Do I need to muzzle?? Hi all. Izzy is now almost 3 and her personality is still changing. Her all-out war with me about treats vs. food continues to be an issue with her starving herself for 2+ days at a time to make her point. Anyway, the other day we were walking and I hear this noise coming from her and I look down to see she is eating something. So I shoot down and grab her head and pry her mouth open and after much struggling extract a sliver of chicken bone well over 1" long that was on the way down her throat! This would have been the end of her as it had sharp edges all the way around and pointed on both ends. Then yesterday she managed to find a french fry, but until I knew what it was, the same panic ensued. I frequently have to walk her at night, so now I am wondering if I need to muzzle her during those times for her safety and my sanity. Do they make ones this small? Help appreciated! Thanks, CHristopher |
I personally don't like muzzles. I would never use them on my girls. That's just my opinion. Is she picking these things up during your walk? |
Yes, that is the only time I would use it. When I cant see what trouble she is getting into before it is too late! (at night) |
I hate muzzles unless the dog is aggressive and needs it during training. You need to train her to not pick things up tell her a firm no when she does it and take it out of her mouth it might also help to train her to drop it. When Callie was a puppy she would pick up stuff and carrying it and once I thought it was a stick but it was some other dogs poo! If you cant see I would take a flash light with you and point it at the ground and look a little ahead of you as you go. A muzzle will make her miserable and that means she is going to associate miserableness with a walk and I don't think you want that. |
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I have one w/this same problem...Momo ate a queen palm fruit w/seed when he was 7 months old & it caused a blockage. Had to have surgery to remove it. I've considered muzzles, but I learned in grooming school that it should only be on the dog for a very short period of time. They can't breathe very well w/ it on, esp it they get hot or worked up (which they do bc they're not used to having this weird thing covering their snout), so it's def not recommended for walks. I've also considered gentle leaders, but couldn't find the right size for a 5# dog. Since then, I taught all my guys the commands, 'drop it' & 'leave it'. You can search vids on youtube, I learned from watching Victoria Stilwell's show 'It's Me or the Dog', she uses the take it & drop it cues. Another thing, maybe you should also consider cutting all treats (unless it's for training) so she gets hungry & set a routine meal time. If she doesn't eat, take away her food bowl after 20 mins, then give it to her @ her next meal time. Hopefully she'll eat bc she's hungry. Ideally, it would be best to eat b4 walking, but I have 1 that refuses to eat & will eat after her walk loll! Best of luck to you & Izzy. |
I learned the "trade" command from one of Victoria's shows...I think it was a dog stealing panties and not giving them up. Unfortunately, this command has backfired. It works, but not how I wanted it to. I'm sure (now, in retrospect) that I was supposed to follow it up with additional teaching, like the drop and leave it command, but somehow I missed that part... |
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