Introducing a Muzzle

Even if you think your dog doesn’t need a muzzle, it’s a fantastic idea to take the steps to get them used to the experience of wearing one anyway, for their own safety. There are many situations, such as the vet’s office or the groomers, in which your dog may have one put on for periods of time, even if they aren’t used to it. For instance, if your dog gets groomed for the first time, they may show aggressive behaviors and bite the groomer if a hair gets snagged on their tools. If this happens, the groomer might just strap a muzzle on your dog even if your dog has never worn one before. This stressful situation might make your dog’s behavior worse, and they could hurt themselves, or others, trying to get it off their mouth. That’s why training sessions are a must!

How to Get Your Dog Used to a Muzzle

Introducing your dog to a muzzle requires patience. The last thing you want to do is rush this training process, otherwise it can inflict stress and fear in your dog and lead to bad behaviors every time you put one on them. Please take a few minutes to watch this video on when and how to get your dog used to it before taking the first step and attempting to strap one around your dog’s nose and head.

My sister has a very sad story, a situation that could have been avoided if her dog was wearing a muzzle. She brought her little dog, Coco, to visit the groomer. While she was being groomed, one of the tools snagged Coco’s hair and Coco then bit the groomers glove. When that happened, the groomer pulled her hand away. In doing so, the glove got caught on Coco’s tooth in her mouth, thus breaking her jaw. The break was so bad that my sister had to put her dog down as it was going to cost thousands of dollars in emergency vet bills. Coco was a very sweet dog and the least likely to bite, thus showing ANY dog can snap under extreme stress, anxiety, or fear. If Coco had a muzzle on, the pain of all this could have been avoided.

Need more assistance with training, or not sure where to start? Our highly experienced dog trainers at Rob’s Dogs are here to help you prevent these scary situations through our behavior modification training.