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Muzzled And Leashed At The Dog Park

845 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  MyCharlie 
#1 ·
Domino and I go to our local dog park every day. Once in a while we'll encounter an owner who has a dog leashed or muzzled, but not for the reasons one might think. One owner has an English Bulldog on a leash because, according to the owner, that's the only way the dog will walk (He doesn't seem that old). An owner of a Golden Retriever has to put a muzzle on her dog because he often chews and swallows sticks. Kinda extreme ways to control doggie behavior, but different strokes for different folks, I guess.
 
#2 ·
Leashing is problematic in an off leash park because it means the dog has no way to retreat if he feels cornered- and it can get tangled if another dog gets too close and isn't careful. If the owner isn't confident about their dog's behavior off the leash? A big sign that they shouldn't be at an off leash park!

Muzzling, different story. I don't think a dog who needs a muzzle for aggression (or even just overly rough play!) with other dogs is at ALL dog park appropriate. That said, I think a basket muzzle for a dog who likes to eat inappropriate items is completely reasonable and harmless. I doubt the owner would use it if he just chewed things up, but if he actually ingests things like sticks, well... that's EXPENSIVE after the first obstruction surgery! And dogs with actual pica? That's REALLY hard to stop with behavioral mod- a significant portion is going to be preventing the dog from getting to do the behavior, period.
 
#3 ·
A friend of mine has a labrador who's obsessed with eating the poop of other dogs. So when they go out on walks in the forest or at dog parks, she puts a muzzle on her dog just to make sure he can't eat poop.
Ok, it looks scary to other people but that's only because they think that a dog wearing a muzzle must be an aggressive dog.
So when your dog eats things they shouldn't, I think a muzzle is a good way to avoid any heal issues.
 
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