Muzzle

[NOKKIE]

Hi

Am wanting to purchase a Muzzle for my Bullmastiff Girl can anyone reccomend a good one. She is good when i walk her on lead but is occasionly dog aggresive generally only when other dogs bark at her.Am wanting to take her to the waterfront when the weather warms up a bit more and wont to be safe rather than sorry her recall is good but like i said safe rather than sorry.Any help greatly appreicated THANK YOU

[Aidan]

I commend you on wanting to take a proactive approach in managing your girl's behaviour around other dogs. I would recommend some professional help, though. Unfortunately a muzzle can escalate aggressive behaviour if not introduced with some consideration, and while the risk of a bite is minimised, the experience for both or either dog can still be very traumatic in a muzzle fight.

K9pro.com.au sell good quality muzzles and would be able to advise you further. Overheating is a concern in hot weather so you are probably limited to a wire basket muzzle, and finding one to fit a Bullmastiff correctly (so that it will stay on when it really counts) can be a bit tricky.

You will also have to deal with other people's perceptions. My GSD looks like a typical police dog, is clearly under control, and does not play with other dogs, so I've only had favourable comments. A BM who is approaching other dogs or off-leash in the same area might draw some criticism.

I mention none of this in a judgemental way and would not be surprised if you had already considered many of these issues, but I mention them because it is prudent to do so in this forum.