Socialization and Discrimination against breed

[damp]

Originally Posted by Raretreasures95

hi all,


We have a male rottie that will be two years old in April. We live in the San Francisco Bay area and needless to say, with all the media attention the horrible pitbull bites/deaths have gotten for the last year or so, when I have my rottie out I feel very uncomfortable....and it's not very enjoyable at all.

I would never say that he wouldn't hurt someone or protect himself against another dog because I wouldn't want to somehow jinx us, but he is very well trained, has had training off and on since a puppy and listens to commands eagerly on leash. My problem is people's perceptions of him....which I can understand a little in this area.

To put it bluntly, am I a bad owner for beginning to muzzle him on walks just to make others feel more comfortable? Sigh, literally, people who are also walking will stop dead in their tracks, or go the other way...just to avoid us. And he whines and cries, because he thought he was going to meet someone new. At the same time, if I muzzle him he doesn't really enjoy his walks as much and he looks really mean and even more intimidating. How do I handle this situation with naive humans?


How can I socialize my dog when no one wants to socialize with us? Is it proper for me to muzzle him just to keep other humans at ease? Is strapping a muzzle on him helping this or hurting it because of the way he looks (MEAN?) when he has his muzzle on?

Any advice as to what to do and if a muzzle is okay?

How can you blame uneducated people for being scared of certain breeds?
Even I don’t believe all I read or hear on the news; I don’t think journalists and dog haters make up stories about mauling and dogs killing kids! Sad but true, this happens. The News are the only reference regarding certain breed to many people and “their truth”… meaning the deed/death/attack/mauling/story is true… but not necessarily the truth to us as dog owners, if the dog is proper breed and raised.

Why are you using a muzzle if your dog listens to your commands?
If I see a muzzled dog, the first coming to my mind is… the owner has (after all) realized he/she can’t control the dog, and THEN I have no intention to let my dog interact nor will I interact with a muzzled dog I met on the street. An unknown muzzled dog sends bad vibrations to me! (IF I know, I am in a country where muzzles are not the law) (I think) I am good at reading dogs, but again, the muzzle sends the signals: The owner doesn’t trust the dog.

Last… true socializing is done before 12 weeks old and the window is closed forever… the rest is just attempts to adjust.

Every one with a well socialized/mannered/trained/and mental sound dog, do a great job and IMO a much better job without a muzzle.

“Seeing is believing”!!!
Walk your well-behaved dog on every street (whit out muzzle) and be proud of that.
Those dogs change prejudice!

[LynnS]

Originally Posted by Raretreasures95

hi all,

I have some concerns and need some advice so I'm throwing this into general info because I'm not sure where it goes.

We have a male rottie that will be two years old in April. We live in the San Francisco Bay area and needless to say, with all the media attention the horrible pitbull bites/deaths have gotten for the last year or so, when I have my rottie out I feel very uncomfortable....and it's not very enjoyable at all.

I would never say that he wouldn't hurt someone or protect himself against another dog because I wouldn't want to somehow jinx us, but he is very well trained, has had training off and on since a puppy and listens to commands eagerly on leash. My problem is people's perceptions of him....which I can understand a little in this area.

To put it bluntly, am I a bad owner for beginning to muzzle him on walks just to make others feel more comfortable? Sigh, literally, people who are also walking will stop dead in their tracks, or go the other way...just to avoid us. And he whines and cries, because he thought he was going to meet someone new. At the same time, if I muzzle him he doesn't really enjoy his walks as much and he looks really mean and even more intimidating. How do I handle this situation with naive humans?

I'm not really sure how to handle this problem that we are developing because he's not really getting as much socialization as he needs and deserves because of this. We welcome other dogs into our home and he does fine with them....we also have two other little dogs and he loves them. However, with that said....he's not getting any dog socialization lately because everyone is afraid. He's just beginning to start barking and whining and little growling at dogs passing by our house that he see's out the window. I have tried to take him to a dogpark in the area and literally.....and I am serious, everyone leaves when they see us coming.

How can I socialize my dog when no one wants to socialize with us? Is it proper for me to muzzle him just to keep other humans at ease? Is strapping a muzzle on him helping this or hurting it because of the way he looks (MEAN?) when he has his muzzle on?

Any advice as to what to do and if a muzzle is okay?

Granted I have a female, but I live in San Francisco and we are constantly being stopped so people can say hi to Good Dog Carl. I make it a point to do our obedience training in a place where people will see us (not to show off trust me I look like an idiot half the time) just because maybe it will change someones opinion. We have been welcome in every obedience class I have signed up for (some other owners are not always overjoyed but that is there problem)...

I am not sure exactly where you live and I know when I am in the burbs Bella is not always as well received LOL.....

As long as your dog is around other people he is being socialized. It is not as imporant that everyone actually interacts with your dog....