To Muzzle of Not To Muzzle?!
How do I know when I can take the muzzle off?
It’s all about choices, and attitude and mindset.
Dangerous dogs often give themselves away (but not always!) through reckless rude behaviour and disrespectful attitudes. When you’re especially tuned in, you can actually ‘feel’ these vibes from the dog. I tend to rely more on these tells than the dog’s body language. Body language can be very unreliable and unique to each individual... for instance a wagging tail doesn’t always me happy.
Once I feel the mindset shift in a dog and see him consistently making polite and respectful choices then I know we’re headed towards taking the muzzle off in certain situations... but we’re not going to abandon it all together!
Like all of our tools (remote collar, prong collar, crate, muzzle, etc.) the goal should never be to stop using them. To stop using your tools, means limiting our options and creating the opportunity for the dog fail and no way to help. Tools give us options and choices and the ability to communicate, guide and help our dogs. The goal should be to continue using our tools to ensure the dog’s safety and continued success longterm. Success isn’t the absence of tools, it’s using every option you have to make your world with your dog as big and as beautiful as possible.
Learning to accept their muzzle by wearing it on walks and during his training sessions helps owners feel more empowered and confident when they take the dog out in public and also so that we can keep the dog 100% safe from making a bad choice. Muzzles are amazing tools that should be worn with pride because they represent safety and responsibility! Dogs that bite other animals or people can be reported and recorded and after enough bites that dog at best can earn a muzzle order and at worst be seized and euthanized for it’s behaviour. So we NEVER want to take any unnecessary risks by not using all the safety precautions available to us.
Wearing a muzzle on the walk gives us that extra reassurance in those unpredictable situations when we get approached by off leash dogs or dogs roaming at large or when someone tries to sneak an uninvited pet. Teaching the dog how to stay behind his handler while the human drives off the threat ensures that the dog doesn’t get the opportunity to make a bad choice or practice guarding his owner. A handler’s number one concern at all times is the dog in their care and making sure that he is calm and polite, accountable for his training, protected and advocated for at all times.