# Muzzle for socializing?



## gbwms (Apr 5, 2013)

Hello,
I have a one-year-old mix who is not socialized with strangers or other dogs. I take her to the park to help socialize her with out a problem,so long as no people or dogs come up to her. She has never bitten anyone, but I'm afraid that one day at the park, a small kid will run up to her wanting to pet her. Would it be ok to put a muzzle on her while we're out? Please help...this is my first dog and I feel like I'm blowing it.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

for me there is a time for everything no matter where you start.. Have you built the best foundation with the dog to face where the dog is having problems? Does the dog have skills to fall back on when they are unsure , and trust with you to apply those skills. As an owner you are in the best position to build that long term trust that even when dogs haven't been taught exactly what they need in any given situation they will follow your lead because they trust you. Don't rush into a situation you don't have to. Many times a dog with a strong foundation of skills and solid working relationship with their owners, provides them more confidence to face what concerns them. Putting a muzzle on a dog and putting him in a poor situation to react negatively doesn't help them, it sets them back further just my opinion never forget your positive conditioning keeping them in a training position that is building towards your goal and not setting your back.. ... If your going to use a muzzle for a safety factor to the public, then you should condition them to the muzzle that its positive.. starting at home with introduction of examining the muzzle,, slipping it on and off and rewarding,, slipping it on and fastening then taking it off, wearing it for a few minutes taking it off, wearing it and playing games taking it off,, going for short walks.. all over time with short spurts... and build up over time..


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Just be on the lookout for kids, that's all.

Look, if the dog is so overwhelmed by a park that a muzzle is necessary, they're not ready for the park yet. But muzzling a dog on the off chance that some hypothetical kid might escape your notice and fall on your dog is taking things a little too far.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

Honestly, if she has an issue with people or dogs why are you bringing her to the park. Get yourself some professional help so you can learn how to help the dog through the socialization issues.


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## gbwms (Apr 5, 2013)

seaboxador said:


> Honestly, if she has an issue with people or dogs why are you bringing her to the park. Get yourself some professional help so you can learn how to help the dog through the socialization issues.


 Where would I get professional help? I've done research, and couldn't find anything....
What about when guests come over? Could I use a muzzle then? We have like 50 people coming over this weekend, and I have no idea what to do with her.
Does anyone know a professional dog trainer I could get within a reasonable price range?
Sorry for all the questions. Just kinda confused :/


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## Cotonlove (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't know anything about muzzles but if you are unsure of how your dog will act with 50 people coming over I would crate the dog rather than risk a bite. Do you live in a single family home? They make some really nice chain link outside dog runs, maybe get one of those to use until you are sure your dog is socialized enough to be around other dogs and people. We have one in our backyard and our dog loves to go out there ...our yard is too big to fence. I don't know anything about professional dog trainers but I would look in a phone book or call a local veteranary for advice. Good luck!


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

if you have 50 people coming over I would set her up in a room/ crate/ yard etc.. away from people and all the noise (find a place that benefits the dog her well being should be your priority.. Humans are smart enough to understand and be considerate for you.. ... Have a plan to set up to tend to her for potty breaks checking in on her during your gathering.. You need time to condition her to a muzzle so it is a positive for her.. if you don't she will only stress out more.. drive her current behavior stronger, deeper in the negative direction and distrust you for doing it. As far as finding a trainer,, I think I like better what people have said about a behaviorist to search your area on the computer , word of mouth recommendations from local dog businesses.. It takes time to build confidence... one little great experience at a time.. bad experiences only reinforce the negative direction.. so a good plan and approach is the action you want to take.


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

Forcing your dog into a situation where she's uncomfortable will not make her confident. It will make things worse.
If your dog is so scared that she feels the need to bite, then a muzzle is not what she needs. She needs a safe place to go when she's feeling overwhelmed. A crate in another room, or just a room entirely, with maybe a TV or a radio on or something, lots of things to chew on and lots of exercise before hand.

The only way you're going to potentially get her to where she is comfortable around strangers is to slowly, on her terms, teach her how not to be afraid. Muzzling her and throwing her into big crowds of people will only prove to her that she should be afraid.


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

To me, it depends on why and how much you think the muzzle is necessary, especially on walks. If you think the dog will bite (I would say could, but I suppose any dog could bite under under the wrong circumstances), then you definitely need a behaviorist or a trainer. If you've seen nothing but an excited happy dog, and you're protecting from (hopefully remote) possibilities that something you can't control that *might* cause the dog to react (like an idiot sending their kid to come bolting over to see the doggy) then I don't think the muzzle is a bad idea. I know with Diesel (foster, big, lots of unknowns, but for the most part seems friendly meeting people and dogs) I feel better having him wear a muzzle while taking him for a walk just in case something I wasn't aware of triggers him. I find for me it is better for my nerves, so I can concentrate on enjoying the walk with him and I know the consequences of something unknown are lower....consequences that are unlikely, but technically possible, he is a gentle giant 99% of the time, but I know from experience there is a 1% in there.... Do what you can to make exposures to things controlled and on a level the dog can handle, but in the world, unexpected things can happen, and if there is a possibility the dog could get set off by something new, a muzzle isn't a bad backup......but the most important one is the leash. 

You said she is fine so long as no people or dogs come up to her, though there have been no bites, what has been the reaction? Is it bad?



HollowHeaven said:


> The only way you're going to potentially get her to where she is comfortable around strangers is to slowly, on her terms, teach her how not to be afraid. Muzzling her and throwing her into big crowds of people will only prove to her that she should be afraid.


I do agree though, muzzling and throwing her into a crowd....BAD idea, far too overwhelming! Crating in a separate room would be by far the best. If you want to use the party/gathering as an opportunity, perhaps let/ask one or two people at a time to go into the room and just hang out (ignore the dog for a bit), maybe leave a treat in the crate if she is calm. 

If you are going to use a muzzle, make sure to do some proper muzzle conditioning and make it as positive as possible, don't just strap it on and expect it to be ok (you probably know that, but I mention it just in case!). Its taken me a while to get Diesel ok with the muzzle and he still fusses with it occasionally if he has the chance.


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## gbwms (Apr 5, 2013)

Greater Swiss said:


> You said she is fine so long as no people or dogs come up to her, though there have been no bites, what has been the reaction? Is it bad?
> 
> If you want to use the party/gathering as an opportunity, perhaps let/ask one or two people at a time to go into the room and just hang out (ignore the dog for a bitql), maybe leave a treat in the crate if she is calm.


She does better with people than with dogs. With people, she'll slowly stick her head out from behind me, then creep up to them to smell them with her tail under her legs. She really hasn't had any good experiences with dogs. She's very short, so every dog she's met has towered over her.Plus we live on a dead end with barely any cars, all the dog people on our street have trained theirs to stay around their houses off leash, so pretty much every time a dog comes up to her, she's on-leash while the other one is not. Though one of them is a small collie, about the same height as she is. The other day this collie trotted up to her, she growled and curled her lip at first, but then abandoned that, stood up straight and sniffed him right back. We have a friend who brings her dog over a lot. This dog is even shorter than mine, and she gets along great with her. So what I'm trying to say is, she gets along much better with dogs shorter than her, but there aren't too many of those.
Out of all the people coming over, I know at least two are dog lovers, so I'll definitely ask them to see my dog


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## cardozosula (Apr 19, 2012)

nothing a little bit of training and mixing around with a lot of people that wont help..


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I would find people with friendly, well socialized dogs and set up one-on-one play dates in a place that's safe for your dog, to start. A friend of ours has a dog they rescued who isn't great with other dogs, and they'll bring him over sometimes to interact with Hamilton because he is well socialized and can handle the eccentricities of our friend's dog. They're similar sizes too. I wouldn't let a friend with a giant ill socialized dog interact with mine for safety reasons. If that works out, try expanding to more formal, supervised dog social things. We're members of a few dog meetups, and go to a supervised play group once a week. 

My dog isn't thrilled with kids running up to him at the park, though he's never tried to bite one, he just tries to get away. Usually if kids ask if they can pet my dog, I tell them he doesn't like new people petting him, but say that he'd love it if they gave him a treat, and let them give him a treat. Win win for us, my dog gets used to kids = good stuff, the kid gets to interact with my dog without actually grabbing at him. My dog will take a treat from ANYONE, so this compromise works for us.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

> Putting a muzzle on a dog and putting him in a poor situation to react negatively doesn't help them,


Somebody puts you in handcuffs it changes your attitude and then says let's go for a walk down this dark alley.


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## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

We used to put a muzzle on my shepherd/lab that I had years ago when people came over to the house. Zoe was a great dog, but very nervous of strangers (which was weird since her full sister from the same litter was with her their entire lives with the same experiences and was much more bold....always though Zoe had a screw loose of some sort). Having the muzzle on allowed her to be out and interact with people without the fear she'd snap and catch someone. She wasn't forced to interact with the people, but she always chose to be in the same room.


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

So....gbwms....how did the gathering go? What did you decide to do, separate room, outside?


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