Muzzle Awareness

Did you know that dogs wear muzzles for a variety of reasons, not just due to aggression?  Other reasons include, but are not restricted to – preventing them from eating things that may cause them sickness or injury, they may be required to wear a muzzle due to the breed specific legislation (BSL) that recently saw lovely XL bullies added to the list, or for grooming/veterinary appointments where they may be more fearful or reactive than usual.

Training your dog to wear a muzzle should be as important as training them to come back when you call them, or to sit at the side of the road – it is often for their safety.  This does not mean that all dogs need to be muzzled all of the time, however prevention is a lot better than cure in most circumstances.

Scavengers

  • Has your dog ever picked something up on a walk and had to come to the vets for us to make them vomit?  Hopefully that was the end of it.
  • Have they ever had a bad reaction to something they shouldn’t have eaten? 
  • Have they had to have surgery for eating something they shouldn’t while on a walk?

If you have knowledge that your dog is a known scavenger and will eat anything before you can get to them to stop them or they will not listen no matter how much you have tried to train them to ‘drop’ or ‘leave’ – have you thought about training them to wear a muzzle so that you don’t have to worry?

This allows them to still go off lead and have fun, but without the stress of them eating something toxic or dangerous.

Handling

  • Is your dog a little bit grumpy while being handled at the vets or groomers? 
  • Are they prone to snapping or trying to bite for injections or having their nails clipped?
  • Does this usually lead to them being muzzled anyway to get these things done safely?

It would save them extra stress if they were trained to wear a muzzle of their own and were comfortable wearing it rather than adding this to an already stressful situation.

Socialisation

  • Do you have a reactive dog or perhaps a rescue dog that needs more socialisation but you’re worried about how it may go?

Muzzle training would give you peace of mind and security that nobody can be hurt while still continuing the necessary socialisation.

Types of muzzles

There are over 5 different types of muzzles that are suitable for all different breeds and reasons for muzzling. 

The main things to remember when choosing a muzzle is to ensure that your dog has PLENTY of space to pant while wearing it – muzzles are generally used for situations that our dogs find a little stressful, and they cope with this stress by panting.  When stressed, they also get warmer (hence the panting) so it is really important that they can cool themselves down effectively and display all behaviours that they usually would if they were not wearing a muzzle.

Secondly, some breeds are more prone to sensitive skin than others, but remember to make sure that it is nice and padded with soft material to prevent rubbing and ensure that wearing their muzzle continues to be a positive experience.

Why do I have to train my dog to wear a muzzle? Do I not just put it on them?

Dogs are not used to having something in their line of sight which can make them panic if you put it on them without conditioning them to wear it first.  If this happens, they are very likely to develop aversive associations with muzzles and training them to react positively to them in future will likely take longer and be more difficult.  It is much easier to start off on the right foot to begin with!  Attempting to train a dog to wear a muzzle that is too small, tight, restrictive or heavy can also make the process more difficult.

I have tried to train my dog already and s/he refuses to wear a muzzle.

There are many different ways of getting around this, and the main one is to start again.  If you have got to the point of them protesting/hiding/attempting to remove the muzzle when you put it on, you have reached the point mentioned above of them having an aversive reaction and training will need to start again or go back a few steps.

 

We are now running muzzle training sessions at our Sevenoaks branch with one of our student nurses, Kaitlin.  She has a keen interest in dog behaviour and training, and has 2 muzzle trained dogs herself.  She is happy to discuss and offer any help or advice that she can, to help your dogs to be happy in their muzzles!

Should you have any questions regarding muzzle training or need any help on this topic, please email enquiries@meophamvets.co.uk with your enquiry for the attention of Kaitlin.

Blog written by Kaitlin Harman, trainee veterinary nurse.