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After a year of not posting on this blog, I am posting again! Not every day, just when I have something I feel like writing about and when I have the time to do so.
Today I wanted to go over How to Condition Your Dog to a Muzzle. This will come in handy if you have an aggressive dog, or a dog who just needs to wear a muzzle for grooming or nail trims. Or perhaps you use a muzzle for something else like barking or digging.
To Condition Your Dog to a Muzzle simple put a treat in the muzzle. As they put their nose in to get the treat, say 'Muzzle' and mark it with a 'YES!' or a click of a clicker. Repeat. Keep doing this till you can say 'Muzzle' and your dog eagerly puts their nose in.
Once your dog is putting his nose in on cue, you can start buckling it around his head. Give him a treat, then take it off. Repeat this until your dog is looking for his treat after you've buckled the muzzle on him.
Next, let him wear it for a moment while you walk him around. Give him a treat every now and then for wearing the muzzle. If he tries to paw at it to get it off, tell him no and get his attention back on you. If he knows any tricks or anything, see if he'll do them for some treats. After a few moments of your dog wearing the muzzle with out trying to get it off, take it off.
Make muzzle time, treat time! No muzzle equals no treats. Gradually build on how much time your dog wears the muzzle. Once he or she is feeling comfortable wearing it, gradually fade out the treats he gets while it's on.
There you go! Now you have Your dog Conditioned to wearing a Muzzle!
Amy @ Talented K9 Dog Training
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