Muzzles Should Be Fun
Muzzles and muzzled dogs have a bad rap. They are a fabulous tool to help keep dogs and humans safe.
Muzzles can help in a variety of situations. I got to be a proponent for all dogs to be happy wearing a muzzle when one of our dogs had a painful injury and had to have emergency medical care. It’s times like that when it would suck to have to slap on a piece of equipment that a dog was not familiar with and add even more stress to an already negative situation. Some dogs can roll with the punches, but for some dogs having a tough vet visit can make future vet visits be like— gosh awful for everyone so practicing things like wearing a muzzle proactively can be really helpful.
Years ago I had a dog who was gi-normous with the heart of the biggest softie ever. Weighing in at 115, he unfortunately seemed to be a magnet for small dogs to run at him barking furiously often out of nowhere. We even had a cat once jump on to his head to attack him while we were innocently walking down the sidewalk. The thing is, if something happened I feared the pet parent of the instigator would say it was my huge dog being fierce or combative. I’m guessing this might be how some caregivers of pitties feel, like their dog would get blamed just because of their looks. It sucked. Given the urban environment where we lived and the frequency in which this happened, I decided to teach Larry to happily wear a muzzle on our walks so that in case one of the tinys came after us we wouldn't be put in a position to defend ourselves on multiple fronts.
I also know dogs who literally eat everything including things that they shouldn't. Wearing a muzzle can help (to a degree) avoid digesting something on your walk that might result in a vet visit.
Acclimatizing your pooch to a muzzle can take time and depends on the learner. For example some dogs readily stick their muzzle into anything without a second thought while others are cautious. Some dogs don't like the sensation of a strap on the side of their head or the sound of a strap clip. There are lots of tricks to the trade to slowly teach your dog that a muzzle can be fun, e.g. work with a yogurt carton with some yummy stuff to lick or desensitize with ribbons around their head. These tricks break down the different components of wearing a muzzle to ensure a positive learning experience. Once they are acclimated, you will want to occasionally bring out the muzzle in different scenarios just to keep their positive memory alive.
Check out See Kao happily getting desensitized (tail womp womp) and rock star Fortis choosing to cooperate and have his muzzle put on (kudos to his pet parent and her training).
Not all muzzles are the same. Ones like a Baskerville allow your dog to drink water, eat, and comfortably pant rather than a nylon cone often used at groomers. More vendors make custom gear for dogs’ whose muzzles don't fit well with off the shelf products.
Here’s to making muzzles fun!
Tracy
