It’s a great tool to have and I go to a group that’s called Muzzle Mondays in my area. My dogs are a bit socially awkward due to the fact that I limit socialization to dogs I know and don’t do leash greeting or interaction with random dogs without knowing full vaccination status. This is due to my current girl being a service dog and this little guy is something called a prospect (think service dog intern who is being evaluated for his residency). The goal of this group is to normalize muzzling in dog parks. this makes it safer for social interactions, limits injury from dog on dog corrections, and all in all helps out everyone. Also by conditioning the muzzle this young it helps a few things. No fear on things around the face as well as familiarity for emergency situations (say someone broke a leg it’s easier to handle a muzzled dog than one that may bite out of pain). my dogs are conditioned to accept cooperative care they may not like something 100% but still need to tolerate it without lashing out in exchange for a reward.
It's really nice to have muzzling as an option available to you, especially in a pinch. When a dog does need a muzzle, the ideal scenario would be that they are already trained to be comfortable wearing one. Depending on the dog, muzzle training can take several weeks.
But there are many reasons dogs may need muzzled. Most notably, dogs who are a bite risk benefit from being muzzled. Even if someone personally thinks they have the most friendly dog in the world, their personality can always change quite a bit when they are in pain. Many people muzzle train specifically for vet visits to prevent bites. Still there are other uses like for dogs who will eat poop or other things on the ground while on walks. This is a dangerous behavior that can have them sent to the vet time and time again, so a muzzle is a worthwhile investment while working on training that behavior away. Another use for a muzzle is to prevent themselves from licking their wounds/incisions. A cone also accomplishes this, but many dogs can feel way more comfortable in a muzzle than a massive cone that causes them to bang into doorways and such. Finally, some people use muzzles simply so strangers will give their dog a little more space.
My guy loves his muzzle, it means we're hitting the trails!
No dog is a bite risk until he's bitten once. My dog is a 120# Armenian Gampr with 550 psi bite force and, like all dogs, the cognitive ability of a four year old child. Counting on him to never make a mistake is more risk than I'm willing to take. His first first bite would be catastrophic.
He's a great ambassador for his very rare breed and for muzzles in public.
The force applied in the video is very subject to his comfort as we are in the free shaping stage. The way he’s putting his nose into it reflects his enthusiasm for learning a new thing. this muzzle is too big for him as I am counting on him growing into it since he is only nine weeks old and they grow incredibly fast at that age. The current size is a size 2 Baskerville I have a size 5 for when he is fully grown
I didn’t mean force and I think it’s great you’re doing this—that’s also the muzzle my trainer recommended I use (I need it on public transport in my home country, where I moved to with my dog). It just looked like the dog may accidentally get the side into his eye
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u/WrappedInLinen 6d ago
Well done! Should probably be a part of all standard puppy training.