How to teach a dog to a muzzle?

Any dog ​​breeder should know that even if his pet is the most good-natured creature, the muzzle must always be at hand. If you don’t wear it on your pet when you are walking on the street, then there are public places where you can’t do without a muzzle. These can be parks and playgrounds where children walk or are located, public transport or entertainment facilities (clubs, stadiums, cafes, etc.). It is also necessary if you have an aggressive dog or she likes to pick up dirty objects on the street, lick surfaces, and, of course, for visits to the vet.

Many at the mention of this accessory curl, knowing that no dog is glad to walk in a muzzle, but you need to treat this object as the rest of the "dog outfit" - collar, leash, costumes.

It is very important to identify a few points that need to be taken into account when purchasing:

• the muzzle should be the size of the pet's jaw, not dangle or press, but free enough to open the mouth;
• the dog should not be stuffy;
• the holes between the straps should give the dog the opportunity to stick out his tongue;
• a muzzle can be made of plastic, metal, leather, nylon (the choice depends on the breed of the dog, its size and the situation in which you want to wear a muzzle);
• Depending on the destination, they select the appropriate model (for example, in the heat of a walk in the park, there is no sense in packing the dog in a solid muzzle, the basket model fits much better - it is free and allows you to breathe easily).

Remember thermoregulation is very important. Dogs should freely stick out their tongues and open their mouths, because Thermal control is provided by the mouth breathing. Dogs, unlike humans, do not have so many sweat glands.

Muzzles are needed in order to ensure the safety of the people around you and in some cases yourself. He is especially needed at the reception at the vet, and, in general, in the provision of any medical care, even if you yourself act as a veterinarian. Sometimes your pet, experiencing pain or experiencing injury, may inadvertently bite you when you are trying to help.

To go to the vet we recommend to purchase tissue muzzle, which can be bought at any pet store at vet clinics. There is a huge choice and you can always measure different models to find the perfect one.

What age is ideal for schooling? Most often, the muzzle begin to wear on a five-month puppies. But even if you did not start at that age, but decided to train an adult dog, there are no difficulties in this because the training scheme is focused on puppies as well as adult dogs.

• The first step of training will be a simple acquaintance with the accessory. Put it in front of the pet (let's not play with the muzzle or scratch it), let it smell. Try to explain that everything is good and this is a useful item. The animal will surely catch your positive attitude and good intonation.Show that the item is not fraught with danger. Praise the dog without fail for how kindly he meets the novelty.

• Now you can make a "bait." Take something edible from your pet's favorite delicacies and put it in a muzzle so that the animal will have to shove the muzzle inside to get a treat. You need to try to feed through the basket. Do not rush to fasten the muzzle and exult, if the animal complied. So far, the dog should just get food and crawl out freely - otherwise the technique will create an erroneous association, that this is a trap, and the dog will not make contact. "Turn" the trick several times, creating an associative array.

• Now we need to create a longer time interval between the receipt of treats. Wait a couple of seconds and unclench your hand only after that to let the dog know that you need to stay inside the muzzle to get treats. Be sure to praise when the pet listens.

• If you managed to hold the animal up to ten seconds, you can try to fasten the straps and fasten the muzzle. Do not skimp on the praise - it is something completely new for your friend, and the fear is obvious. Let your dog feel all the power of your support. For a dog to have positive expectations, wear a muzzle before feeding.

• Do not be angry when a dog is trying with all its might to remove the muzzle. Learn to distract - whistle, calling for a game, throw a ball or a toy. Always keep your reward goodies ready. This time is a real patience test for both you and your dog. She will constantly try to get rid of the accessory, which is understandable, because this is an artificial construction, the use of which cannot be explained to the dog. But persevere and do not indulge when the animal asks to remove the muzzle. Create a good association with the dog object - let it be a harbinger of walks or games.

• If it is impossible to teach a pet to a muzzle on its own, and without it it is impossible to do it due to different circumstances, Do not hesitate to ask for help from professionals and people who have already passed this way, successfully taught their pets and are ready to share knowledge. Dog breeders like to arrange meetings where they eagerly share experiences. Communicating with each other, dog lovers get answers to many questions, which in the future helps to avoid mistakes when raising pets.

• Do not jump from stage to stage. Do not miss important points when you see progress. Repeating teams, patience and building the right associations are the keys to success.
• Do not remove the muzzle, indulging the dog when it tries to get rid of it. This will make her understand that you are performing her commands, and not vice versa, and then she will endlessly try to free herself, and hint that you should unhook the straps.
• Do not muzzle the animal before events or actions that it does not like. (maybe it's a vet or bathing). The dog will only associate a muzzle with a negative, and the process of training will be very painful.

As you can see, if you put in quite a bit of effort and be patient, there is nothing difficult in training for ammunition. And if everything is done accurately and in stages, your four-legged pet will not perceive the muzzle as an enemy object, but, on the contrary, will understand that this is a signal of something pleasant.

Create the right warm atmosphere and reap the rewards of your efforts with a smile.

Next, watch the video with tips on how to properly accustom the dog to a muzzle.