You might have seen a lot in the social media around muzzles explaining the reasons muzzles are needed in the dog world.
There can be a range of necessary reasons for a dog to wear a muzzle. Whatever the reason a dog might need a muzzle, what is important is that we ensure dogs are happy with muzzles and enjoy wearing them.
We actually recommend every pet owner to have completed some level of muzzle training with their dog.
Muzzles can become comforters for our dogs. We can train our dogs to see them as a training tool to get access to rewards that they want. Such as food, off lead time or doing fun activities. This means they want to engage with the muzzle and even get excited by it!
If your dog has a bad experience one day, such as a road traffic accident, the normal response is to bite, if touched, to prevent further pain. This means that it could take hours to safely get your dog in the car and to the vets! Thus, delaying treatment and pain relief for your dog.
If your dog is muzzle trained, you can then use the muzzle in any scenario, as a positive item for your dog, even when the worse thing has just happened. Thus, comforting your dog, while importantly meaning you can move your dog and get the needed treatment without any delay! This can be the same for veterinary visits, if things get scary at the vets, the muzzle can be the comforter for your dog!
Here at Forrest Animal Behaviour, we can help you work though muzzle training and if needed we can assess the need for muzzles in your behaviour modification plan.
You can find out more about muzzles from these two great projects:
