Dog muzzle. How to choose and train a dog?

 Muzzle for a dog is the same important ammunition as a leash or collar / harness. After all, you will not be able to take your pet in transport or appear in a public place without this accessory. In addition, recently, unfortunately, cases of dog poisoning have become more frequent. Of course, I believe that the standard that every dog ​​owner should strive for is the perfect, automatic skill of non-picking – when the dog ignores the food lying on the ground. But given that not all dogs can boast of such self-control, sometimes the only way to keep a pet alive and healthy is to walk the dog in a muzzle. 

How to choose a dog muzzle?

There are several types of muzzles for dogs: from deaf and closed to nets. The choice of model depends on the goals. Best for walking or traveling the model is freerin which the dog can open his mouth and stick out his tongue – in hot weather this is extremely important.  

On photo: Loose dog muzzle

 If you need to fix the mouth for a short time – for example, during a visit to the veterinarian – suitable fabric muzzle. Such muzzles are very tightly wrapped around the muzzle, preventing the dog from opening its mouth.

In the photo: Fabric dog muzzle So that the dog does not suffer when picking up poisoned food from the ground, it is ideal mesh muzzlealso called muzzle-basket. 

In the photo: Muzzle-net, or muzzle-basket

What are dog muzzles or basket muzzles?

Muzzles of a similar design exist in several versions – metal, leather, plastic.

Metal muzzles quite heavy, in the cold they can freeze to the dog, causing frostbite of the skin on the muzzle. 

Dog in a metal muzzle

 Leather muzzles they often smell strongly, besides, the skin becomes dull over time from the dog’s breath and from the rains, it becomes hard, rubbing the dog’s cheeks and the bridge of the nose. 

Dog in a leather muzzle

 I prefer to use plastic muzzles They are lightweight, comfortable, and quite durable. 

Dog in a plastic muzzle

Plastic muzzles for dogs: how to choose and improve?

The most famous plastic baskets are the Baskerville muzzle and the Trixie muzzle. Baskerville is beautiful, thought out to the smallest detail – it can be bent so that it follows the contours of the dog’s muzzle; parts adjacent to the muzzle are duplicated with soft neoprene; there are additional fasteners for attaching the muzzle to the collar. .d. But … it is extremely difficult to find it in Belarus, besides, the holes in this muzzle are so large that especially skillful dogs manage to pick up pieces of food through this muzzle. The Trixie muzzle has a comfortable shape, small holes, light weight. The only “but” is that you may have to sew or glue a fabric pad on such a plastic muzzle at the level of the bridge of the nose so that the plastic does not rub the bridge of the dog’s nose. Also, so that the dog cannot remove the muzzle, it is worth skipping an additional braid from the “net” at the level of the bridge of the nose and fixing it on the tape that is included in the muzzle kit. Then the muzzle will not have 2 ribbons and 1 mount, but 3 ribbons and 1 mount. The original ribbons will run behind the ears, and our homemade ribbon will run along the bridge of the nose to the back of the dog’s head.

How to choose the right size dog muzzle?

It is better to try on the muzzle directly on the dog, having come with it to the pet store – this way you can make sure that the accessory does not dig into the muzzle and does not rub the nose. To select the correct muzzle size, we need to know two numbers: the length of the bridge of the nose and the circumference of the muzzle. The length of the correct muzzle should not exceed the length of the nose bridge of the dog. If the muzzle extends beyond the nose, it will enter the dog’s field of vision, causing visual problems. In order to measure the length of the bridge of the nose, we descend 1 cm from eye level and measure the length of the bridge of the nose to the tip of the nose. Now you need to correctly measure the girth of the muzzle. With a centimeter we measure the circumference of the muzzle with the mouth closed, retreating down from the eye level by the same 1 cm. And add from 3 to 7 cm to the resulting figure in order to be sure that the dog can breathe with its mouth open in the muzzle. The muzzle must be bought, taking into account the actual size of the dog. Buying “for growth” is not an option, so as the puppy grows, muzzles will have to be changed. 

When to train your dog to muzzle?

It is never too early and never too late to train your dog to muzzle. Work on the correct accustoming to a muzzle can be started from the first days of the appearance of a puppy in the house. But even an adult dog can be easily trained to muzzle if done correctly. 

How to train a dog to muzzle?

We can’t immediately put a muzzle on a dog and take it outside. The pet must first be accustomed to the muzzle. “Operation X” is best divided into stages.

• First of all, show the muzzle to the dog, let him sniff and carefully examine the new object.
• Then we put a piece of food in the muzzle, the dog puts its muzzle there and eats a piece. Don’t try to fasten the muzzle! If the dog wants to, he must be able to get the muzzle, otherwise he may be frightened and flatly refuse to try again. So we repeat 10 – 15 times.
• Ideally, you should saw off the mesh at the top – where the dog’s nose is. This can be done with an ordinary kitchen knife, and then sand the cut so that the dog does not scratch his nose. Then we can keep a piece of food behind the muzzle, the dog puts his muzzle into it, and we throw a piece of goodies into the muzzle through the hole at the level of the nose. If the dog keeps his muzzle in a muzzle, we throw pieces of treat there from time to time. I love teaching my dog ​​to command. “Muzzle” or «Muzzle», on which she herself puts her muzzle in a muzzle.
• After that, you can proceed to the next step: we give the command, the dog puts his muzzle into the muzzle, we fasten the mount, give a few pieces of goodies and unfasten the muzzle (literally after a few seconds). At the same time, we fasten it not very tightly so that you can quickly throw the braid behind your ears and remove it just as quickly.
• If you do 3 training sessions a day, you can train your dog to muzzle in 2 to 3 days without any problems. The dog will happily stick its muzzle into it. Gradually, the time spent in the muzzle increases.
• To form a positive attitude towards the muzzle, you can put it on (for a short time) before walking or feeding.
• Then we put on a muzzle to go outside. As soon as the dog tries to take it off, you can distract him, express slight displeasure (“ay-ay-ay”) or (just a little!) pull the pet up with the help of a leash. As soon as the dog walks with all four paws on the ground without trying to remove the muzzle, we actively praise it and throw pieces of our favorite treat into the muzzle as a reward.

Show maximum understanding and patience! It is unlikely that you would like it if such a contraption was put on you. Therefore, do not give the dog unnecessary discomfort.

Common Mistakes When Teaching Your Dog To Muzzle

1. Too fast transition to the next stage (before the previous one is fully worked out).
2. Removing the muzzle at the moment when the dog is trying to free himself from it.
3. Putting on a muzzle right before an unpleasant procedure (in this case, the dog will expect a dirty trick from the muzzle).
4. Wrong size or uncomfortable model.

 In the following articles, we will tell you how you can wean your dog to pick up food on the street.