Put on the muzzle, fasten it, and count slowly to five.Put on the muzzle and fasten the buckle.Gently slip the muzzle onto his nose and give him a treat.Hold the muzzle with one hand and a treat with the other hand, so he needs to put his nose inside the muzzle to get the treat.Repeat until he indicates that the muzzle looks interesting in a good way. Over a period of several days, here’s what we did-using small, soft treats, and making sure he was comfortable with each step before going on to the next. The clinic staff did their best to be gentle and patient, but Bart was seriously stressing out, and we needed to help him. We needed to muzzle him for everyone’s safety. When any dog is very frightened or in serious pain, there is a real risk of a person getting bitten and the dog acquiring a “bite history.”īartok was terrified of the vet clinic due to a combination of unstable temperament and a series of unfortunate incidents. There are times, however, when even the sweetest dog would not be able to stop himself from biting. Dogs are capable of biting us and doing serious damage, but typically they choose not to do that. At the vet, they allow people to draw blood, insert thermometers, and give shots. They learn to tolerate (and sometimes even seem to enjoy) our doing very uncomfortable things to them like trimming toenails and cleaning ears. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it: Our dogs generally accept all kinds of unpleasant things without biting us. Spice modeling her basket muzzle with her sister, Lolly Training your dog to accept a muzzleīeth Nash, AKC Gazette breed columnist for the Vizsla Club of America, has this advice for how she trained her pup, Bartok, to wear a muzzle: We know that the vet can be a scary and stressful place, and even though we love your animals, we understand if they don’t feel the same about us! Just because a dog needs a basket muzzle at the clinic, it doesn’t mean they are a bad dog. At PBVC, we are huge advocates for basket muzzles because of the safety they bring to a potentially dangerous situation. Some dog owners worry about how their pet will be perceived. This is not an appropriate solution for chewing.įor someone who isn’t accustomed to seeing a basket muzzle, they can be daunting and scary looking. Chewing – Muzzles should only be worn with close supervision and should not be left on while the pet is home alone.Muzzles should not be left on without close supervision and only for short periods of time. Excessive barking – Muzzles are not an appropriate response for barking.Punishment – Never use a muzzle as a punishment as it will only make the dog more fearful and react poorly to future muzzling.A basket muzzle may be appropriate when introducing new dogs to each other, meeting strangers, or going to a stressful place. Potential for someone to get hurt – Some dogs can get overstimulated and stressed in new situations.Imagine if you had pain you did not understand and strangers were touching the part that hurt. Even if your dog has never showed aggression, in times of extreme pain/stress they may lash out. They cover the entire muzzle and mouth of the dog while still allowing them to pant and drink. What is a basket muzzle?īasket muzzles are made of hard plastic or coated wire. They are meant to be used in conjunction with ongoing training for the best results. Basket muzzles, however, do not replace training and behavior modification. Though they may look scary, a basket muzzle is the safest and most humane option for keeping your pet from nipping. Muzzles are a great tool to keep yourself, your pet, and others safe in times of stress. There can sometimes be a stigma surrounding dog muzzles that the animal wearing the muzzle is aggressive or dangerous, but by using a muzzle, the situation is safer. Can my dog breathe? Can he drink? Does it hurt? Is it humane? Why would my dog need to wear a muzzle? These are all questions that can come up around the topic of muzzles.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |