Serious answers only re use of muzzle in obedience training for rough play?

Question

I have been taking my dog to obedience training classes for several weeks at a knowledgable reconized trainer. She and her staff train obedience, agility, competion, show and many others, so I know she knows her job. My dog has a habit of bum rushing the other dogs barking playfully and tail wagging. The problem is she is 110lb AmStaff/Bull Mastiff mix which makes it hard to control and others nervious. The trainer told me she has not had enough experience with other dogs to understand how to play and be social playing with other dogs. She suggested trying a muzzle (loose cage type, not the tight restricting type) on her and have her try a dog play group. That way she can play and learn to play without the chance pf accidently hurting anyone. My question is.....has anyone used this method, had this same issue and method of solving, or knows anything about using a muzzle?

No aggression at all...She has no problem with use of a Haltie Collar which goes around her nose so should be anxious with it on. It's just we don't know how she'll behave off leash, better to be safe than sorry. Plus it's not a permanent thing, just till she gets it.

Answer 1

I think you should go for the muzzle for the time being, my Amstaff gets the same way sometimes, they honestly don't know how big they are, but get her around some small dogs and make sure the owners are ok with this and let her play with them, this way she will learn to be more careful, then start introducing her to bigger dogs and see what the results are.

Answer 2

It is a gamble. If she is only trying to play, it could work. But the muzzle can actually cause her to be much more anxious and uncertain, which would cause her to have a negative association with the other dogs.

I personally know many, many trainers that are expert competition trainers, they can train most any dog to compete successfully in events.
BUT....they don't have a basic grounding in behavior and don't personally let their dogs be dogs, ie, play with other dogs or romp.
They are often intimidated by ordinary, but lively, dog behavior and haven't the confidence to deal with it.

You need to find a Behaviorist to evaluate the behavior you are describing and give you a better understanding of what she is doing. It may be very harmless.

Answer 3

Is she actually showing signs of aggression? If she isn't wearing a muzzle could make her quite stressed. Besides the size she is she could probably do far more damage rough playing with another dog. She needs to go somewhere quiet and is slowly introduced to other dogs when both dogs are on a lead to see her reaction.

Answer 4

I'm not sure of the advisability of a muzzle, either, particularly not a wire cage muzzle. It's not going to teach her anything except resentment at the thing on her face, it'll make her more anxious when you want her to be more calm. It sounds to me like an attempt at a quick fix rather than spending time re-socializing her in a more controlled setting.

Answer 5

I think you should contact a behavourist, not a trainer. You will find just what the problem is, and how to correct it. It does sound like she just needs to be socialized with other dogs, but I wouldn't like to use a muzzle myself. It might do more harm than good.

Answer 6

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