog. They also tend to have a bit of a dampening effect on the dog - which can be bad for somethings, but good if the dog tends to be over the top (muzzles have the same effect - you would want to fit the halter inside the muzzle. The drawback of them is that if the dog hits the end of the leash hard, it can snap his head around and cause soft tissue damage. So you have to be careful. Here's a link for the Easy Walk and how it works http://www.premier.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/collars/easywalk/description
Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com