Dog muzzle
is as important equipment as a leash or collar/harness. After all, you won’t be able to take your pet on public transport or appear in a public place without this accessory. In addition, in recent years, unfortunately, cases of dog poisoning have become more frequent. Of course, I believe that the standard that every dog owner should strive for is the ideal, automatic skill of non-pickup - when the dog ignores food lying on the ground. But given that not all dogs can boast of such self-control, sometimes the only way to keep your pet alive and healthy is to walk the dog in a muzzle.
Causes of bad habit
A dog has not always been man's best friend. At the level of instincts, these creatures still have a desire to find something to eat. Therefore, they sniff out and pick up various objects from the ground. However, there are other reasons for this habit to arise.
Avitaminosis
A well-fed and healthy dog will not need additional sources of food. However, if there is a lack of vitamins and minerals, they will try to fill the gap in a similar way. Most often this concerns calcium. Because of this, the pet begins to gnaw the bones that come into view.
Wrong diet
There is no need to immediately look for ways to stop your dog from picking up food on the street. The reason for this habit may be poor nutrition at home. Dogs often look for food when they are hungry and lack ingredients. It is impossible to wean the habit without changing the dog’s diet.
Incorrect ritual of serving treats
A common reason why a dog starts eating outside is habit. Even as a puppy, you need to teach your pet that food is only in the bowl, and everything else, even if it looks similar, cannot be taken. Improper feeding can lead to this reason.
Note! You can't throw treats on the ground, you should give them from your hands.
It is also recommended to master the “Give it!” command. In this case, if the pet even tries to grab something that is not owed to him, he will return the unfamiliar object to the owner.
How to choose a muzzle for a dog?
Muzzles for dogs come in several types: from deaf and closed to mesh. The choice of model depends on the goals.
For walks or trips, it is better to take a looser model
, in which the dog can open his mouth and stick out his tongue - this is extremely important in hot weather.
In the photo: Free muzzle for a dog
If you need to fix the mouth for a short time - for example, during a visit to the veterinarian - a fabric muzzle
. Such muzzles fit very tightly around the muzzle, preventing the dog from opening its mouth.
In the photo: Fabric muzzle for a dog
To prevent your dog from getting hurt by picking up poisoned food from the ground, a mesh muzzle
, also called
a basket muzzle
.
In the photo: Mesh muzzle, or basket muzzle
What types of mesh muzzles or basket muzzles are there for dogs?
Muzzles of this design exist in several versions - metal, leather, plastic.
Metal muzzles
quite heavy, in the cold they can freeze to the dog, causing frostbite on areas of the skin on the face.
Dog in a metal muzzle
Leather muzzles
They often smell strongly, and the skin becomes tanned over time from the dog’s breath and from rain, and becomes hard, rubbing the dog’s jowls and the bridge of his nose.
Dog wearing a leather muzzle
I prefer to use plastic muzzles
— they are light, comfortable, and quite strong.
Dog in a plastic muzzle
Plastic muzzles for dogs: how to choose and improve?
The most famous plastic baskets are the Baskerville muzzle and the Trixie muzzle. The Baskerville is beautiful, thought out in the smallest detail - it can be bent so that it follows the contours of the dog's muzzle; the parts adjacent to the muzzle are lined with soft neoprene; there are additional fastenings for attaching the muzzle to the collar; holes in the muzzle allow you to put treats in it for working with the dog, etc. .d. But... it is extremely difficult to find in Belarus, and besides, the holes in this muzzle are so large that especially skillful dogs manage to pick up pieces of food through this muzzle.
The Trixie muzzle has a comfortable shape, small holes, and light weight. The only “but” is that you may have to sew or glue a fabric pad on such a plastic muzzle at the level of the bridge of the nose so that the plastic does not rub the bridge of the dog’s nose.
Also, to prevent the dog from being able to remove the muzzle, it is worth passing an additional braid from the “mesh” at the level of the bridge of the nose and securing it to the tape that is included in the muzzle kit. Then the muzzle will not have 2 ribbons and 1 fastening, but 3 ribbons and 1 fastening. The original ribbons will go behind the ears, and our homemade one will go along the bridge of the nose to the back of the dog’s head.
How to choose the right size muzzle for a dog?
It is better to try the muzzle directly on the dog, bringing it to the pet store - this way you can make sure that the accessory does not dig into the muzzle and does not rub the nose. To choose the correct muzzle size, we need to know two numbers: the length of the bridge of the nose and the circumference of the muzzle. The length of a proper muzzle should not exceed the length of the bridge of the dog's nose. If the muzzle extends beyond the nose, it will be in the dog's field of vision, creating vision problems.
In order to measure the length of the bridge of the nose, we lower ourselves 1 cm from eye level and measure the length of the bridge of the nose to the tip of the nose.
Now you need to correctly measure the circumference of your muzzle. Using a centimeter, we measure the circumference of the muzzle with the mouth closed, stepping back down from eye level by the same 1 cm. And add to the resulting figure from 3 to 7 cm in order to be sure that the dog can breathe in the muzzle with its mouth open.
The muzzle must be purchased taking into account the current size of the dog. Buying “for growth” is not an option, so as the puppy grows, the muzzles will have to be changed.
Why is this skill so important?
Dogs need to be taught good manners during childhood. Subsequently, with this skill, life with a dog will become easier. A pet can damage the mucous membrane of the esophagus and oral cavity when it eats an object with sharp corners, it can choke, and it can also eat something that will cause an allergic reaction or poisoning.
Dog picks up food on the street
Ways to wean a dog
There is popular advice: you need to give your pet a piece of black bread soaked in sunflower oil. After such a treat, the animal will stop picking up food on the street. However, the method does not have an evidence base, so it is worth turning to a well-tested and effective method.
Fake Situation with Physical Punishment
It is worth taking with you on a walk a plastic bottle with various small and loud objects. They can be bolts and nuts. You can also arm yourself with small pebbles. When the dog finds some kind of rubbish and intends to eat it, you should quickly throw a pebble at the pet.
The dog must understand that punishment comes from the owner. The owner should not have the goal of hitting the animal, since it is only worth scaring it and not injuring it. It is impossible to forcefully wean your pet from picking up everything on the site.
A fake situation with peppercorns
Before going for a walk, you can scatter unpalatable food in a certain area. You can add mustard or other spicy seasoning inside a small piece of meat. Negative experiences may cause the dog to stop picking up food on the street.
Sound stimulus
To edit the behavior of an animal, you should arm yourself with a compressed air cylinder or a blower, which is often used by fans of sporting events. You should first show your pet at home what will happen if the dog behaves inappropriately. Then you can consolidate the result on the street.
Important! The method is not suitable for use with shy dogs (Yorkies, Chihuahuas). Do not use the product too close to the animal, as this may affect its hearing.
Electric shock collar (ESC)
Using an electric shock collar allows you to avoid spoiling your relationship with your pet, since he does not see the owner as a source of punishment. The EShO is controlled using a remote control. It is not necessary to buy a collar - it is recommended to rent it or borrow it from friends, since just a month of use is enough to wean the animal.
Dog in EShO
How to wean a puppy
The educational process must be engaged in from early childhood. First, the dog should get used to eating only from its own separate bowl. Under no circumstances should you throw food on the ground. If pieces of food fall on the floor, they must be removed or covered immediately. When the puppy learns to notice but ignore treats that have fallen on the floor, you need to praise him for this and treat him with something tasty from your own hands.
After 3 months, the puppy can learn to eat from a bowl on command. First, fill the bowl with food, hold the dog near it for a few seconds, decisively give the command “Take” or “You can,” and release it. This will help develop a conditioned reflex not to put anything in your mouth without permission. You can reinforce the command by deliberately dropping a piece of food and remove it when the puppy reaches for it. Then give it by hand.
Note! Training, which is based on negative incentives and forbidden commands, can only begin after 6 months. Training too early can cause your dog to become fearful and aggressive in the future.
Weaning an adult dog
You should let your dog go for a walk only with an object in its mouth - it could be a favorite toy, a bottle or a ball. When training begins, it is necessary to put on a muzzle so that the dog is not tempted. Stronger methods - wearing a strict collar or using inductors - should be used if the animals are too stubborn.
Important! Adult pets are difficult to train by their owners. In the most severe cases, it is worth using a dog handler.
Breed influence
This type of habit is most actively manifested in hunting breeds of dogs, since their owners encouraged excitement. But for pets with a service background, such a desire rarely arises.
The dangers of picking up food
A dog picking up all sorts of nasty things on the street is not only an unpleasant set of circumstances, indicating a lack of education for the dog. It can also be dangerous to your pet's health. Eating excrement is fraught with infection with worms, and delicious pieces of meat may contain poison.
If during a walk the animal is busy playing, learning commands and tricks, it does not have time to pick up garbage. It is required to carry out training regularly and persistently, without giving the pet any slack. In this case, you should not use screams and violence.
Training "in the field"
No matter how good everything may be in theory, once a pet gets outside, it can immediately forget everything from an excess of new impressions. To prevent anything unpleasant from happening, practical training is necessary, with the help of which an unconditioned reflex will be formed in the pet’s brain, prohibiting him from picking up any garbage on walks.
So, what to do?! You need to scatter more “flavor baits” around your house (but better - in some fenced area). While walking, you need to accidentally enter this area. After this, you need to observe the pet’s behavior while practicing the “Fu” command.
We hasten to dispel the rosy mood of novice breeders - you shouldn’t even hope that everything will work out the first time. Only through regular and constant training can a dog develop the necessary behavioral pattern. In the case when constant training has reached the goal, the training needs to be made more difficult by letting the pet go to the playground without a leash. Ideally, you need to ensure that the dog does not even think about picking up anything from the ground, even when the owner is not looking at him!
Attention! It is strictly forbidden to reward a pet that has successfully completed a task with the same treats. The dog should have a clear message in his brain that he can’t eat anything from the ground on the street!
