JoJo is too aggressive...muzzle needed

Well last night was the final straw. She ran ahead of me and i find her at the feet of a guy i know. She is sat happily with his two other dogs. One of which is a 14 week old puppy. She is tiny, just bigger than the palm of your hand.

With that she starts snapping, the puppy is screaming. I have Hector on the lead and I am trying to grab her whilst calling her, but she has gone deaf.

The pup then makes a run for it, still screaming and Jo is giving chase.

The guy runs after them just before they get in to the High Street. There was an audience when i arrived.

She hadn't been bitten....and it do think it was more snapping than actually trying to kill the poor theng.

But, it has now proved she is aggressive and CANNOT be trusted.


Last night i was ready to call the breeders and hand her back. A tad extreme but it upset me and it was all abit up in the air.

This morning i decided to get a muzzle, but i had a quick look on E Bay and they are all so 'in your face' - you know aggressive looking. Can anyone recommend any please.

I wont muzzle her on lead, but i feel dogs need a good run and so would like to take her off lead occassionally, but in these instances she will need to be muzzled.

This afternoon we meet two dogs who both came up to her whilst on lead and she ignored them - well had a sniff and that was it. But, I just cant run the risk of her attacking another dog. Also being so small, she can come to harm herself.

She is so quiet and lovely at home, but for some reason she just hates some dogs.

Perhaps keeping her on the lead may be better than a muzzle, is she a standard or a miniature?

She is standard but small.
I dont have a garden and i think it would be un-fair of me never to let her off lead and run about.

Sadly, for some dogs, on-lead walks are the only kind. Lennon can never be let off, but Roxy and Mya are fine.
Why not get a long lead for "off-lead" exercise?

Given a choice I think only having long lead walks would be better than a muzzle on such a small dog. Being a small hound the chance of getting her muzzle caught up under bushes etc is very high so not only would a lead be better but also safer.

If she were going for people or children that would be different but if she is just putting other dogs in their place then a lead should give you enough control to stop the acceptable becoming unacceptable.

I wouldn't want to muzzle an offlead dog as all sorts of accidents could happen and she can still chase other dogs and scare them so it won't stop that.
My JRT cannot come off the lead even though he loves everyone but because he suffers selective deafness.
He does not suffer as he has good walks over fields on a longer flexi lead which he can still run about on, but I know he will always be safe. He is a happy little dog. So if I were you I would forget the muzzle and invest in a longline or a longer length flexi lead.

It does seem really hard to subject a dog to being on a lead for the rest of it's life. The reality is not nearly so bad. My mother has a rescue Springer with selective deafness which has to stay on a flexi-lead. He dashes about within the range of the lead and his tail never stops wagging. For a smaller dog the range will be proportionately larger and he probably won't even notice the restriction after a short while.

We have the same problem here. Phil is very dog aggressive and cannot be let off lead. Greyhounds have a reputation for not coming back when called too which makes things worse. We go out very early in the morning when we are less likely to meet other dogs and let them off for a quick sprint but only with their muzzles on. One of us stands one end of the field with the dogs, the other at the other end of the field with a pocketfull of treats and they run between us once we are positive there are no other dogs around.

I think as the other ones have mentioned letting your dog off lead with a muzzle maybe dangerous. Our dogs have such long legs they are unlikely to get caught up in anything. Flexi leads are not recommend for our breed of dog due to their speed and size but i'm sure they would be fine your little sweetheart. Hope you find a solution that makes you feel happier, i understand how you feel and wish our dogs could have more off-lead time.

I understand the reservations expressed by people but I`ve found a muzzle a great training aid.
I muzzled a Greek Rescue who had no idea of dog ettiquette as he`d always had to fight for survival. In 6 months he learned how to interact with other dogs and good manners. I did talk to people and explain what I was doing, and they were very supportive. If he had never been able to interact off lead with other dogs he would never have learned what he did. He is never muzzled now.
I muzzle Daisy still sometimes, but on-lead. Being on a lead changes the way a dog reacts and she is far more reactive onlead.
Every dog is different , so why not try it and see? I find a Basket muzzle best as the dog can still drink and pant.
I am quite heartened that someone with a small dog is thinking like you TBH - we meet so many aggressive little dogs whose owners just seem to think that as they`re small it doesn`t matter.

OOo i dont know what to do.

Again, we met dogs today (she was on lead) and she was fine. Playful and no signs of aggression.
I just cant read her. Some dogs she is fine, some dogs she hates.

She is a ****** for not gong to the loo unless she is off lead and where i take them for their quick walks is just open land, so no real opportunities to get in to trouble.

In the New Year i might invest in some classes and see if we can 'cure' her aggressiveness. Do you think thats possible?