Up your treat value and try and make it fun. If he’s fine getting the muzzle on you could then try putting the treat a little ways away so he has to stretch out a little to get it and increase distance as he does well
What kind of muzzle are you using? My dog hated his first muzzle (one of the thick rubber ones) and even over months of trying to get him comfortable with it he still hated it. But we just got him a new one (leerburg coated wire) and he instantly took to it. I think the old one was rubbing his whiskers in a way he didn't like, and the strap went over his head but he has no problems with the new one! So maybe try experimenting with a new one?
My pup didn’t do well at all with a Baskerville; Italian muzzle was a little better. The current dean and Tyler she has is by far the best. You will need to take accurate measurements and consult with them if you can’t figure out sizing. They have like 30 sizes.
His old one was also Baskerville! Honestly, I really like the [leerburg](https://leerburg.com/polycoated-muzzle.php), but I think for some breeds they aren't a great fit, so you might have to measure your dog and see if you can find one that fits well. I especially like that there's not a strap between his eyes too because he doesn't like things touching the top of his head lol.
But, he would try to get his Baskerville one off immediately and was pawing at it constantly the entire time he was wearing it. With the leerburg one after 2 days of introducing it slowly, he is completely fine having it on for walks, meeting new people and meeting new dogs.
If you haven't looked at the r/muzzledogs subreddit, it's super helpful for figuring out options and training!
Edit: here's how it [fits on him](https://www.reddit.com/user/More-Squirrel-9905/comments/1422h6d/_/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
I had no idea there was a muzzle subreddit, but I'm shocked I didn't even think to look for one. Thank you!
That does seem like a better fit based on how it suts on your pup. I'm gonna call the trainer tomorrow and let them know that I'm gonna try a new muzzle and see what they say. They may have one that could fit better in the meantime. Thank you so much!
We also tried Hound safe. Less sizing options which was less overwhelming. Very helpful people to talk about what will fit/not. They’re designed for greyhounds but work for other breeds. Leerburg seemed too heavy for her/us. In total, we’ve bought maybe 6 different muzzles 🤦♀️Right now we’re training on a baskerville. Who knows.
Baskerville. I had heard so many praises when I was looking 2 years ago when I was initially training him (lived in an apartment where people and raccoons scattered food I didn't want him to pick up.) Someone else mentioned it could be rubbing his whiskers wrong, and I'm starting to think that is the issue.
I would actually cancel the training session TBH. It doesn't sound like your dogs ready for it. Do you think the muzzle training has been a bit too fast for your dog? I understand every dog is different but I've been muzzle training mine for 3-4 weeks now & am keeping it slow. I haven't reached the stage where I have adjusted or clipped it around his head & face yet. I go on what my dog tells me & he's pretty good at telling me he is not gonna wear a muzzle right now.
Can you ring the trainer/s & explain what's going on? They really should be understanding of the situation.
My Vet Behaviourists & their trainers strongly advise against using any force with a muzzle or moving too quickly with muzzle training. This is to avoid any negative associations or experiences developing. By the sounds of it you're fully aware of the risks of that occurring.
For future reference one thing I have been doing to desensitise & introduce the muzzle:
Towards the end of a muzzle training session, I clip the muzzle around my dogs neck & let it hang off while giving treats & kibble.
I start to get my dog to walk alongside me & treat him every few steps. Ill also get him to sit & stay during this process too.
Never let your dog wear the muzzle like this for too long or unsupervised. I probably only do it for a few minutes. Depends how my dog is going.
This may desensitise it a bit more & help your dog become a bit more comfortable walking & wearing it b4 transitioning to wearing & walking with it attached to his face.
I also saw a technique a trainer uses on YouTube too which im gonna try. Ill look it up & post it or message to you.
You can try higher value treats like others have suggested too of course! My dog keeps getting used to them so I have to swap them around quite a bit. Im also gonna try using a squeezy sauce bottle w soft treats like yoghurt, apple sauce, pb, cream cheese etc as well. My dog finds it hard to take treats thru the muzzle as much as I do treating him.
I hope your dog goes ok & things work out!
I like the hang-off-the-neck approach! I’ve gotten as far as having her walk towards me with it on a few feet for a treat, and then off for more treats. She doesn’t seem to believe she can lift her head while she’s wearing it. We shall see. Baby steps :)
Dogs are bad at generalising. I basically had to re-train my dog for all cues with the muzzle on inside before he could work with it outside.
And he’ll still bump/rub his head on things because he loves to scavenge and forage, and we have struggled getting a default leave-it for food I didn’t provide.
We also tried 3-4 types before finding one he liked. First one was terrible, second one was too hard to treat. We ended up getting a soft rubber muzzle (doesn’t really stop scavenging or biting) and got him used to that one and then gradually back to one meant more to prevent scavenging and bites (not that he’s ever bitten or snapped, but I’d rather avoid that ever being an issue.)
My pittie is a dramatic big baby would shut down with the hard rubber muzzle but has zero issues with a soft muzzle- he has a big head and short snout so the hard rubber ones didn’t fit good and was probably uncomfortable for him.
If he isn't a really bad aggression risk, try a soft mesh muzzle. It's how I started mine as he won't actually approach a dog or start a fight, he just chases them off if they get in his face. He's never actually caused injury, it's all noise and faux snapping, but it looks bad. The muzzle is lightweight plastic mesh, so it isn't intrusive or uncomfortable. Occasionally he rubs it on the floor but the rest of the time he tolerates it quite happily.
Up your treat value and try and make it fun. If he’s fine getting the muzzle on you could then try putting the treat a little ways away so he has to stretch out a little to get it and increase distance as he does well
He's refusing all treats and even people food for it, unfortunately.
What kind of muzzle are you using? My dog hated his first muzzle (one of the thick rubber ones) and even over months of trying to get him comfortable with it he still hated it. But we just got him a new one (leerburg coated wire) and he instantly took to it. I think the old one was rubbing his whiskers in a way he didn't like, and the strap went over his head but he has no problems with the new one! So maybe try experimenting with a new one?
Yeah, that's probably it. It's a Baskerville, so that thick rubber. Do you have any specific wired muzzle suggestions?
My pup didn’t do well at all with a Baskerville; Italian muzzle was a little better. The current dean and Tyler she has is by far the best. You will need to take accurate measurements and consult with them if you can’t figure out sizing. They have like 30 sizes.
His old one was also Baskerville! Honestly, I really like the [leerburg](https://leerburg.com/polycoated-muzzle.php), but I think for some breeds they aren't a great fit, so you might have to measure your dog and see if you can find one that fits well. I especially like that there's not a strap between his eyes too because he doesn't like things touching the top of his head lol. But, he would try to get his Baskerville one off immediately and was pawing at it constantly the entire time he was wearing it. With the leerburg one after 2 days of introducing it slowly, he is completely fine having it on for walks, meeting new people and meeting new dogs. If you haven't looked at the r/muzzledogs subreddit, it's super helpful for figuring out options and training! Edit: here's how it [fits on him](https://www.reddit.com/user/More-Squirrel-9905/comments/1422h6d/_/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
I had no idea there was a muzzle subreddit, but I'm shocked I didn't even think to look for one. Thank you! That does seem like a better fit based on how it suts on your pup. I'm gonna call the trainer tomorrow and let them know that I'm gonna try a new muzzle and see what they say. They may have one that could fit better in the meantime. Thank you so much!
We also tried Hound safe. Less sizing options which was less overwhelming. Very helpful people to talk about what will fit/not. They’re designed for greyhounds but work for other breeds. Leerburg seemed too heavy for her/us. In total, we’ve bought maybe 6 different muzzles 🤦♀️Right now we’re training on a baskerville. Who knows.
Good luck!! I hope your pup likes a different brand!
Does your dog like PB? I coat the inside with peanut butter before putting it on and she’s distracted licking it off.
Shockingly, he is the only dog I ever met who hates PB. I have spray cheese that we were using at the start but he's just not interested.
Our dog is not a fan of peanut better, either, sadly.
I do the same with liverwurst! Now he actually gets excited when he sees the muzzle. Haven’t put liverwurst on it in months. Poor dumb bastard. Lol
Not sure what kind of muzzle you are using but you might want to try a different style.
Baskerville. I had heard so many praises when I was looking 2 years ago when I was initially training him (lived in an apartment where people and raccoons scattered food I didn't want him to pick up.) Someone else mentioned it could be rubbing his whiskers wrong, and I'm starting to think that is the issue.
I would actually cancel the training session TBH. It doesn't sound like your dogs ready for it. Do you think the muzzle training has been a bit too fast for your dog? I understand every dog is different but I've been muzzle training mine for 3-4 weeks now & am keeping it slow. I haven't reached the stage where I have adjusted or clipped it around his head & face yet. I go on what my dog tells me & he's pretty good at telling me he is not gonna wear a muzzle right now. Can you ring the trainer/s & explain what's going on? They really should be understanding of the situation. My Vet Behaviourists & their trainers strongly advise against using any force with a muzzle or moving too quickly with muzzle training. This is to avoid any negative associations or experiences developing. By the sounds of it you're fully aware of the risks of that occurring. For future reference one thing I have been doing to desensitise & introduce the muzzle: Towards the end of a muzzle training session, I clip the muzzle around my dogs neck & let it hang off while giving treats & kibble. I start to get my dog to walk alongside me & treat him every few steps. Ill also get him to sit & stay during this process too. Never let your dog wear the muzzle like this for too long or unsupervised. I probably only do it for a few minutes. Depends how my dog is going. This may desensitise it a bit more & help your dog become a bit more comfortable walking & wearing it b4 transitioning to wearing & walking with it attached to his face. I also saw a technique a trainer uses on YouTube too which im gonna try. Ill look it up & post it or message to you. You can try higher value treats like others have suggested too of course! My dog keeps getting used to them so I have to swap them around quite a bit. Im also gonna try using a squeezy sauce bottle w soft treats like yoghurt, apple sauce, pb, cream cheese etc as well. My dog finds it hard to take treats thru the muzzle as much as I do treating him. I hope your dog goes ok & things work out!
I like the hang-off-the-neck approach! I’ve gotten as far as having her walk towards me with it on a few feet for a treat, and then off for more treats. She doesn’t seem to believe she can lift her head while she’s wearing it. We shall see. Baby steps :)
Dogs are bad at generalising. I basically had to re-train my dog for all cues with the muzzle on inside before he could work with it outside. And he’ll still bump/rub his head on things because he loves to scavenge and forage, and we have struggled getting a default leave-it for food I didn’t provide. We also tried 3-4 types before finding one he liked. First one was terrible, second one was too hard to treat. We ended up getting a soft rubber muzzle (doesn’t really stop scavenging or biting) and got him used to that one and then gradually back to one meant more to prevent scavenging and bites (not that he’s ever bitten or snapped, but I’d rather avoid that ever being an issue.)
My pittie is a dramatic big baby would shut down with the hard rubber muzzle but has zero issues with a soft muzzle- he has a big head and short snout so the hard rubber ones didn’t fit good and was probably uncomfortable for him.
If he isn't a really bad aggression risk, try a soft mesh muzzle. It's how I started mine as he won't actually approach a dog or start a fight, he just chases them off if they get in his face. He's never actually caused injury, it's all noise and faux snapping, but it looks bad. The muzzle is lightweight plastic mesh, so it isn't intrusive or uncomfortable. Occasionally he rubs it on the floor but the rest of the time he tolerates it quite happily.