# First time muzzling



## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

Ok so I got a muzzle from my TD to get my dog used to it fir the PSA1's. All he has to do is wear it through the figure 8. I was told to put hotdogs in it to teach him "positively" put his face in. I don't use food on my dog, haven't since he was a pup and kept eatting my fingers. Anyway I don't have any hot dogs and am not going to make a trip to the store just for this. I started calling my dog into a heel, slipped it over his face, said good boy and pulled it right back off. I did this about 10 times. Then I waited a few seconds before removing it, etc. 2nd day, I already had it buckled, left it buckled a sec, took it back off. Now I have him wearing it once a day buckled. If I do some OB with him, he will do as I say, if left to his own devices he will try to get it off with is feet, is this normal and will he quit trying to get it off or did I screw up?

How does everybody else do this and how long does it usually take? I have only had the muzzle since Saturday night. So 3 days really. When I bring him in at night we play, muzzle, good boy, I take it off, throw a toy, he comes back, muzzle, good boy, take it off, throw the toy. Do this 10-12x's then I buckle it for about 30 secs. Like I said he will leave it alone, if I just keep telling him to focus and do something.

I know some of you threw the muzzle on a couple weeks ago for the first time to do the WDF challenge. I guess your dogs arent' scarred for life? LOL


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

I clicker train it using food or tug reward. 

I put out the muzzle, the dog sniffs it, I click and reward. 5 minutes later, the dog is ramming it's nose into the muzzle. :lol: Gradually up the duration.

You can extinct the pawing by allowing the dog freedom to paw and being sure that the muzzle won't come off. Dog figures out that it isn't going anywhere, stops pawing, you click and reward. But if the dog gets the muzzle off - you're pretty much screwed.


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

"But if the dog gets the muzzle off - you're pretty much screwed."

This I know, that's whay I didn't let him go at it too much, said "foot" and once he was focused on me, I unbuckled it. Gave him an attaboy and threw his toy. My voice is my "clicker" yes or goood.

I don't like to worry about carrying treats, gooing up my pockets, or running out, so I stick to a toy reward, it's works better with this dog anyway. He'll fly to the moon for his ball or tug.


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## Matthew Grubb (Nov 16, 2007)

Always fun for the dog to play soccer with you while he's in muzzle.


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Michelle Kehoe said:


> I don't like to worry about carrying treats, gooing up my pockets, or running out, so I stick to a toy reward, it's works better with this dog anyway. He'll fly to the moon for his ball or tug.


But how do you get the toy or tug to fit in the muzzle? I'm not sure about any other way to train for a muzzle outside of using food as a base foundation for it. 

The clicker as Anne stated is a good way but still to me not the most efficient as just feeding the dog its meals through the muzzle or using the muzzle as a bowl for even partial feeding. 

We start off young dogs in our club by using a dixie cup and putting kibble in it and treating them through it just so the dog gets used to having something put over its nose. Keep it short at first and you'll easily be able to increase it to what you need for your trial date.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

My dogs are used to cleaning out the tubs of yogurt they get by me slipping it on their snouts (they'll do sit pretty with the yogurt container on their nose, it's cute), so they didn't seem to mind. Wouldn't work so well with the leather muzzles or the wire basket ones, but I had good luck smearing peanut butter on the inside of the plastic Jafco muzzles I ordered just last week. As soon as the cut under Fawkes's eye heals, we'll try the WDF challenge. :-D


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Geoff Empey said:


> The clicker as Anne stated is a good way but still to me not the most efficient as just feeding the dog its meals through the muzzle or using the muzzle as a bowl for even partial feeding.
> 
> We start off young dogs in our club by using a dixie cup and putting kibble in it and treating them through it just so the dog gets used to having something put over its nose. Keep it short at first and you'll easily be able to increase it to what you need for your trial date.


With the clicker, you don't present to reward first. You do this, and then I'll reward you. That's why it's a good option for a person who's dog is not really food motivated, or who doesn't want to use food in training.

Dog puts nose in muzzle, click and throw a tug toy. Bonus might be the dog getting amped with the muzzle and ready to work.


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

Geoff, I had no problem putting his nose in without food. He's pretty easy to work with. I think he gets what I'm rewarding him for, even if it's after I take it off. LOL. Just tried it again, first time today. I came right up and stuck the tip of his nose right in and cocked his head back, waiting for me to slide it on. Like I said...I'm lucky. When he comes running at the sight of it, I'll be really happy.

You should see him throw himself into the harness. If he could, he'd buckle it without my help.


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## Chad Byerly (Jun 24, 2008)

If you are only wanting the dog solid for the heeling pattern in PSA, I'd just stick to what you're doing. No need to worry about the dog not bothering the muzzle if he's only wearing it while training with you. It sounds like you are seeing success, unless I missed something.

If you end up needing to work with the dog muzzled in the future, you will have a decent foundation to build from. After my dog learned to wear the muzzle, I taught my dog games like hitting a toy or my hands while muzzled, so that I could still play with him and have a valuable reinforcer while walking him in the muzzle. He had a female Rottweiler Jafco muzzle (was a little guy). To get him used to it, I'd reinforced putting his nose in it, etc... I kept it voluntary, so that he really wanted it on, to get the click and good stuff. Then the first time I attached it around his head, we went running after his best friend in a big field while she wore her muzzle (which she already was conditioned to). And then the next several times it went on were super fun, so that it had a really powerful positive association being put on. 

That said, if you're just needing the dog to wear it for PSA or Ring or any other obedience routine, I'd just do what you're doing. So the dog is fine with it being put on, like sitting or heeling. Reinforce like you are with toy if you want. If it looks like it's working fine for you, keep doing that. If you don't already train with the dog's meals, you can have the dog do the obedience routine or just the muzzle part before giving the food dish. But really, toys work great too.

Good luck.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

With racing terriers we just put the muzzle on them and drop them in the starting boxes. Crazy little bassids are wound so tight they don't even know they have it on till the race is over. 
They just seem to get used to it.


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