Time for a Muzzle?

NO!!!

 thier dog was not leashed..thier fault..

 what if the dog attacked yours and yours was muzzled...?no way to protect herself..

  the act of jerking sally back may have triggered the responce ..

 no matter who started it tho,the fault lies with the unleashed animal..she felt threatened,and responded how dogs respond...a muzzle in this situation in my opinion is WRONG!

I should mention that this is not the first incident with other dogs.  Every other time though, both have been leashed, and it has been in a pet store, oddly enough.  She has never hurt another dog, just growling as she lunges.  It just seems to be a coin toss as to whether or not she'll be OK with the dog--some she tries to play with, others she is tense but OK, and others she reacts like this.  Actually, I've stopped letting her meet other dogs on leash.  This lab sort of snuck up on us--we just rounded a bend and there he was....

Christina - I agree with MhadDog regarding Sally not being able to defend herself if she's got a muzzle on.   My one lab, Sassy, is a bit of a concern while out on walks and I'm not sure a muzzle would help us either.  I worry that Sassy might still do the snap/snarl thing and if the other dog took that as an invitation to fight, Sassy'd have a huge disadvantage.  I'm not sure what to suggest since I think that dogs running loose are a problem for lots of folks and not just you and I.  Although pulling Sally away may have been the trigger, I can imagine what you were thinking.  Sassy tends to get a very stiff, assertive stance when strange dogs come up to her, and I can sense trouble brewing.  Fortunately, I've been real lucky so far.  I just came back from running with her yesterday and came around the corner to the neighbor's yellow lab sitting alone out front (with no tether).  I had already planned to release Sassy if Duke came running over.  My hope was that if they could both sort of take off in play, it'd be better than if he started investigating but she felt constricted.  As it turned out, the owner came out and called Duke and since they've trained him really well, he never left their yard.  Still, it gave me a brief moment of concern.

this is one of CM,s favorite issues i think...your sally possibly sensing you tense at an encounter.

 Sally maybe protecting you from a potential threat also in her mind.

 my Kiara was a VERY dominant female when we first got her...We took her to obidience class,and the thing that was hardest for the instructor to teach ME,was bieng relaxed on the leash.
The instructor had her Goldens there,and one was a VERY submissive female/..A dominant female and a submissive Female had been a disaster for us in the past...it seemed to trigger Kiara to lunge..

 She(the instructor)took Kiara on the leash by her sub golden,and the behavior stopped..it was a real eye opener and i have become much better myself..

Two things that can help a leash reactive dog, or a dog that only "gets into it" occasionally are the Gentle Leader (you have more control of her head, thus can get her outta Dodge easier, and can also more easily focus her attention back on you), and Direct Stop (gets rid of the off leash dog before they meet & snap).  If you are nervous about using a head halter only, use two leashes, one on the GL, one on her regular collar.  Do not allow off leash dogs to approach her.  If there's a leash law where you live, this type of incident is the lawbreaker's fault, and if your dog is damaged, the vet bill is their responsibility, too, most likely.  But, you have a dog that can be dog aggressive, and that knowledge puts some responsibility on you to keep her out of trouble.  If you think you cannot do that without a muzzle, then use one - it will help keep the idiots away, too, LOL.  Stick to walking in areas where dogs tend to be leashed, and keep your distance from them.  Learn how to keep her attention on you, and how to remove her from these situations safely.  If you haven't read "Feisty Fido" yet, grab a copy.   If you have a training center nearby that offers "Growlies" or "Feisty Fido" classes, it might help to go.  And, if your dog is not social with everyone, I hate to say it, but stay out of the pet stores.  Too many non-savvy owners there for comfort.  As you put it, your dog may not start it, but is more likely to finish it.  Please be careful.

Willow is leash aggressive and aggressive with other dogs also.  I've had a lot of good success with carrying the Direct Stop and spraying it at the ground right at the approaching dogs feet.  I've been able to stop them without even having to directly spray them.  The fact that some sort of "water" is coming at them startles them and they stop. 
 
I wouldn't make her wear a muzzle.  That's just going to open up a whole other issue for you.  People will be petrified of her. 

The muzzle would be there for your peace of mind, and would compete with the serious negativity you will encounter from other dog people... and regular people too.

I disagree with Anne about splitting hairs re: vet bills... I think that while she is right that the owner who is breaking the leash law is technically out of line, I don't think that creates any good feelings out there for the breed. You are the one with the dog who is more prone to finish, and I think that is real. People act like dopes, but people also don't think about dogs in the same terms that the average pit owner has to, and that has to be OK.

If you can handle the Vicious Dog vibe, and if you really want to play it safe in areas like these where another dog could just come out of nowhere and surprise you, then maybe it's a good idea. I wouldn't use a muzzle on the street or anything... there are too many other things to do in a normal situation.

But I have been in a similar situation hiking, and the situation is relaxed and sometimes the owner of the other dog can be very far away. JMHO.

I agree that maybe the way you were feeling at that moment could help to the situation, if you were tense (and dont even realize it) then that energy went thru the leash and had your dog tense too, the other dog may sensed that your dog was tense and decided be the first one to attack instead of waiting for your dog to do it (in the other dog's mind), if you were calm then the other dog would now there is nothing to worry about because he does not see you as a threat
 
Or maybe the other dog was the one with aggressive behavior and tried to be dominant
 
In any of those 2 i think your dog is the last one to blame []

The more I thought about it, the more I think I'll hold off on the muzzle.  She does well on the GL--but like an idiot I didn't have it on.  I won't make that mistake again.  I think I will get myself some Direct Stop and if it happens again, just not even stop--the trouble seems to happens if I let her stand still long enough for the dogs to posture.
 
What really irritates me is that the last few times I was hiking there EVERYONE had their dogs on leash, so I didn't think it would be an issue.  They even specify the length of the leash (6 ft).  This time half the dogs were off leash--and even THEN she was very good as they passed and whatnot--better than I've seen her in a long time.  It was face to face that was an issue.  Who pays the vet bill isn't really the issue for me.  I just don't want her to hurt someone elses dog.  Even if the other owners were technically responsible, I would feel morally responsible because she's MY dog, you know?

ORIGINAL: MhadDog

NO!!!

thier dog was not leashed..thier fault..

what if the dog attacked yours and yours was muzzled...?no way to protect herself..

the act of jerking sally back may have triggered the responce ..

no matter who started it tho,the fault lies with the unleashed animal..she felt threatened,and responded how dogs respond...a muzzle in this situation in my opinion is WRONG!

Ditto, whenever Rory and I come across a off leashed dog in a area where it is against the law I yell out "please leash your dog, we play hard". Rory isnt aggressive but their are a gazillion of dogs that are leash aggressive when a unleashed dog crosses their path. I realize that isnt a solution to the issue, we cant depend on others to obey the rules but at least the people get a earful for not following directions, its just not right and it infuriates me.
I was walking Rory on leash at the beach, as was anotehr lady with her pit. Outta nowhere comes theis aussie hauling butt down the beach and the pit lady yelled "please leash your dog" the aussie owner was lieke "oh she's nice dont worry" but still tried to call her dog back, the dog didnt come back and the other pit was visibly anxious, the pit mom said "ya know it wouldnt be so bad if your dog listened but you need to learn to follw rules" The aussie lady was such a a witch and told her to F-off.
the pit mom said ya know if I had my male with me and your dog would have ran up things would have happened a whole lot different and you would have been responsible for your dogs accident because you had yours offleash.
 
Bottom line, your dog shouldnt have to suffer because of other's irresponsibilty. On the other hand its a sad reality that otehres cant follwo the rules. I just hate to see your baby muzzled!

ORIGINAL: willowchow

Willow is leash aggressive and aggressive with other dogs also.  I've had a lot of good success with carrying the Direct Stop and spraying it at the ground right at the approaching dogs feet.  I've been able to stop them without even having to directly spray them.  The fact that some sort of "water" is coming at them startles them and they stop. 

I wouldn't make her wear a muzzle.  That's just going to open up a whole other issue for you.  People will be petrified of her. 

 
OOH great idea "if you wanna let your dog offleash they get sprayed" you wanan let them run free take them to a desginated area.
Spiritdogs suggestion of the gentle lead in addition to this spray seems a great way to go!

Who pays the vet bill isn't really the issue for me.  I just don't want her to hurt someone elses dog.  Even if the other owners were technically responsible, I would feel morally responsible because she's MY dog, you know?

This is exactly what I meant above, I agree with you.

Whoa, Willowchow. I can't believe how coordinated you are! You never fail to amaze me! There you are, walking with a strong Chow, and you can still hold her in one arm and aim and spray (on time and on target) with the other.
 
That is no small feat. You go, girl![]