tiva wrote:...3. for walks, or for letting him out in the yard, buy a well-fitting italian basket muzzle (about $10 to $15 at amazon) and train him to LOVE it. Then, when you walk him, you never ever again have to worry about him hurting another dog. You still need to be a responsible pet owner and protect him from other dogs, but you won't have to worry about him hurting another dog.
Bad idea. Muzzles fail and using them in this manner creates a false sense of security for the owner. I wouldn't rely on a 10-15 dollar muzzle for anything. Good ones are over $100 bucks for a reason. Also, there is a very good chance that muzzling the dog will build frustration, which is the opposite of what Jody wants.
4. buy a few cans of sprayshield (the citronella spray) and always keep some easily accesible. Whenever you put the leash on your dog, carry the sprayshield AND treats. Sprayshield won't stop a dog who is determined to kill, but it will interrupt these tiffs before they really get going.
As someone who has used the real thing (i.e. pepper spray) in real world situations and personally witnessed well over 100 application in addition to my own, I can safely say that I would never rely on a chemical spray to prevent or break up a dog fight. Spraying any chemical irritant onto a pissed off dog is like throwing gas on a fire.
I agree with your other points.
Demo Dick