59 thoughts on Why I love muzzles

Transcription

1 59 thughts n Why I lve muzzles 1. Pamela says: 08/01/2012 at 02:29 Edit My friend has the sweetest ccker spaniel ever wh wears a basket muzzle n walks t prevent scavenging. It s sad t see peple aviding him ut f fear. I ve seen sme styles f muzzles in bright cheery clrs t lk less threatening. But the qute abut the muth guard was priceless /01/2012 at 10:08 Edit Wnderful wasn t it? I culd ve hugged him! It is really sad when peple g ut f their way t avid a dg in a muzzle and rather illgical since f curse the muzzle means they are nt able t d serius harm even if minded t d s! I like the brightly clured muzzles and am thinking f getting my lurcher a red ne t match the rest f her walking ensemble will see if it changes peple s reactins! Thanks fr yur cmments. 3. Vicki says: 08/01/2012 at 15:05 Edit I think the message t avid a dg with a muzzle is needed in sme cases. With a din that is leash aggressive with ther dgs, it sends the message, lud and clear, that yu and yur mdif need t give a wide berth and let this dg pass. I ve seen way t many situatins where a dg wh is clearly terrified is chased by ff leash dgs because mdif. Even while the wner is screaming at them t leash their dg because hers is traumatized. Mdifs dn t get it and need a visual smetimes.

2 4. 08/01/2012 at 16:21 Edit Hi Vicki I take yur pint and agree indeed I think if a dg is n leash it shuld be given space by thers whether it is muzzled r nt the leash shuld be enugh f a signal (thugh I realise it isn t fr sme peple!). A muzzle as well makes the need fr space very clear. I really had in mind dgs muzzled ff-lead where (in my experience at least) peple assume that the dg is peple-aggressive, when there may be a whle hst f ther reasns. In an ideal wrld I guess peple wuld ask first befre they apprach rather than making an assumptin either way. Many thanks fr yur cmments. 5. Pingback: Diary f the Cbbler s Kids Week 1 Edit 6. Kme says: 18/01/2012 at 06:59 Edit I t have a wrking ccker spaniel that I ve had t muzzle. This is because the vets bills were becming t frequent he wuld literally eat anything, carcasses, dead birds etc and it wasn t fair t see him being s sick. What gets me is they just dnt learn!! I have a Baskerville muzzle but he hates wearing it. He spends his entire walk trying t get it ff when he s an energetic dg that lves running arund I feel like he s nt getting the right exercise if he s cnstantly wrrying abut his muzzle. 18/01/2012 at 10:42 Edit I think they dn t learn because the cnsequences f being ill are t far remved frm the very satisfying and rewarding experience f eating the carcass smetimes it is frustrating that they can t ratinalise things as we d thugh! I knw it can be difficult when yu have an urgent need t use it as yu did, but did yu intrduce the muzzle slwly using lts f treats etc

3 as demnstrated in the vide? It really des help t give them a gd assciatin with it and even nw might be wrth trying if yu haven t already. Anther thing yu can d is TTuch muth wrk all arund the dg s muth little circles alng the muzzle and lips and then (if yu can) n the gums (make sure yur fingers are wet fr that). Hpe yu can make it mre acceptable t him. 7. Paula says: 29/04/2012 at 10:11 Edit Just stumbled n this and s glad i did! I have a 7 year ld springer which we adpted tw years ag and had many prblems due t cruel treatment(fund dumped with bth back legs brken) He is fear aggressive t bigger dgs but gentle as a lamb t smaller r elderly dgs but will als chase and kill rabbits, small furies and if given the chance i think wuld kill a cat! Due t this he is kept n lead even knwing his recall is great i have t be careful with ff lead dgs wh s recall are nt t gd and if bigger my dg will tell them where t g and will g deaf if he sees a small fury r birds and then the chase is n! but saying all this he is a lving and gentle by and lves peple and children and is P.A.T registered but wuld lve t give him ff lead play After watching this vide i will be buying my by a muzzle and use this methd t ensure he sees the muzzle as fun times. Any ideas what games we can play ff lead while wearing a muzzle? 29/04/2012 at 12:58 Edit While yu bviusly can t play fetch r tug games with the muzzle n, yu can still play search games (getting them t indicate hidden things r peple), agility type games (jumping, weaving, balancing we ften d these in the wds using fallen trees etc) r training games (nice utdr nes recall games between several peple, HTM mves etc) just practice psting the treats thrugh the muzzle s yu can reward effectively!

4 If yu think he might take ff after furries and get int difficulties, wrth trying a lng line. Have fun. Patrick says: 16/11/2013 at 08:53 Edit Hi We wn a lving German pinter crss bitch, at hme she is perfect with kids and peple but is dg aggressive with sme dgs, she is nly yung and needs lts f exercise, we have been t a trainer and have wrked n her re call ( this is excellent especially with a whistle) but we are cnsidering using a muzzle t re build cnfidence with her ff lead, I am a bit cncerned as the mre research I d the mre negativity there seems t be abut muzzles especially if the dg is ff lead? 18/11/2013 at 11:04 Edit Hi Patrick Well dne n getting s far with yur girl having a great recall is s imprtant. I wuld certainly train her t wear a muzzle ff lead it will give yu cnfidence and will prtect ther dgs (even if there is nly a small chance f her injuring anther dg d yu want t take that risk?). The key is t intrduce it prperly s she is cmfrtable wearing it. Make sure yu use a light basket style muzzle (the Baskerville Ultra are very gd) that fits her well. Teach her t wear it (see vide in the pst abve). I am nt sure what negativity yu are seeing? Are peple saying that muzzled dgs shuldn t be ff lead r that dgs shuldn t wear muzzles? I think yu will always have sme peple wh disagree but, fr me, it is the respnsible thing t d if yur dg has any kind f histry f aggressin t ther dgs. If yu have genuinely gt her recall t be excellent even with distractins, then the muzzle becmes a safety net but they are imprtant. If yu are wrried abut peple s perceptins then yu

5 can always say she is wearing it because she is a scavenger with a delicate cnstitutin.! 8. Jeff says: 23/11/2012 at 18:29 Edit I run a dggy day care and had a lab here fr a whle mnth. He is a great dg. Very gentle with peple and kids. He als gt alng very well with my wn dg very well. They are best buds nw. Hwever, when I decided t watch anther cuple f dgs we nticed a bit f aggressin twards the pit bull cming frm the lab. We kept them separate as well as we culd, we had the pit bull lcked up using a baby gate (built a prper gate after the situatin) and the lab was kindly watching TV when he all f a sudden jumped and rushed after the pit bull. Grabbing him by the ear and chmping dwn hard. He caused sme injury t the pit bull and little t say her wner was nt t happy (lab wner willing t pay all vet bills thankfully). After this incident I ran ut, grabbed a muzzle, and started muzzle training the lab. I have dne the same with my wn dg. Nt because they are ging t necessarily be aggressive all the time. My dg hasn t even shwn a sign f aggressin but I dn t want t take chances, he plays with an pen muth, giving little nips and being a little s**t disturber. When I have ther dgs ver here I nw keep the tw in a separate rm and I keep muzzles n bth f them (they are plastic cages that allw eating, drinking, and panting). I keep them n the dgs because f they brake lse frm their barricade I dn t want t take the chance with ther peples dgs. If I intrduce dgs tgether I am sure t have them in muzzles when intrducing them. I dn t want t take chances with ther peples dgs. Althugh clients sign a waiver letting them knw f all the risks invlved keeping their dgs with ther dgs I wuld just hate t have a dg fight ccur. A family dg can be very nice and humble and seem like a lving and gentle pet but a persn can never be 100% sure when it cmes t different situatins. It s my belief that if the public insists in taking their dgs t dg parks t interact with ther dgs it be necessary t muzzle their pet. I ve heard f sme pretty brutal dg fights in dg parks, these can easily be prevented.

6 9. David Lee says: 26/11/2012 at 10:04 Edit Interesting read. I t like the qute frm the child abut the muth guard, very amusing! I have a happy little Welsh Terrier wh thankfully we nly use a small muzzle fr when me and my partner are grming him as he tends t nt like it very much and get a bit bitey. We ve never used a muzzle when ut n walks. I think the publics cnceptin f Muzzles needs t change. There are many different styles ut there which lk less like Hannibal Lecter and are f a sfter material with mesh. Having said that when I see particular breeds (Staffies, Rttweilers) wearing muzzles I can t help wndering hw agressive they are r if they have attacked smene befre? There are many great alternatives t muzzles n the market nw, which the public need t be made f aware f. 18/11/2013 at 11:10 Edit The sfter mesh muzzles are nly really suitable fr shrt term use when handling (fr example at the vet r grmers). They shuld nt be used during exercise as they dn t allw the dg t pant prperly. Basket muzzles are the best fr that and there are sme cmfy light nes like the Baskerville Ultra plus brightly clured nes I am sure dgs wearing pink muzzles are less alarming! 10. Ken says:

7 27/12/2012 at 15:15 Edit Abut 4 days ag, we adpted a rescue Jack Russell terrier mix. He s 3 yrs ld and is wnderful with peple, children, ther dgs, but has a majr prblems with my 2 cats. His predatr instinct cmes ut and he ges after them. I dn t want t give him up, but I m trying t cme up with ways t reduce the danger t my cats and hpefully t change his attitude tward them. Currently I keep the JRT, his name is Merlin, separated frm my cats by having a gate dividing my huse. I m wndering if as a methd t acclimate everyne, if I used a muzzle n Merlin, when attempting t intrduce the cats and him? If he were t charge the cats, at least he wuldn t be able t harm them. I dn t knw, des anyne have any experience with this type f situatin? 18/11/2013 at 11:08 Edit Srry Ken I missed yur cmment. Yu have prbably fund an answer elsewhere but fr anyne else with a similar issue, I think it depends n hw yu are ding this. I might use a muzzle at sme pint during a cunter cnditining prgramme (the first time the dg was ff lead near the cats fr instance) but this wuld be after a LOT f wrk n cunter cnditining with the dg n a lead/harness s he was unable t g after the cats, behind the barriers and s n. I definitely wuldn t just muzzle him and let him in with the cats he wuld still be practising the chase and culd still injure the cats. 11. Fi says: 18/12/2013 at 11:57 Edit Thanks fr a great, cmmn sense site! I am training my 2 year ld staffy crss t wear a muzzle, and wuld lve yur help. She is used t wearing a Halti, in it she is very subdued and als extremely well behaved, in fact nt the same dg at all. I have intrduced the muzzle really slwly and gently, and she has n prblems eating ut f it and letting me put it n. But then she freezes. I have tried treat trails, etc, but am getting nwhere. She just stands and shivers, with her nse n the grund.

8 I will persist,as she is a restricted breed where I live and cannt g ut in public withut a muzzle. Any tips wuld be very welcme.thanks! 18/12/2013 at 12:14 Edit I think I wuld take sme steps back and cntinue wrking with the muzzle as a treat dispenser, as a predictr f great things. Up the value f yur treats if yu need t rather than her letting yu put it n her, yu want her t be pushing her head int it really lving it. Dn t even attempt t d it up until she is ding this. Yu can als help her get used t things n her muzzle using a face wrap. A simple way t d this is use a piece f sft elastic, perhaps 3/4 inch wide. It needs t be lng enugh t g ver the muzzle, crss under the chin and cme up behind the back f the head. Lay the centre f it ver the muzzle, crss under the chin and bring the ends up behind the head. Tie ff lsely: it shuld be lse enugh nt t be putting pressure n but nt s it is hanging lse. TTuch muth wrk can als help there is a vide f this in my advent calendar day 17 Hpe that helps gd luck. 12. debbie says: 12/01/2014 at 12:10 Edit Hi Just wanted t thank yu fr putting this n. I have tw jackrussells they are brther and sister. Had them neutered at 5 mnths per vets recmmendatins. At 7 mnths the male became aggressive t visitrs and wuld run and bite them. After he bit we gt the help f a behavirist qualified and recmmended by ur vet. She nly saw us nce came t ur huse fr an hur and a half and charged us 200. I didnt mind as lng as it wuld srt them ut. We walked them separately fr a year which was hard ging and the mment they were tgether again they bth attacked and bit a cyclist hard!! Lucky he didn t take it further. She said nt t use a muzzle but my hme situatin

9 changed when my daughter finished schl and sharing dg walks stpped. I was nervus taking them ut tgether and started putting muzzles n with them n lead as rushing peple is still frightening! They are much better behaved n the lead nw. I dn t muzzle them and prefer t take them ut at quiet times but they miss running free and getting tired ut! I m s scared they run ff and manage t take their muzzle ff. They will bite!! Any suggestins? I use the Baskerville ultra. Size 2 fr by and blue size 1 fr girl. They manage t get them ff. 12/01/2014 at 17:39 Edit I wuld certainly muzzle them in public if they bite r even rush at smene, they culd get bth yu and them int a lt f truble. If they are nw ealking well n the lead this is certainly the safest thing. I wuld be very cautius letting them ff lead in public if yu think they can remve the muzzles (d yu use the centre straps? These help make them mre secure I think). At the very least use a lng line and a harness s that they can t run ff. There are lts f things yu can d at hme that will tire them ut but safely. Have a lk at this vide fr sme ideas: (it is part f an advent series s excuse the Christmas theme!). I m nt sure what the behaviurist recmmended fr wrking n the prblem but there are things yu can d t reduce their reactivity t peple but it really des need prfessinal help lcally. If yu let me knw where yu are based I see if I can recmmend smene. 13. Mrgan says: 18/01/2014 at 03:58 Edit Hey I have a bxer wh is a little ver a year ld. My family isn t able t be with the dgs all day s frm seven t three my dg is usually utside with my sister s dg in ur fenced in back yard. Lately I have nticed that she wuld eat rcks while I was away and then thrw them up later n in the day. I can t keep her ut f the rcks because f hw my backyard is, but I bught a basket muzzle fr her t wear. A vet recmmended this s I m fine with it, but I m afraid the ther dg might try and pull r rip it ff f her since he is a demn dg wh tears up everything. D yu have any

10 idea if that is pssible fr him t d r what I culd d t prevent it befre it happens that wuld be great?! 19/01/2014 at 16:26 Edit While I am a fan f muzzles, I wuld be a little cncerned abut leaving a dg muzzled while unattended fr that length f time t be hnest but if that is what the vet recmmended then they must be cnvinced the muzzle yu are using is safe fr this. Yu can spend sme time desensitising the ther dg t the muzzle reward him fr ignring it when it is n yur dg. This will help make it a nn-event fr him but it is very difficult t generalise this t a situatin where they are running tgether unattended if he gets excited he may still grab it. The best yu can d is desensitise him as far as pssible, ensure it is well fitted and withut bvius bits hanging dwn fr him t get hld f r that may flap abut and excite him. But I wnder if there is anyway yu culd create a run fr the dgs in yur yard that was rck free t avid any f these ther issues? 14. debbie says: 19/01/2014 at 15:34 Edit Hi Janet Thank yu fr yur advice. We live in Harrgate Nrth Yrkshire. 19/01/2014 at 16:15 Edit Then I can recmmend Angela Lwrie f Tailwaggers she is based at Tuch Canine Centre n the Skiptn Rad ut f Harrgate and will be able t help.

11 15. debbie says: 19/01/2014 at 22:00 Edit Thank yu Janet. I ll be cntacting her. 16. Lenie says: 30/03/2014 at 07:12 Edit I have a Jack Russell wh is fur.jessie lves peple but hates ther dgs.this was a shck t me when we brught her hme.i made the decisin t muzzle her when ther dgs are arund and it wrks a treat.we take her t dg training every Sunday t try and scialise her but withut much luck s she wears the muzzle t training.at first everyne was a bit taken back but nw they all lve her and call her Hannibel.I can relax withut fear f her hurting anther dg.and she can still get sme expsure t ther dgs. 17. Lauren says: 21/05/2014 at 15:41 Edit I have tried everything with my jack Russell, it turns ut he is just a dminant dg wh will refuse t back dwn frm a fight and nthing I d can ever fix this. (believe me I have tried everything) I rely n the muzzle nw t assure me that he wn t start a fight with anther dg. he already has previus war wunds frm fights with dgs f all sizes and cats I lve him dearly but the aggressin and prey drive with ther animals is t much fr me t handle withut his muzzle. (he des als have very high prey drive and has killed few small wild animals like rabbits etc) 21/05/2014 at 18:28 Edit

12 Hi Lauren thanks s much fr yur cmment. Muzzles are great aren t they? Really imprtant t give that reassurance that ur dg can t hurt anther dg r ther creature. Interested that yu say yur dg is dminant what has led yu t that cnclusin? Mst aggressin f this type is rted in fear. It may nt lk like the dg is frightened but fighting is ne f the main fear respnses. Dminance nly really applies t cnflicts ver resurces s unless yur dg is fighting anther dg ver fd r a female etc. then it is unlikely t be dminant behaviur. Whatever the reasn fr it I knw that living with this kind f aggressin is really tugh and cmbined with prey drive must be even harder. If yu re n Facebk I have a free supprt grup fr wners f dgs wh can be reactive/aggressive which yu are welcme t jin (it is a clsed grup s yu have t ask t jin but then I ll apprve it) yu may find sme new ideas t help and yu will certainly find peple wh understand the prblems. Nancy Mrrisn says: 26/08/2014 at 18:46 Edit Hi Can I please jin yur grup? Nancy Mrrisn 31/08/2014 at 13:23 Edit Hi Nancy. Yu re very welcme t jin my Facebk grup Yur End f the Lead fr wners f dgs wh can be reactive. Just g thttps:// n Facebk and ask t jin. I will then be able t add yu.

13 18. Jyce Marsh says: 26/05/2014 at 11:19 Edit Hi Janet I have been very interested t read all f the cmments frm thers abut muzzle use. I have a 2 year ld springer spaniel that has been with us frm a puppy. My husband and I have wrked hard t train him and he is a respnsive dg, beys a lt f cmmands with vice and hand mvements, cmes back t the whistle and is lving and playful with my grandchildren. Over the past year he has started t shw aggressin t sme ther dgs but nt all dgs. It has caused prblems with ther dg wners as we are inclined t take him n the same walk alng ur lcal beach each day. I d nt blame the ther wners as althugh he has nt actually bitten anther dg he will g after them and has ccasinally rlled them in an aggressive way. We have nw trained him t the muzzle, we have a Baskerville Ultra and he appears quite happy t have it n. My husband thught he culd just use it when it was busy n the walk but tday he went after a dg that we knw he des nt like directly he gt ut f the car. I think we will need t use the muzzle whenever he is ff lead fr peace f mind. Hpefully he will becme less likely t g after ther dgs. We have been reprted t the dg warden and are waiting fr him t call!! 26/05/2014 at 16:54 Edit Hi Jyce very wise I think t muzzle yur by if he is ff the lead. It will give bth yu and ther wners peace f mind and shuld help with the dg warden hpefully. Yu might als cnsider a lng line where he may be seeing ther dgs at least as yu wrk n the issue as f curse he can still rll anther dg with the muzzle n and this might be traumatic fr the ther dg. A lng line wuld allw him freedm while enabling yu t prevent him charging ther dgs. As he already has a gd recall yu culd wrk n tightening this up with distractins s that yu can recall him if he is running twards anther dg. Gd luck with changing this behaviur. Jyce Marsh says:

14 27/05/2014 at 13:12 Edit thank yu Janet, I have fund this website s helpful. Nbdy likes t think that their dg is a prblem dg. It is reassuring t knw that ther respnsible dg wners have similar prblems and that there are peple like yu t give advice. I will let yu knw things g. 19. Patricia says: 02/06/2014 at 13:39 Edit Hell Vicky! I have a tw year ld Jack Russell wh is really sweet arund me and everyne else she encunters. She gets tns f exercise everyday ut in my backyard. I usually spend time with her when I get hme frm my 9-5 jb s my mm will put her utside, feed her and take care f her if need be and I take respnsibility f her at night. She recently started biting my mm, but nly when I am arund r if my mm and i get int a quarrel. I think she is starting t becme prtective f me. This has happened at least five times already and my mm wants t get rid f her nw. I really dn t want t get rid f her because i d nt want t lse her. My parents are divrced and my dad said he wuld take care f the dg, but i still want t wrk with my JR and see if i can rectify the prblem. When shuld i use a muzzle s that my little friend knws when she shuld nt be biting, I d nt want anther bite t ccur. Thanks! 02/06/2014 at 14:32 Edit Hi Patricia Yu culd start teaching yur dg t wear a muzzle as sn as pssible (see the vide n my pst) s that yu are able t use it in any situatin where yu feel she may be likely t bite yur mther. But I wuld strngly recmmend that yu find a qualified trainer/behaviurist t help yu wrk thrugh this prblem lcally. Please find smene wh uses dg-friendly,

15 frce free methds. It may be that yur dg is guarding yu r it may be that she is afraid fr sme reasn. But wrking with smene lcally wuld enable yu t get the mst apprpriate help in slving this prblem. If yu let me knw where yu are I may be able t recmmend smene. Gd luck. 20. Mickey Steward says: 10/06/2014 at 00:06 Edit We have a large (seems t always be abut 100) dg rescue center in a small twn in Mexic. It has been in existence fr almst fur years. We have had sme tugh times but we keep hanging n by ur fingernails and bit by bit are becming mre established. Where befre ticks, parv, distemper, rt-virus were ur biggest killers, nw we have gt a grip n all that and ur biggest prblem has becme dg-dg aggressin. Althugh we have individual pens fr aggressive dgs (dg aggressive, we have n peple aggressive dgs), these are very hard t maintain because each f these dgs must be walked at least 5 times per week t get them ut. It is much mre manageable fr us t have 3 8 dg (depending n the size f the pen and the size f the dgs) tgether in ne grup with a little mre rm t mve arund. Many f these dgs have been tgether fr years withut prblems. What we are experiencing nw hwever is a rash f pack attacks where ne dg becmes a kind f Jnah and then ne night is attacked and killed withut much prir warning (well if we were perfect we wuld pick up immediately n the Jnah cnversin and pull it ut the prblem is we dn t have a lt f ptins t islate). We lst a dg last night that we had rescued ver a year ag and had been living with his pen mates withut much difficulty (he appeared a little hassled but n prir fighting) but POW last night they killed him. I heard the cmmtin and didn t recgnize it fr what it was, t my everlasting srrw. We are at ur wits end, s I prpse putting the dg aggressive dgs in muzzles t neutralize them. It is either that r euthanasia and they are all ptential adptin prspects wh are ttally kay with peple, s we dn t want t d that. Hwever, last night was the last straw we lst ne f ur favrite rescues wh had had his rear

16 feet amputated and was then abandned. We had pulled him thrugh that and he was cmfrtable at least. Srry t be s lquacius, but I am very distressed. I read thrugh all the cmments and respnses n this pst and didn t see anything similar t ur prblem. Yu seem t be very kindly sharing yur advice and we wuld appreciate yur cmments very much. Yu can see ur facility by ging t the website given abve and tuching n CRESCA (Centr de Rescate Canin). Thank yu very much fr any thughts yu might have. If yu have a fee, we wuld gladly pay it. thank yu again. 13/06/2014 at 14:36 Edit Hi Mickey I am very srry t hear abut yur lss. A tragic thing t have happened. Yur situatin is very difficult I appreciate that but I wuld be separating ut the dg-aggressive dgs int separate pens I knw this will be hard but I dn t think that permanently muzzling dgs is either fair r wrkable in this cntext. It wuld still be pssible fr a dg t kill anther if unattended in a muzzle (depending n the dg and the situatin) and all the dgs wuld still be very stressed. If yu can identify the ne(s) that are triggering the aggressin then separate them ut and see if the rest settle dwn. Or as yu say pull ut the ne that is being picked n (but yu may find anther takes its place). Is there any chance f splitting up yur larger pens t allw this? Or rearranging the grups t see if the Jnah dgs are better tgether? Ideally yu need a lcal trainer t help but ne wh will nt use fear r cercin I am guessing yu may nt have such a trainer? But withut seeing the dgs and the interactins it is very difficult t advise in any detail. Wishing yu all the best

17 21. Beth says: 14/06/2014 at 10:56 Edit It has been great reading all the cmments. I have a 5 year ld bxer wh was attacked while yung and has since himself attacked tw ther dgs, but nly while in my presence. My sister s dg (althugh he never bit her dg, he did aggressively charged after her, but the ther dg he tre his ear) I am very nervus abut this and we will be sharing a beach huse this year with this family, s I have been trying t muzzle train and everything is gd except my dg will nt walk with it n and will nly put the muzzle t the grund. He is a very lving dg. 22. Alice says: 04/12/2014 at 23:46 Edit Thank yu fr writing this article. When we first gt ur Crgi, we wuldn t have ever imagined that we wuld muzzle her. Fr the lngest time she was ur baby, and, even thugh 2 years later she wuld nip and be verly territrial f mutual bnes with the Crgi/German Shepard we gt frm the hmeless shelter t keep her cmpany we still never thught we wuld HAVE t muzzle her. Then ur baby came alng. We kept her crated fr a while in the dining rm but, finally we just let her ram arund when ur tddler was 2. First week, we had prblems. Our sn is bsessed with her and, nips at her cnstantly. We re als trying t wrk with him t well, nt hit the dg, and t avid her eyes and nt back her int a crner but it s difficult at this phase. We gt a Baskerville muzzle fr her, and tday is the first day I feel I can finally relax. She can still srt f eat thrugh it, and she drinks thrugh it, and appears t be able t breathe thrugh it (as far as I can tell), just fine, and isn t fighting it t much. It s allwed us t rebnd with the dg and nt view her as a cnstant threat. I knw we still have t wrk n ur tddler but, I am s grateful fr this stp-gap measure. I knw we failed t scialize her, but, nt sure what we can d abut it nw. 23. Wendy says:

18 11/01/2015 at 20:05 Edit Hi Janet, stumbled acrss yur article while lking up Tellingtn tuch. It is very reassuring t hear yur psitive cmments abut muzzles. I rescued a dg frm the Dg Meat Trade in Thailand tw years ag. As yu can imagine he has literally been t hell and back and bviusly learned t survive in a very basic Thai gvernment shelter where dgs were unneutured, dying f distemper and fighting fr fd! He has cme a lng way in every sense f the wrd and unsurprisingly can be quite reactive I realised very early n that t prtect ther dgs and fr his wn safety I had t be a respnsible wner and muzzle him, especially when ff lead. I hav wrked with a trainer and we have made great prgress using BAT and he nw has many friends and ften wants t play. Hwever, there are still sme dgs that he will react t, particularly nes that dn t listen t his warnings and run at him, althugh smetimes I can t identify why he desn t like a specific dg, there is nt always a pattern t breed etc. I d get very frustrated when peple still let there dg run at my muzzled dg n a lng leash as he gets stressed and then mre reactive, it s very annying!!! I have als been tld by peple that he shuld never be ff lead but he has never bitten a dg while with me, and I feel I am taking reasnable steps t prevent this.i knw yu can t please everybdy, that is life I guess!! If yu ever bring yur wrkshps n reactive dgs t Hertfrdshire please let me knw! 24. Nicle Quinn says: 16/01/2015 at 07:48 Edit Hi I have tw male Grdles (Glden Retriever x Pdles) bth between 35kg 50kg and they re s gentle and friendly with peple hwever they shw s much aggressin t ther dgs, pssums and cats. We had an incident with the dg sitter and bth dgs where being walked at the same time (I d nt walk them bth at the same time as it is t hard t hld them bth back but she insisted) and they went arund the crner, walked int a tiny dg and all hell brke lse. Luckily the small dg wner managed t get his dg ut f the way s n harm was dne t the dg. I was wndering if a wire muzzle wuld be suitable fr walking the dgs? Thanks, Nicle

19 08/07/2015 at 12:17 Edit D yu mean a wire basket muzzle? If it is cmfrtable fr the dg I dn t see why nt thugh I prefer plastic nes as they are lighter. The nly nes that shuld never be used fr walking are the clth nes that hld the muth shut. 25. Tricia says: 05/05/2015 at 08:58 Edit Hi I have a rescue dg and unsure f its past and because Im nervus mixing with ther dgs I walk the dg away frm thers. I wuld lve nt t have t get in the car t take her fr a walk and I am thinking f a muzzle. The dg is fantastic arund humans but I am wary f her meeting ther dgs especially thse ff lead, which may I add I dnt agree with in a public place. Because she is a mixed breed dg she has sme staffie in her and I dnt want the muzzle t make her lk viscius have yu any suggestins please 08/07/2015 at 12:20 Edit If yu are cncerned that she might injure anther dg if apprached then I wuld certainly use a muzzle. If yu are wrried abut hw it lks it is pssible t get brightly clured nes which can help with that hard t feel that a dg in a bright pink muzzle is vicius! But t be hnest I think it is mre imprtant that she is nt able t hurt anther dg (and ptentially get int truble) than what peple think. Yu knw she isn t vicius!

20 26. Elaine Mre says: 02/08/2015 at 15:10 Edit Hell, great cmments n dgs with muzzles, my dg is a large German Shepard I gt him when he was 10 mnths and he was very hard wrk he had been put int dg fights, and had cigerates stubbed ut n him. We have used many different muzzles including the basket muzzle, we have fund a nice black rubber ne that cmes in different sizes with a larger pening at the bttm fr his tngue, this als means he can hld a ball with prngs n it s we can play fetch, he is nt ff lead but the leather rund lead I use is a training lead s its 6-8 feet. infect we have lst the tw mine type balls we use and I was brwsing the net fr new nes when I fund this site. We used cream cheese n the muzzle t intrduce it, and left it arund fr him t sniff with his walking harness and lead. peple d let there dgs ff lead and d nt stp them cming up t us, we g t a farm nw that has pen paths and ff trails that are nly used by three r fur f us that have like minded dgs. S we can give them space. The peace that I felt and the way my dg relaxed tld me it was right, I just wished we had dne it sner, he s 8 nw and he s been in a muzzle fr all walks nw fr 3 yrs nw. 03/09/2015 at 08:37 Edit Brilliant. I think muzzles can be s useful t take the tensin ut f situatins and allw everyne t relax! 27. Laura says: 16/09/2015 at 14:33 Edit The chap in the vide is a ttal star! And what a relief in general t read this piece. We have tw rescue dgs ne f whm is a five year ld gldenddle wh is sadly prne t seziures. The seizures are heart-breaking and abslutely terrifying. We have figured ut that they are caused by vasvagal syncpe, specifically, in her case, vmiting drps her bld pressure, starving her brain f xygen and causing grand mal seizures. T make matters wrse she has a habit f eating things that make her

21 vmit like rtting carcasses and sticks. I have been thinking abut a muzzle fr a while but was cncerned that peple wuld think me cruel r her aggressive but I am nw cnvinced that this is the best ptin fr her safety and my peace f mind. I have started training her with it and thanks t the brilliant vide things are ging very well, I culd kiss that man!i can t wait t take her n ff the lead walks withut the fear f her eating smething that culd make her s unwell. Thank yu! 09/01/2016 at 16:56 Edit Just catching up n cmments! Chirag s vide is brilliant isn t it? Hpe things are ging well with yur girl. 28. Gill says: 19/10/2015 at 15:29 Edit Hi Janet. I have a 3 yr ld Flatcated retriever bitch, wh is the wrld s wrst scavenger. I am abut t start her n an allergy eliminatin diet, s I really need t stp her eating all the rubbish that she des when we re ut n a walk. As she is black, I thught a black muzzle wuld nt shw up s much, but it will still lk as if she is aggressive, which she is mst definitely nt. I dn t knw if a brightly clured ne will lk better, r wrse thugh? She is very licky, (typical f the breed and her way f appeasement), with peple and ther dgs, s will a muzzle stp her frm ding this, as I still want her t be able t d this behaviur? Als, hw effective will the muzzle be in stpping her frm eating the grss sft stuff, (unmentinables), if yu can feed treats thrugh them? Althugh I wn t be ding that at the mment. Many thanks fr any advice yu can ffer. 09/01/2016 at 17:00 Edit I wuldn t wrry t much what peple think t be hnest it sunds like yu need t stp her scavenging. Yu ve prbably made a decisin n it by

22 nw (srry have been away frm the blg fr a while) but I think I wuld tend t g fr bright clurs that peple are likely t cmment n then yu can explain why she is wearing it. If smething is very sft she d be able t shve her muzzle in and lick thrugh it but it will slw her dwn at least! Treats yu have t pst thrugh. 29. Lynda says: 28/10/2015 at 03:21 Edit I can t believe I just muzzled my retired greyhund. She s had a wund n her ft she wn t stp licking even wrapped, she s getting t it. I never see her licking it s it must be at night. I really hpe the muzzle helps. She s n s many antibitics. Her wund needs t heal. The muzzle is a typical plastic basket style it has t help! 09/01/2016 at 17:00 Edit Hpe it helped and she is healed up nw. 30. luis Brwn says: 08/12/2015 at 13:45 Edit I janet, I m nt sure if yu are still checking this site, gd article, my questin is, I have a 8 year ld rttweiler wh just recently had t get ne te amputated due t a pssible tumr, after they remved her bandage the vet wants t make sure that she abslutely des nt lick r pick n her paw fr 10 days when stitches are remved. I tried t put the Cne f shame, but she abslutely refuses t wear it, she cried and it was extremely hard t eat, take ff and put n was a battle, s that was ut, then I purchased an inflatable cushin ne, and it was fine, but realized in ne minute she culd reach the site. S she is trained well t wear a muzzle at the vet, I started using a basket muzzle ne yesterday. I remve it when she eats and drinks and easily put it back, she slept well with it, I was wandering what yu think f her wearing it fr ten

23 days r s t prevent her frm licking r biting n it, which wuld be very bad fr her. Thanks 09/01/2016 at 17:01 Edit Srry I just gt t the cmments. Hw did it g? 31. rae says: 17/12/2015 at 15:14 Edit Hi, I have 1 1/2 year ld bullmastiff, he is brilliant with peple and my 20 mnth ld daughter he lves ther dgs but ther dgs dn t tend t like him! Prbably because f his size and he s quite bustrus. He has been neutered s has calmed dwn a lt t, but was thinking f muzzling him. He s an excellent walker n lead until he sees anther dg then starts pulling and he s pretty strng s if he wants t g there s n stpping him. He s never been aggressive t anther dg but I dn t want the pprtunity t arise were he ges up t anther dg and it get defensive and then they start scrapping because he culd d damage. Nw my prblem is peple already crss the rad when they see him and make cmments like blimey he s huge if they see such a big dg with a muzzle n they wuld think wrse when I just want every ne t knw what a wnderful by he is! Advice wuld be lvely! 09/01/2016 at 17:17 Edit If yu think there is any risk t ther dgs then a muzzle is a gd precautin. But yu may be better lking at ways f managing him in the presence f ther dgs s he des nt pull twards them. I knw it is difficult with a big dg but yu may want t lk at techniques like the TTuch balance lead t give yu mre influence ver him. Yu can see an intrductin t this at

24 32. Nicla says: 01/03/2016 at 18:49 Edit Our 3 year ld brder cllie tries t bite sme peple s feet as they g past n a walk. She is a lvely.dg but sunds fercius when she is trying t get t shes and feet. She desn t d it with us r the.family but just ccasinally n a walk. Thinking f a muzzle that has lead attached. She was attacked by a staff a cuple f times s she is nervus and didn t get scialised till ver dur mnths as she was really ill as a puppy which delayed her bsters. Peple in ur area knw f her and say t me she shuld be muzzled. Help! Thanks 11/03/2016 at 12:38 Edit Definitely muzzle her this behaviur culd get her and yu int serius truble with current legislatin where peple nly have t feel threatened t bring a cmplaint rather than actually be bitten. I wuld attach yur lead t a gd harness as nrmal and just have the muzzle n (teach her t wear it first). If she is ff lead when she des this then wrk n her recall s that yu can call her away if yu are passing peple. 33. Margaret Burnett says: 09/04/2016 at 05:30 Edit Very helpful vide, this has cnvinced me t use ne.i have a 2year ld Female Germanshepherds.Shei is nt aggressive hw ever she is big and has taken a dislike f a small dg ther dgs she gd. She likes peple n prblem. Dg trainer and she is a dg behaviurest, tells me she is nt an aggressive dg S that is gd I still want my dg t Have the muzzle yu recmmend I. wuld feel terrible if she hurt r frightened a dg. Many Thanks Margaret

25 25/04/2016 at 09:54 Edit The Baskerville Ultra is a gd muzzle cmfrtable, strng and yu can treat thrugh it.