we're not quite there yet, but it's looking "ok" that i will be adopting a retiring dual-purpose MWD, a mid-east veteran.

now, the master-handler and the other handler i've spoken to have been really good about this dog's personality/temperment--they really just want him to go to the best home they can find him for the rest of his life; the guys really want this for this dog (YAY).

question: this is a 7 yr old MWD. if i get to associate with him for the rest of his life, he'll need to try to become at least a little bit of a "social butterfly". or not.

how shall i go about this? the dog is handler-soft, ie, a "BAD DOG" in a nasty tone gets his attention, and is all the correction he needs. on the other hand, he evidently doesn't "play" bite--if he's sent, he bites.

i think if i get this dog, he will be an absolutely neat learning experience for me--but the question is: what is the best way to socialize a MWD? they don't do it in the program--not their priority (and it shouldn't be).

let me state first, that he will be in muzzle while he's in public. but then what???

what is a MWD

Michelle: Military working dog?

Hey Ann, did the handler who has him say he needs a muzzle in public? Either way, for me socializing him would just be letting him relax a comfortable distance from people and just enjoy rolling on grass, playing fetch or whatever he likes and enough casual obedience to help you learn and keep him content. A well deserved retirement.

Just out of curiousity, what's the dog's name?

I'm assuming this is an Army MWD?

My experience has been that *most* MWDs coming from the newer program, with decent handlers, tend to be pretty stable. As long as people are told that they are retired MWDs, and what *not* to do around the dog, ie, don't run, etc...

If this dog has done a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan, don't leave any plastic water bottles lying around. LOL

his name's Norman", he's air force, he has done at least one tour in the middle east. and yes "MWD" is "military Working Dog".

i'll talk a lot more with his handler(s), my concern is mostly that after we get him settled in here and i begin taking him out in public, that he may react in some unexpected way to something that i may not be aware will fire him up. that's why i was wondering about a muzzle, at least at first. but again, i'll be visiting with the handlers down there (and Norm) too, so maybe i'm looking for trouble where i don't need to.

i do tend to overthink things....

I'm kind of wondering if the dog would become even more hyped in it's surroundings in a muzzle. I assume (big assumption on my part) the dog would be trained in a muzzle much the same way a ppd, so wouldn't the dog be keyed to actually looking for trouble when in a muzzle?
Some one please set me straight if I've got wires crossed somehow.

If I'm not learning, I'm not paying attention.
Randy

and i'm assuming that Norm will look at a muzzle as simply another piece of equipment, like a collar, that he wears regularly, and doesn't have any special significance.

however--i'll let you know when i find out. again--the handlers down there are awesome!! and they know this boy.

i didn't want to bug the master-handler last week, as he just got back from PDT, but i'll be bugging him tomorrow a.m. i'll wish him a "Happy Monday" first, lol

Ann
That's reason I'm asking, I don't know how they are conditioned enre to the muzzle.
So what you are saying is; the muzzle is like the leash or collar, just another thing that comes and goes, and doesn't really mean anything to the dog one way or the other.

If I'm not learning, I'm not paying attention.
Randy

None of our MWDs were regularly muzzled. Granted, that's 8 dogs out of thousands, and we were Army, not Air Force.

The only time our dogs were ever muzzled was for vet check-ups or agitation work.