Choosing the CORRECT dog muzzle
So, last week I was horrified when on my Instagram feed I see Cesar Millan has some new muzzle called Funny Muzzle . He’s marketing for people to use to introduce their unfriendly dogs to other dogs on walks... First of all, yeh, real cute funny muzzle with a faux tongue hanging off the side... uhhhh, this muzzle is the style of muzzle used for vet visits and in emergencies so your dog does not get the opportunity to BITE! This is not the style of muzzle you put on your dog for a stroll to or through the park or in my case, where I live in NYC, a walk through the streets! Dogs need to PANT. This muzzle does NOT allow for that and given that it’s the beginning of summer, dogs are panting before they even saunter off down the road! One of the reasons I suppose I was so mortified is because I know most dog owners aren’t aware of the dangers of putting a closed mouth muzzle on a dog and they blindly trust and obey The Dog Whisperer.... which HE KNOWS and my question for him, is, How could you sell out on this level and put dogs health and lives at risk blasting your smiley face product? Lame lame lame!!!! $$$$$ (deep breath)
I have a dog that wears a muzzle on walks and I can tell you if he was wearing this Cesar Millan Funny Muzzle he would have probably had heatstroke early on from not being able to PANT.
Dogs pant because they do not sweat the way humans do. Dogs bodies are cooled down by the air hitting their tongues. Their tongues are like cooling systems for their entire bodies. They do have sweat glands in the pads of their paws but that’s a whole other posting.
If your dog is unfriendly with other dogs chances are he’s gonna probably pant from stress, or certainly need to wearing that inappropriate muzzle.
I highly recommend the Baskerville Muzzle. It allows panting, drinking, treats and yes, barking. Plus if your dog is “unfriendly” and there is a threat of lunging or possibly biting another dog or person, the last thing you wanna do is put a smiling muzzle on your dog and walk up to the one thing he/she hates most!
There’s an entire process to desensitizing and properly socializing your unfriendly aggressive dog and putting him/her under added stress is just straight up cruel and setting them up for failure.
If you have a dog that needs to wear a muzzle for the safety of itself, other dogs, children or even humans the Baskerville is the way to go and call a positive reinforcement trainer asap.
Teach your dog how to put the muzzle on by ALWAYS having a handful of treats at the bottom of the muzzle as you give the command MUZZLE. Then they put their head in the muzzle to get the treats, it’s their idea, it doesn’t feel like they are being punished and it’s a good positive thing, like wearing a collar.
Never leave a muzzle on a dog unsupervised, also believe me dogs can still be aggressive wearing a muzzle. Imagine being muzzle punched in the gut! It can happen and does and I bet it could even happen with a smiling muzzle!! Haha!
The moral of this post is that if you are going to muzzle your dog for any longer than a vet visit, please be smart and buy a Baskerville Muzzle. If Cesar Millan’s Funny Muzzle makes you laugh, buy that one for visits to the vet and for your dog emergency first aid kit.
Education. Every Dog’s Moral Right.
