Great Post!
I had a dog come back to us, a complete nightmare he was with other dogs.
He was attacked when he was a young puppy,he never seemed to get over it.
He was aggressive to all dogs,but it was based purely on fear.We had him back because his owners could no longer cope with him.Now O/h turned him around and worked with him,he was eventually rehomed to a good close family friend and lived in harmony with a JR.

In my book in some breeds a muzzel should be as important as a lead ! Why i circle out the rotty is because my bull terrier was running lose in a feild once when a loose rotty came over allso running loose ! The owner at first was nowhere to be seen the dog started barking at me wich i gotta say scared the poo outa me then it barked at my bull terrier but started trying playing vey rough ,the dog became more and more fierce snapping at my dog ! then all hell broke out and enevitavle fight started ! my dog started ripping lumps and lumps of black hair out of this rotty ! so i dived in between them trying my hardest to stop it! by this time my dog had locked his jaw on the rottys ear and wasnt letting go ! my heart was pounding as ever time i tryed to get my dog off the other dog went for me ! then the owner showed up who was a girl and all of about 8st and about 18yrs with no lead ! when managed to get them apart the rottys ear was in a bad way ! it was bleeding and needed to go to the vet whom at to stich it back on! mmy dog wasnt hurt atall but did loose the tip of one of his teeth !

totally agree!!

if that dog would have been muzzeled then it couldent have started the fight ! my dog just protected himself and hes never started a fight in his life ! for the record i like rottys but i dont think some people should own them ! the owner of the rotty wanted me to pay there £300 vet bill and was quick to point out that my dog was not injurerd in the fight ,i told them were to go

this is the piont i was trying to put accross to sallyanne earlier in the thread...

If both dogs had been under total control and had leads on,the fight would not have occurred either.

I would say that was 50/50 both to blame.

my bull terrier and me dident make the first move did we !?? the rotty came over to me and my dog and started not just on me but on my dog ! bang it started ! my dog was with me its owner ! and my dog is not people or dog aggresive ! in fact my dog is so frendly he would go home with the mikman!
And the last time i looked a bull terrier hasent killed any kidds have they !

Both dogs were to blame as both were off lead and not under total control.
Maybe a Bull Terrier hasn't killed a child recently but there have been incidents in the past involving this breed,as there have with numerous other breeds.

Been friendly with people doesn't guarentee anything,it doesn't automatically make them friendly with other dogs.If your dog had been onlead and you thought the other dog was a threat you could have turned and walked the other way.Some dogs are naturally vocal,it doesn't mean they are about to launch a full blown attack.

I think we should have dog parks where people can take there dogs and have them off lead - everyone there would know what to expect. Other than that I would be happy to keep my dog on the lead. Regardless of how much we trust our dogs I think it shows respect and responsible ownership to keep your dog leashed when other people/dogs are near.

I don't see how you can say all dogs of a certain breed should be muzzled because some dogs of this breed have shown aggression. As a dog trainers we have dealt with thousands of dogs over the years who are showing aggression to dogs and/or people, of all different breeds. However I would always recommend to our clients that until we stop the aggressive behaviours the dogs should wear a correctly fitting baskerville muzzle when out in public. My problem with having the dog just on a lead is this is only as secure as the person holding the lead, some people are able to keep hold of the lead, others let go as the dog flies. Sallyanne is correct the dog is classed in law as under control when on lead, and someone like her who is experienced and physically able would rather die than let her lead go, for those who are not this responsible a muzzle provides safety.