L was showing pictures of the Badgershrooms in their Halloween costumes to a friend when she asked, "Why is Mushroom wearing a muzzle?" This isn't the first time we've had people mistake the Gentle Leader head collar for a muzzle. We also frequently get asked questions like "Are they friendly?" and "Do they bite?", which we think are due to people thinking they are muzzled.
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| "I smell bacon..." |
L took this series of photographs to show our friend that the head collar is not a muzzle.
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| The Gentle Leader on the ground. The loop with the buckle goes around the neck, and the small loop goes over the nose. |
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| "I'm sleeeeepy... Make the other dog model for you!" |
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| The strap that goes around the neck is very tight and sits just behind the ears. |
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| The straps form a 'V' shape and do not prevent the Mushroom from opening her mouth. |
Badger actually wears a head collar too, but people often don't notice because it's the same color as his fur. Maybe we should get a brown Gentle Leader for Mushroom.
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| Badger's costume isn't a shark so much as a dog being eaten by a shark |
Have you found that people mistake head collars for muzzles? Does this influence your choice of dog walking gear?
Athena always wears her Gentle Leader while on walks and people are constantly asking us if it's a muzzle and if she's friendly.
ReplyDeleteWe don't really care that people have these assumptions that anything around a dog's nose must be a muzzle. If they ask if it's a muzzle, we simply say, "No, it's a head harness that helps her to not pull while walking on leash like horses wear."
My brother just got a gentle leader for his puppy, but she hates it! He got one in pink so people would be less inclined to be scared of her just cuz she's a pittie. Wonder if they'll start asking him too if she's muzzled. It seems like such a stupid question to me!
ReplyDeleteSeveral people have asked if Polly is wearing a muzzle when she is wearing her gentle leader, and like Pitlandia, we just explain it like it is a bridle for a horse to keep her from pulling. Then they usually are fine with it and will bend over to pet Polly. We love our Gentle Leader and don't care what anyone else thinks because it's the only thing that works for Polly! :)
ReplyDeleteI got this so much, I transitioned away from the Gentle Leader! But it's still the absolute best collar out there for controlling an unruly pup when on leash!
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ReplyDeletei use a senseable harness it works well for trinity. if that hadnt worked i would have gone with the gentle leader its a good choice. i could see at first how it can be mistaken for a muzzle but with a better look it looks like a horse bridle. i think some people are just unaware of how they are used. maye they should come with a doggie tshirt that says, im not wearing a muzzle, lol!
ReplyDeleteI've had plenty of people mistake the head collar for a muzzle. I generally will explain to them that it is more like a halter on a horse, allowing me more control over their motion. I like to demonstrate that my dog can still open her mouth just fine, and will sometimes pull out a toy and have her "get it" to demonstrate. I rarely actually use the head collar in public anymore, but not because of people mistaking it for a muzzle.
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