I can provide the bacon and sausage - from organically raised, free-range pigs, and eggs from free-range hens

Hello there!
Yes I thought it would be an interesting thread given all the anti-dog stuff going on, and youre right I dont have a problem with it, nor lead walking only, if I had to.

Re: working dogs, then of course you have to obtain permission from the property owner as you do already and you are working on private land, just like your own garden. Dog shows etc. are lisenced events covered by insurance etc.. again an exempt area.

Im just throwing ideas around and enjoying hearing others opinions.
Dawn.

In an ideal world yes, but there is already on the spot fines for loutish behaviour in town centers and hefty fines for all sorts of other crimes, alot which go unpaid. Its the bad owners whos dogs do attack, children and other dogs, and would continue to do so as they will not muzzle their dogs and will not care about a fine.. I do accept responable owners dogs may bite now and then but these are in the minority.

Not fair. You two already up there. I'm setting off now. Give me six hours

I am to vote no, and frankly I would risk, like the others, being fined.
My dogs are on the leads for about 15 minutes..this is walking from the house to where we join the track, and ditto concerning coming home, the rest is off lead romping around fields. I KNOW they would not enjoy this if muzzled, i would also be very concerned about the fact they both love diving and swimming in the stream and tearing around the hedgerows-pretty risky with a muzzle on, don't you think?
And what about dogs with muzzle phobias, say a dog who had been muzzled and beaten previously-what then, cause theres plenty of them about? My old JRT girl was one of these, you tried to muzzle her-she would snap, and I think muzzling could make a lot more dogs rather anxious..rather stressed and imo, rather more probably of snapping out through sheer anxiety.
No sorry, think this would make things worse.

Ello Luke!
Cant agree with the phobia thingy, you walk Ralph on a head collar and commented at what a pleasure he now is, getting a dog used to a muzzle IMO would be no different. Greyhounds and Lurchers and the nasty dogs that wear them already would be the most difficult to acclimatise to wearing one I would imagine, yet they do.

Good debate folks.
Dawn.

Still undecided....but I have to say I think with patient training any dog could be trained to wear a muzzle, that isn' the issue for me, it's the possibility of other dog attacks...

I also see it as why should responsible owners and their dogs effectively be punished for the lack of responsibility of others. After all how would we all feel if we all got fined everytime someone broke the speed limit?
Becky

Really good thread and some interesting replies!

Forgive me if I've misunderstood this Dawn, but by the following do I understand it right that if you see a dog muzzled (other than a greyhound or a lurcher)you automatically assume that it is 'nasty'?

If that is the case then I think it goes to show that if even dog lovers have a negative image of muzzled dogs then how will people who know nothing about dogs view muzzled dogs?

I know you have said that people will comply because there will be harsh fines but there are harsh fines in place for people who don't pick up after their dogs and yet that does not deter some people.

There will still be people who refuse to muzzle their dogs even if it became law and people's dogs will still be attacked because not everybody would comply. I also think there would be an increase in dog owners getting bitten because they would step in to protect their muzzled dogs who would be helpless.

I remember being at the vets one day and he said he was going to Muzzle Cassie "just in case". Well, he had this very soft muzzle, with a velcro fastening (not those horrible brown leather cage things I've seen before), and Cassie wasn't preturbed in the slightest when he put it on her? Her pride was more hurt than her physical pain by the look on her face and the sad eyes!

I have to say majuka, when I see a dog with a muzzle on it at the moment, yes, the first thing that springs to mind is, oh dear, better keep my dogs away from him, he's got a muzzle on so he must be quite aggressive. However, I won't think that if and when ALL dogs might have to wear them!