All dogs are born with a mouth full of teeth. They are armed and ready to protect themselves. The world is not separated into two camps of dogs; those who bite and those who do not. There is one camp alone: dogs that are capable of biting–and that’s all of them.
I do not propose teaching our dogs to wear muzzles as an afterthought. I propose it as a basic husbandry practice. Just like we teach dogs to accept being crated and leashed to keep them safe, we should also teach them to wear muzzles. The dog that recognizes her muzzle as a routine part of her life does not feel stressed or afraid to have it on, and is therefore *already* a safer dog to be around than the unmuzzled dog, or the dog whose face was shoved into restraint upon entering the vet’s/groomer’s/etc. Showing her that the muzzle can be an enjoyable part of her day is just one of the many things you can do to make her life easier and less stressful.
My online class “I Love My Muzzle!” launches soon. In it I outline the steps necessary to create a willing muzzler; a dog that will not be stressed by the muzzle in her life. In my simple process your dog will learn to place her own snout in the muzzle, to accept something hanging off her nose, and to enjoy having her muzzle put on.
Here is a clip from the course in which Idgie demonstrates willingly holding her muzzle on her face:
Contact me to join! training@thecognitivecanine.com
