Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (Full Version)

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YourhandMyAss -> Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 3:27:12 PM)

I would like to take our Springer Spaniel collie out to street fairs where she'd be allowed, but Forevery ones protection we'd like to muzzle her or keep her from potentially being able to snap at things that annoy her.   She's about 8 years olf and has never been properly socialized I don't think, She's nice enough  if nobody tries to touch her, but if strangers try to touch her she'd certaintly snap at them, and we all know sometimes little kids touch other people's dogs with out asking, And I don't know what she'd do to a kid who she didn't know, so we want to avoid a problem.

I hope that by taking her out more she'll be socialized more, but at 7 or maybe 8 I think they're already stuck in their don't touch me if I don't know you and godforbid if I think you're a threat to my humans, mentality.


She also knows how to behave on a leash and mostly choses not to lol. She pulls and yanks and w/ill damn near p ull you off your feet the moment thel eash is on, so I wanted to work on her manners, so maybe I can handle her. I used to try to take her out for walks but her rude leash behavior killed any joy I got out of taking her lol.




Aylee -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 3:29:26 PM)

The Gentle Leader will help with her leash manners.  But it is NOT the same as a muzzle.  Yes, you can hold their jaws closed, but if you are worried about snapping, I reccommend dog training classes.  Check with your local PetSmart or Pet store or your vet. 



YourhandMyAss -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 3:55:22 PM)

she failed obediance class the first time she took it lol. Or rather I think her first mommy accidentl;y put her in agility instead lol.



Aylee -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 4:06:17 PM)

Take it again?  Dogs are pack animals.  The dog needs to know that you are the Alpha leader. 

It could also be that the dog is scared and needs puppy-prozac. 



YourhandMyAss -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 4:44:12 PM)

She snaps at people if she thinks they're a threat to her safety or ours.
quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee

Take it again?  Dogs are pack animals.  The dog needs to know that you are the Alpha leader. 

It could also be that the dog is scared and needs puppy-prozac. 



DesFIP -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 4:55:13 PM)

My sister's lab repeated puppy kindergarten for six months before she could move him up to obedience. Failing it the first time doesn't mean he's untrainable, it means you need to keep working at it.

But a dog that bites, doesn't heel, jumps on people? The last place for him is a fair unless you want confrontations and lawsuits. Spend this winter working on obedience, every walk, every day, repeat the basics.



YourhandMyAss -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 5:04:20 PM)

That's one problem we never had to worry about with ginger, she doesn't jump lol. And she only bites if strangers try to touch her when she doesn't want them to, course that is still biting. She knows how to heel but she's more like oh oh oh I wanna go see, forget your request to heel, so yeah I would say obediance is a priority I want to enforce.
quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP

My sister's lab repeated puppy kindergarten for six months before she could move him up to obedience. Failing it the first time doesn't mean he's untrainable, it means you need to keep working at it.

But a dog that bites, doesn't heel, jumps on people? The last place for him is a fair unless you want confrontations and lawsuits. Spend this winter working on obedience, every walk, every day, repeat the basics.



mztresn0w -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 5:33:39 PM)

If she bites and snaps at strangers then you will need to muzzle her when you have her out around people.  But I would not want to risk her biting a child. Most people don't control their children. Children tend to run up to a dog and pet them. They rarely ask. Trust me I work in the field and see it on a daily basis.  If there is a local petsmart in your area. Please go there and ask to speak to the trainer there. If that isn't something you can do. Then contact your Vet and see who they would recommend you contact. The dog prozac is a last resort. It isn't something that you would want to start unless your Vet feels that is the only thing that will help. Also there is a show called the Dog Whisperer. If you can watch it then it might help you to become her Alpha. Best of luck and don't give up. Small steps are better than none.



beargonewild -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 6:30:57 PM)

And dogs being pack animals also have a pack mentality which is what I always kept in mind when I was training my dog when she was a pup. What I find helps when approaching a dog that doesn't know me is to allow the dig to make first contact by sniffing my upturned hand and or legs. It's my belief that if I make first contact, the dog is apt to interpret that as a sign of aggression and a challenge to his status in his pack (you as his human pack mates) and thus he will respond with aggression.



UmbraDomina -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 8:23:29 PM)

NO, gentle leaders do not stop a dog from snapping and they can and will bite wearing them if so inclined. Also do not use the quick release velcro on/off nylon muzzles. If a dog is prone to bite a good fitting leather muzzle is your best bet. ( hmmm works that way with humans too but that is a different thread....lol )
Take the dog for training, get it socialized, and keep a muzzle on it around strangers...... you do not want to end up with a law suit from a dog bite case, and the loss of your dog if it is ordered to be put down.



WyldHrt -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 9:47:21 PM)

*FR*
My $.02
A GL will not keep her fom biting, and she may even injure herself with it if the is in the habit of making sudden pulls at the leash. 

Next: It is not a good idea to take a dog who lacks socilization to the point of biting to an event such as a street faire, and the use of a muzzle is likely to make the situation worse rather than better. Think about this from her POV: she doesn't like being touched by people she doesn't know, she is uncomfortable around strangers, she doesn't like it when people "threaten" your family members. So, the plan is to take away her (in her mind) ability to defend herself and then force her into a very uncomfortable situation involving a large crowd of strangers that will likely ratchet up her anxiety? Not good. It would be very similar to taking a shy person *looks around* errr... a shy vanilla person, tying her hands behind her back, taking her into a crowd and inviting people to come touch her. In the dog's case, it is actually a bit worse, since she lacks the ability to understand the situation at all. This is a recipe for bad things to happen when the muzzle is off and she CAN "defend" herself.

It is possible to desensitize her, but the best way is with the help of a good, positive-method dog trainer and a lot of patience and work on your part. You have to start within her comfort zone and slowly work to expand that zone. Basic obedience training is required in order for this to work. Also, many dogs that bite inappropriately "to defend the family" do so because they do not see their humans as Alpha. Most dogs do not truly want to be Alpha but, being pack oriented, they will step into that role if they think their humans are not up to the job. Again, obedience training will help with this. Once she sees that it is your job, not hers, to take care of the family (herself included), she may relax a bit and be more receptive to careful, methodical socialization.  

OK, that was more like $1.25, but I worked with dog rescue organizations for several years and I learned a thing or two about anxious, under-socialized pups. [8D] 



Naga -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/16/2008 9:57:49 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee

Take it again? Dogs are pack animals. The dog needs to know that you are the Alpha leader.



Actually dogs are not pack animals, but social animals. Dogs have adapted to living with in the 14,000 or so years since we have begun domesticating them. They do not display very many of the behaviors wolves do any more. If they did, they would be jockeying for rank with your children as they grew up and would eventually challenge you for "pack" leadership in your family.

Here is web site that you can check out options for conditioning your dog to be more well behaved in social situations.

http://www.4pawsu.com/dogpsychology.htm



sirsholly -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 3:17:16 AM)

Street fairs are generally full of children who love to pet/play with dogs. A nip or bite, even if it does not break the skin, can seriously frighten a child.  For the sake of the kids, i would keep your dog at home.



YourhandMyAss -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 10:01:19 AM)

yeah pet smart does obedience classes, we;ll have to take her in sometime. Thing is she's very friendly and lovey dovey, BUT she has to know you or feel comfortable that you are a nice person.

I was worried about meeting her the first time I ever saw her, and she took to me right away, went from barking to trying to kiss lol.



IAMChristine -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 10:24:00 AM)

FR

i'm not sure if  a street fair would be the place to take her, especially if she's older and doestn' like to be touched.  maybe work her up to things where there will be so many people.  it'd be awful if someone got bitten or your dog was injured in some way. 



YourhandMyAss -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 10:38:25 AM)

Yes, that is very very true, perhaps a trip to petsmart first, she's been there before for grooming, or perhaps a  very very small gathering.
quote:

ORIGINAL: IAMChristine

FR

i'm not sure if  a street fair would be the place to take her, especially if she's older and doestn' like to be touched.  maybe work her up to things where there will be so many people.  it'd be awful if someone got bitten or your dog was injured in some way. 



Dnomyar -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 10:38:51 AM)

Do you have a dog park near you. If so take the dog to one of those. Let her run free. If the dog can't get along there then leave it at home when you go out. It is not the dog but the people who own the dog. Any dog needs an Alpha owner. If you can't control your dog then give it to someone who will. My daughter has a dog her and her husband have to walk on a leash when outdoors with it. They whine at it to do this and do that. When they drop it off at my place when they go on trips I never have him on a leash. He minds great. Dogs need a Master not a submissive.



sirsholly -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 11:28:08 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: YourhandMyAss
. Thing is she's very friendly and lovey dovey, BUT she has to know you or feel comfortable that you are a nice person.



again...until properly trained, the animal has no business in a public setting where she can hurt someone.



YourhandMyAss -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 11:35:16 AM)

Yes, I'm not disagreeing with that. I am saying if she knows you she's sweet as pie. Which makes her uncosicalness to the general public a shame.
quote:

ORIGINAL: sirsholly

quote:

ORIGINAL: YourhandMyAss
. Thing is she's very friendly and lovey dovey, BUT she has to know you or feel comfortable that you are a nice person.



again...until properly trained, the animal has no business in a public setting where she can hurt someone.




BlackPhx -> RE: Will gentle leader muzzle leashes keep a dog from snapping at people? (11/17/2008 5:44:35 PM)

Try this instead http://leerburg.com/clothmuzzle.htm but please note dogs can still bite with a cloth muzzle on but won't be able to drink or pant. I would suggest using this to BEGIN getting her used to other people handling her.

To safely socialize her.. get several friends together that you know and trust. Put the muzzle on her. Then using leather gloves let them pet her as you hold her gently, praising her the entire time and giving her occasional treats. If she starts to struggle, or tries to snap, let her rest, give her water and give her time to settle down. Do NOT do this more than 5 or 10 minutes Max at a time.

You can also hold a dinner party/BBQ and have friends over, again give them gloves, but this time give them her favorite treats or small bits of liver. As they chat let them lure her closer with small treats and feed her. The trick is to get her to associate friendly people with good things, though she will continue to be suspicious of potentially harmful people.

If she snaps at people when you are walking her who get too close, the minute she starts to be agitated distract her, immediately turn and walk in another direction, and keep it up until she stops seeing everyone approaching as a threat. Praise her the minute she calms down and wash rinse repeat.

It is unlikely that she is ever going to be friendly enough to go through crowds where children are likely to be, but at least you should be able to get her to where she doesn't snap at every strange hand that comes at her. Even the best behaved dog can get very jumpy in crowded situations especially where people will brush up against them or step on their toes.  Children should know better than to run up to a strange dog, but inevitably there will be one when your back is turned..I woudn't risk it at least not until you are positive she will remain calm.

poenkitten





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