Endangered Dogs Defence and Rescue

Information, Education & Advice - helping dogs in need

Muzzle Training:

The advantage of muzzle training a dog should not be under valued.
The situations that necessitate a dog being muzzled can be varied and not necessarily always related to aggression. However the prime reason is usually to maintain the safety of the public and or the safety of other dogs.

It is important to understand that the responsibility of controlling a potentially hazardous dog sits squarely on the owner’s shoulders and as such the owner has a duty of care towards the public. Failure to implement this effectively can result in the dog being removed from it’s owner, prosecution of the owner and ultimately a destruction order being placed on the dog. NO-ONE wants that!

There is also a duty of care to the dog which, in my opinion is just as important.
If a dog has to wear a muzzle then we owe it to him to make it as stress free an experience as possible.
In a situation when muzzling is required, chances are, the dog is going to be experiencing increased stress levels already; to then “slap” this “thing” on his face, often ill-fitting and uncomfortable, can only increase his stress and make a difficult situation even worse! Next time he is in the same situation, the stress will be greater and even sight of a muzzle can trigger further anxiety, fear or aggression and so it becomes a vicious circle …poor dog!

So, if we can help a dog become comfortable with his muzzle, if we can get some pleasant associations attached to his muzzle then we can help him feel more secure in an already stressful situation. If you think about it - introducing a dog to a muzzle is no different than introducing a dog to any piece of training equipment. Whether it be a head-collar, harness or even a dog coat – the procedure is still the same – a step at a time and only moving on when the dog is comfortable with each step.
All too often the dog’s first experience of a muzzle is when it is put on in a hurry when the dog is already in a state of arousal, leading to fear or frustration and anger,

N.B; Please ensure, to the best of your ability that you get a muzzle that is suitable for your breed. The best muzzles to use are the basket type ones, not the fabric, you need to be able to get small treats through the mesh. The basket ones also do not inhibit the dog’s ability to communicate - we still need to observe his facial gestures to determine whether he is offering submissive lip licks or aggressive lip “pull-backs” etc.
If you are not sure, do some research, via the internet or contact breed rescues etc. It is important that once fitted the muzzle is comfortable and very secure. Remember you can’t try it on for size until you have followed the procedure so be prepared for the fact you MAY have to purchase several until you get it right.

If your dog is not treat orientated, then you are going to have to go back a stage further and get him “switched on” to food rewards, se attached sheet.

So, you’ve got your treats. Now get out the muzzle and show it to your dog, let him have a good sniff, then praise and treat him. AH! Now you’ve got his interest!
Put the muzzle away, out of sight, under a cushion or behind your back. Then get it out and repeat the procedure several times.

Do this at regular intervals thro the day, you could use your dogs daily food ration to do this. Make sure that you present the muzzle only 3- 4 times at each session, keep sessions really short ( if you are watching the telly then do it at every ad break, then when the programme resumes – stop) Yes that short a time!

Once your dog is associating the muzzle with yummy treats or his meal you will see him “perk-up”, maybe wag his tail or get quite animated when he sees “his” muzzle, “oh, this funny looking thing means I get treats! Oh This is a GOOOOD thing!” You can only move on when you see him react like this.
For dogs who have had a bad experience already with a muzzle this will take some time, be patient!

Assuming the dog is now reacting positively to the sight of the muzzle, now move on:

Place a treat inside the muzzle and place the muzzle on the floor, or if the dog is a large one, place it on the sofa next to you. Allow the dog to take the treat out of the muzzle, make no movement towards the dog maintain a relaxed expression and body posture and try hard not to stare at either the dog or the muzzle but praise him as he takes the treat.

Again short sessions often are better than “going for it”. Once he is happily pushing his nose into the muzzle you can then repeat the procedure, this time holding the muzzle in one hand.

Get him used to collecting his treat from the muzzle in one hand and try poking another treat through the gaps in the muzzle whilst his nose is still in there … make this a GOOD game.

When he is leaving his nose in the muzzle expecting another treat to appear through the bars, you can then move on to the next step.

Try offering the muzzle to him and see if he puts his nose into it without a treat in there. If he does give him a big reward, you can do this through the bars
or if he jerks his head out praise him quietly and give him a small reward,. Make sure he gets a bigger or tastier treat if he leaves his head in the muzzle and doesn’t “spook” himself.

If he won’t place his nose into the muzzle without evidence of a treat go back a stage, he may not be ready yet.

If he is shoving his nose in and waiting expectantly, try withholding the offer of a treat for a couple of seconds, pay close attention to him and try to gauge it before he removes his nose.

Once he is happy to wait for a couple of seconds begin to increase the time. If you can get him comfortable with 5-10 seconds, gently draw the straps up around the back of his head … do not fasten at this point ,just get him used to the sensation of the straps.

Again move on when he is easy with this, clip the fastening close around the back of his head , treat through the muzzle and release.
Repeat until this is easy for him.

Once he is accepting of the muzzle being fastened and is taking treats through the bars, gradually accustom him to wearing it for very short periods of time, start with 1 minute and slowly build up your time. Reward him intermittently whilst he is wearing the muzzle. Perhaps indulge him in some massage intermingled with treats, keep those good associations going with the muzzle.

If your dog knows a “SIT” ask him to do this before you remove the muzzle, this will help to keep a controlled atmosphere around muzzle wearing. Reward him again for sitting nicely to have the muzzle removed.

As soon as the dog wears his muzzle with ease around the house, try taking him to the garden, treat him through the bars as before.

Try to take him for a very short walk, no more than a few paces, praising and rewarding as you go. Do the same for car journeys too.

If your dog is being trained to wear a muzzle for the vet, ensure the muzzle gets put on before you even leave for the vets. Do not attempt to take your dog to the vets and then put the muzzle on, you could undo all your hard work …. Dis-associate the muzzle from negative experiences, he should be as comfortable with the muzzle on as he is with his normal collar.

If it is possible have a few “dummy runs” to the vets prior to treatment – just pop the dog in offer a couple of treats and leave.

If the muzzle needs to be worn for aggression issues ensure that he is so comfortable in his muzzle that no attempt to remove it be made by him, please ensure it is secure, so that anyone working with or around the dog is safe at all times.

If Aggression is your problem, use this same procedure to accustom your dog to a Gentle Leader, or other headcollar ( I personally prefer the use of the Canny Collar and most dogs accept it more readily than other types of head collar.)This will give another point of control for you with your dog .

REMEMBER ; Take things slowly and work at your dogs pace, don’t be tempted to rush this ,if you take it slowly you will be doing your dog a big favour and making the transition to muzzle wearing as easy as possible …… it could in some cases be a matter of life and death! Good luck!