Getting started with muzzle training

Even if you don’t think your dog is a biter, doing muzzle training is helpful for all dogs.  You could end up in a situation where a muzzle is the best choice for keeping everyone safe. So conditioning your dog to feel good in her comfortable muzzle is a wonderful way to prepare for the day when she could need it.  Here's my earlier post talking more about Why muzzle train

 

The muzzle is ideal for the following uses:

 

- Handling that is uncomfortable, e.g. when your dog is injured or has to have an uncomfortable medical procedure

- Protection, for short periods of time, from licking wounds that need to heal

- Prevention of ingesting harmful items or items that your dog is allergic to

 

-Prevention from the possibility of biting another dog or a person during a behavior assessment or training, if needed

 

Knowing I needed help getting started with Catty's muzzle training, I let Lori Stevens know the plan for our next visit. Lori was pretty excited and as you will see, she’s an excellent teacher.  For anyone that doesn’t know – Lori is a force-free practitioner and she's amazing when she works with animals.

 

Catty had never seen a Baskerville Ultra muzzle so she was emotionally neutral about it.  Catty has worn a mesh muzzle at the emergency vet and she is anything but emotionally neutral when she sees it--she immediately runs the other way! 

 

Here’s Catty and Lori working on introducing the muzzle and creating a positive emotional response to the new muzzle.  This video takes place over a 30 minute time frame.  Pretty amazing and it all has to do with how Lori introduces & starts conditioning the muzzle.  Catty trusts Lori and loves working with her so this was a fun time for all!