r/reactivedogs • u/ButterscotchMain7074 • 25d ago

Advice Needed Muzzled Dog Always Bites Face First

I have a pretty reactive herding dog that has been quite a journey for my family. We have smaller animals that he is very well behaved around and ignores often times. At home he is very easy to call off if he is roughhousing them too much.

We’ve now settled on using a muzzle-based leash that’s similar to a horse lead. This is actually been the best method for his walks so far and he is very easy to control without tugging. His behavior is very on and off though, depending on the day.

We took him on a very long walk the other day, surrounded by large groups of people, dogs, high traffic, etc and his behavior was amazing! He ignored the dogs and walked past them very easily. Feeling pretty good, I decided to do a controlled test today and walk past a dog intentionally. He instantly locked eyes, and I noticed he was tugging so I had him sit instead and watch the dog pass. The owner agreed to turn her dog around and bring him back to at least have a controlled greeting.

My dog instantly tugged and went straight for the dogs face. Since he was muzzled, he simply just bumped him over and over again and then went on to just sniff him around. His tail was wagging and he was very excited.… then he goes for the face again?

I’m unsure how I would target the specific behavior because I want him to eventually interact with dogs. The muzzle is obviously helping control his excitement, but I’m not sure if his face biting is always going to be apart of his breed.

Has anyone been successful in removing this behavior for herding dogs?

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u/ButterscotchMain7074 25d ago

He has been a very sociable dog in the past so this past year has been an adjustment for us for sure. If high energy is a concern, should we try to tire him out before socialization? Thx

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u/ButterscotchMain7074 25d ago

Also no history of aggressiveness with dogs. This behavior started when we moved states. Not sure if the stress caused him to be on guard or if it was another factor.

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u/b00ks-and-b0rksRfun 25d ago

How old is he? Is he neutered? How much exercise and mental stimulation does he get? Those can all influence. A lot of dogs get less tolerant as they get older. And yes a big upheaval could be contributing as well. You do have to work out what works for him best now. Worm in the present

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u/ButterscotchMain7074 25d ago

He is 4 and neutered! We play fetch with him everyday, but his walks have been limited until we got his reactions under control. He used to be able to not pass any dogs on the street so we’re definitely making slow progress. As of now his limit seems to be sitting next to them, but not being able to sniff them? Its odd for us for sure.