The muzzle
Using patience and
conditioning exercises, you should be able to accustom a healthy dog to
tolerate most handling and grooming.
There may be times, however, when your dog is in so much pain that he
will bite despite your greatest efforts at being gentle. If, heaven forbid, Fido has a broken bone
because he has been hit by a car, what will you do? Even the gentlest dog will bite under trying
circumstances. This is why I suggest you
purchase a properly-fitted muzzle to have handy in case of emergency.
This is also why
it is worth the time to accustom Fido to wearing a muzzle before you need it. If he associates it only with the doctor’s
office or with fear and pain, you will have trouble getting him to wear one a
second time. Also be careful whenever he
wears one: dogs overheat quickly when muzzled,
especially if they are moving or it is hot out.
Dogs pant to cool off, a relatively inefficient method. Because they are dressed in “fur coats” and
cannot sweat much, an overheated dog can quickly die. For this reason mine only wear their muzzles
very briefly. For your dog’s safety,
never muzzle him for more than 20 minutes unless under your veterinarian’s
directions or in an emergency, and monitor him carefully for signs of
overheating.
When teaching your
dog to wear a muzzle, you may once again need a partner to handle the
clicker. Put the muzzle on the dog so
briefly that you do not even have time to fasten it, perhaps a second. Click, remove the muzzle, and treat. As your dog gets comfortable, gradually
lengthen the time to a few seconds. Fasten
the muzzle, click, immediately remove and treat, and so on. Fido will not mind wearing a muzzle in times
of necessity if his first introduction is pleasant an if, 99% of the time, its
wearing is a brief and pleasant experience.
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