using a muzzle
walter is going to be using one in training because of his temper. ive been working with him for the past 3-4 days on getting used to the muzzle. so far ive been putting potato chips in it and letting him eat it out of it and then putting it on and feeding him chips while giving praise. if i stop giving him treats he immediately starts pawing. we have another week before training begins but im still a little nervous that he wont be used to it yet. so any suggestions are welcome! |
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Sounds like you're already doing all the right things! 
Have you treid leaving it on for a few minutes? I'm not sure if that would be a good idea or not, since I think they want you to always end on a good note with training.... Good luck! |
We use one on Buckley when we go out as he is so unpreditable around new people (and you all know how much attention a sheepie can get when you go out  ) I have him sit, then give a treat, put the muzzle on, then give a treat, have him stay for X amt. of time (work up to whatever you need) then give him a treat. Once we're out and about he's generally to occupied with everything else to paw at the muzzle. I do keep treats with me and give them to him throughout the outing when he's followed direction- this way he doesn't associate the muzzle with bad things. It's worked for us- While he's still not stable enough to take out w/o the muzzle, he has made HUGE strides and his butt wiggles just as much when he see's his muzzle as when he see's his leash so we must be doing something right 
Cindy & The Monsters |
| Hi all,
I am new here and I was hoping that if possible I would like to see some photos of the muzzle that they use as I am looking into some for my dogs when we goto france. Please can you send them to me directly or via IM. Many thanks Adrian & the dogs |
| I know this may sound kind of weird, but I really want to see a picture of the muzzle with the potato chips in it, and of your dog consuming the pototo chips with the muzzle on. |
i have used a muzzle on both collies i have had for barking reasons,and yes they do work.I only put it on Jagger(my 2yr old collie)when he is barking exsessively,and i leave it on for about 5-10mins depending on how he corroperates w/ me.Im one of those moms who just do it,i never gave him treats when i put it on due to i dont want him to bark exsessively just to get his muzzle and the end result is he gets a treat.So i just put it on him and he does paw at it and tries to get it off but he never does,most important thing is too make sure it fits him/her.Once they have worn the muzzle and did what you wanted them to do THEN give them the snack,atleast that is what works for my collie.He sees his muzzle and i see his face say OH MAN!!!and he stops barking and some times i dont even need to put it on,just depends how social he wants to be..LOL!!  and when this happens he gets a treat,just like kids you ahve to figure out what works for your fur baby. |
| I am not saying Ben likes the muzzle but he does use one when he gets groomed - and that is at our request. You just never know! Anyway, he does usually start to paw at it but eventually just accepts it. Every once in a while it must bug him and he'll start to paw again but generally speaking I just think he now coincides the muzzle and getting a bath and being brushed. I'm 100% sure he hates the bath and brush so putting a muzzle on for a while is just the icing on the cake for the ordeal, haha. But, I would try to leave it on longer and just act like normal. If he thinks he'll get treats every time he wears it he'll be concentrating on food and not training in a week or two. Just a thought! |
| Heather,
I used a soft mesh muzzle on Henry most days of his first year with me. I would speak calmly and in a low tone to tell him that if he could not control his mouth, I would do it for him. We used it on walks, in the car, and whenever he got mouthy with me. Fortunately, I have not needed it in a long while. I have to say I did very little to introduce it, when I needed it we were in emergency behavior control mode. Hnery was very hang dog (I now know where that expression came from) when I put the muzzle on him, he knew that it was the consequence of inappropriate behavior and it worked to calm him down fast. I (sort of) trained Henry that he needs to give kisses when he wants to put his teeth on someone in excitement, and to this day can say "no teeth, KISSES!" and get a big ol' kiss, most of the time. |
| Zoe started nipping us a few months ago when we are playing or she just wanted attention. I got her one of the mesh ones.
This thing helped her with the nipping problem-but caused mats all over her nose. They were horrible to get out and hurt her. Did I get the wrong size? I did not want it to be too tight? I would like to have one around just in case. Any ideas-or particular brands that I could get? |
| the mesh ones are supposed to be tight so it might not be that you got the wrong size, but if she was drooling or drinking water and got her muzzle wet plus it being tight that could cause mats.
you can try a basket muzzle liek this one from petedge.com, that way it wont be so tight around the fur  |
| We will use a muzzle on burcwen with relative frequency. That is, whenever she is around new people or children. Some of you may remember the psych problems burcwen has stemming from her puppyhood abuse, and she simply cannot be trusted around such strangers.
When we first got her I did everything right, the slow introductions, the calm talking, the short lead, etc..., and she will sometimes even act very friendly to the people, but then it would be just long enough for you to let your guard down and she would turn into a vicious snapping beak! In the first 6 months we had her we had 5 biting incidents. Fortunately none were too serious, but they were bad enough. Since then, in the last two years, she has not had a single bite, but while she has made great improvements in her behaviour, I know that most of that is due simply to the fact that I do not let her get close to many people, and when I do the muzzle is on. Just this christmas she was sleeping gently one moment at my inlaw's and then when my fahter-in-law did nothing more than walk by burcwen suddenly leapt into the air and tried to bite him. She tried three times, snap! snap! snap! fortunately the muzzle was on, and so she failed each time. We use a padded vinyl muzzle that wraps around the beak with a strap going around the head behind the ears. She can breath with it on, pant, drink, even (gingerly) pick up pieces of food. She doesn't mind having it on at all. When it needs to go on, I pull it out and give her a call and she trots right over and presents her head to me. Still, I usually try to keep it on for no more than half an hour. ANy longer than that and not only does it seem unfair to her, but it is killer on the matting of the beak hair! |
| Just a short note to say thank you all for the replys and I also wanted to say that for the moment me and Casper are using the plastic basket muzzles now and so far they are not "TOO" bad altho I did have to file the inside grill smooth as it was so sharp.
Take care all and speek to you soon Adrian & Casper |
| If you can stand yet another muzzle story, I can attest that a wire basket muzzle has saved my sanity.
On Christmas day, my husband walked into the room carrying a sandwich, and our five year old sheltie must have thought the 8 week old OES pup was going to get something she wasn't. She bit him in the eye. We spent 7 hours Christmas day at the animal emergency center. Fortunately, it was only soft tissue damage and the pup recovered. For a few weeks, I set myself crazy trying to keep them apart. Then I ordered a wire basket muzzle from a company in Canada. Now the dogs can all be out together. The sheltie is now playing outside with the pup (even though she still hates him) and when he goes to far, she can put him in his place without actually injuring him. When he gets big enough to defend himself, I will no longer muzzle the sheltie, and they will have to work out matters among themselves. That should be nerve-wracking |
| That does sound nerve wracking, I'm so glad my girls get along, I have no idea how we would have managed if they hadn't.
Does your oes and sheltie get along better in the house? Do you crate either sometimes to give them time away from each other? |
| I am always playing "musical dog crates" Somebody is in, somebody is out. It is a real mixed bag of problems. The sheltie is very high strung, the Brittany is desperately trying to hold on to number one boss dog spot, the OES pup has no idea of dog etiquette and is a real pest.
I have a very large yard, and they all get along rather well when outside. The sheltie and OES have rousing games of tag and puddle bathing. The sheltie will let the puppy sit on her (he is already bigger) and they have a heck of a good time. It makes me laugh out loud. The house is a different story. It's all about food. "You have better food, You have more food. You got your food first. You are standing too close to my food. You are looking at Dad's food" I am confident that they will work it out when the puppy grows older and stops pestering the other two. Untill then, thank God for crates and muzzles. |
| I would suggest making sure the dogs are fed in order not all at once. Whichever dog is alpha, then the other, the puppy should always be fed last. Mine free feed so they just eat whenever, but in the morning when they are both hungry, Dancer always makes Sky wait. |
| I will give that a try. Presently, I feed each of the older two in their crates and the puppy in the kitchen. If I feed the Brit first, I will have to crate the puppy because he has no sense and just feels free to saunter into any old crate he sees. |
| Your dog will paw at his face but you will have to learn to ignore this behaviour. He is trying to get a reaction out of you he can sense that you think that it is a bad thing so he will play up to that if he is being clever. Try to remain relaxed and keep going. An angry dog because he doen't want a muzzle on is better than someone accusing your dog of being agressive and claiming they have bitten another dog or person!!!! |
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