Even now, almost six years on, I consciously keep an eye out for small dogs, pugs in particular because of their curly rabbit like tails, when my grey is roaming freely. More often than not I’ll pop Tipps back on his lead if I feel that he is in that mood and so inclined to rebel against authority and let his instinctive drive take over.
My own grey has quite often given flight on seeing a leaf blowing in the wind but a small creature would also invoke the same drive to pursue and with this in mind a muzzle could be a good idea. For many centuries, greyhounds have been conditioned; their natural prey drive exploited for hunting, coursing and sport.
Greyhound muzzles should be used if owners are nervous or unsure of their greyhound’s behaviour. For me personally, it was over a year before I stopped using a muzzle when on my beautiful boy was on his lead and around two years until I felt satisfied enough with his obedience to un-muzzle him entirely off the lead too.
Have you ever been out and noticed a dog wearing a muzzle and assumed that it must be because the dog isn’t friendly or must be aggressive? Don’t worry you aren’t the only one to have this thought, but it is often a misunderstood accessory that can lead to negative breed connotations. Take the gentle greyhound for example; greyhounds are required by law to wear a muzzle in SA by the Dog and Cat Management Board unless they have been given a muzzle exemption. This is a law that doesn’t apply nationally with New South Wales and Victoria among states to not have this law for pet greyhounds. But that doesn’t mean that SA greyhounds are aggressive compared to this breed in other states. Greyhounds are used to wearing muzzles, while they may look a bit uncomfortable to us they do not hurt the greyhound when fitted properly, the dog is able to pant, breathe and drink normally. In SA greyhounds are permitted to not wear a muzzle in public once they have received a muzzle exemption from the Dog and Cat Management Board. In order to gain this exemption, the greyhound must first successfully complete the GAP Green Collar Assessment. In this assessment we assess a greyhound’s temperament and ability to socialise well with other dogs, particularly small dogs. It is also the same assessment that GAP uses in order to assess whether a greyhound is ready to move on from its foster home to adoption. Meaning that all of our greyhounds once adopted are eligible for their owners to apply for a muzzle exemption. The greyhound must continue to wear a muzzle in public until this is granted, as only the permanent owner of the greyhound is able to apply for a muzzle exemption. This is why all greyhounds in foster care are required by law to wear a muzzles in public.
Compulsory muzzling contributes to negative public perceptions about greyhounds and their suitability as pets. Most people are not aware that compulsory muzzling requirements are in place and, therefore, mistakenly conclude that greyhounds are muzzled due to an aggressive and dangerous temperament. In reality, greyhounds generally have friendly and gentle dispositions making them great companion animals.
In some Australian jurisdictions, there is a compulsory requirement for pet greyhounds to wear a muzzle in public.
The information presented here is not intended to be relied on for legal advice and you should seek advice from the relevant authority and/or a lawyer about your individual circumstances.
Greyhound muzzling laws are based on ‘breed’ not on individual dog behaviour and are an example of breed-specific legislation (BSL). There is no evidence to show that greyhounds as a breed pose any greater risk to the public compared to other dog breeds or mix of breeds. The RSPCA does not support breed specific legislation. Compulsory greyhound muzzling is contrary to RSPCA policy which states that the use of muzzles should be based on the behaviour of each individual dog.
Unfortunately, the misconceptions about why greyhounds need to be muzzled has major ramifications for greyhound rehoming, preventing many greyhounds who are leaving the racing industry from finding a new home. Removing muzzling laws would significantly help improve the of greyhounds and thus help increase rehoming rates.