Educational content

Muzzle training can be a handful – literally! Juggling the muzzle and treats, plus maybe a lead and a clicker, whilst also concentrating on watching your dog’s body language AND thinking about training and timing – it’s no wonder that many guardians find it a daunting prospect! Here, we are going to give you some tips on hands-free muzzle training, to help you if you are finding it difficult to handle everything! At the start of muzzle training, both you and your dog are learning! An ideal way of introducing the muzzle is to start with it placed on the floor. This gives you the opportunity to have your hands free for reinforcement and also prevents you from inadvertently pushing the muzzle towards the dog whilst you are getting into the swing of things. Simply place the muzzle on the floor, and scatter food or toys nearby to create a positive association with the muzzle. Once your dog is comfortable and happy taking treats from around the muzzle on the floor, you can start to use a clicker or marker to specifically reinforce when your dog looks at or sniffs the muzzle. Take it away and replace it a few times to help your dog get used to the movement and the sounds around the muzzle and offer them plenty of reinforcement on the floor so they continue to see it as a positive thing.     To see more, visit our ‘Introducing a muzzle’ blog You can also attach the muzzle to something, so you don’t worry about holding it. When fixing the muzzle somewhere, ensure that the muzzle is at the right height for the do to easily target – it needs to be right at the dogs’ nose height! Some useful items to use for attaching the muzzle are zip ties or Command sticky strips. Some ideas of where to fix the muzzle include: Attaching to a chair: You can use the straps to fix the muzzle to a chair or you could use zip ties.         Use a wall hook: These are easily available from hardware stores or Amazon. They can be attached to the wall, door frames, large heavy furniture such as dressers etc. (Remember to follow manufacturers guidance when sticking them and use a removable sticky strip such as Command if you want to be able to take it off again!) Simply hang the muzzle from the hook!   Make a muzzle stand: You can easily make a moveable muzzle stand at home! You could use something like a tripod or even a metal adjustable food bowl holder as the stand. If it is lightweight, you may need to weight it down at the bottom to prevent larger dogs from knocking it over. You can either zip tie the muzzle directly to the stand or affix a wall hook to the stand. A muzzle stand works really well as you can usually still access the treat hole of the muzzle for easy reinforcement!     We hope this blog has been helpful if you have been juggling too many things whilst muzzle training! To find out more about muzzle training, take a look at out downloadable e-guide!   

What is Target Training? Target training is teaching your dog to touch a target (a mark or object) with part of their body (paws, nose, whole body!) Teaching paw targets to marks on the floor or whole body targets (stand, sit or down) on a mat are really useful and fun activities to teach your dog! We are going to be concentrating on nose targeting as it ties in well with muzzle training and can help to build your dogs’ confidence before, during and after muzzle training! Before: We can teach our dogs to nose target items such as plant pots, yoghurt pots, mugs or cups before your muzzle even arrives! It’s a great way to get your dog confident and happy with putting their nose into something in preparation for muzzle training. Teaching your dog to nose target your hand is also a really useful skill for engagement and moving your dog without conflict.   During: During muzzle training, we teach our dogs to nose target the actual muzzle! So the skill of nose targeting objects such as yoghurt pots is really transferable and useful. We want to be able to hold the muzzle in front of our dogs and they willingly nose target (put their nose inside) the muzzle.   If your dog is already happy to touch their nose on and in objects, it means that the process of muzzle training is already less scary and overwhelming! After: If your dog is already muzzle trained, you can introduce or practice nose targets to build your dogs’ confidence when moving around wearing their muzzle. If you make sure it’s a fun, engaging activity with lots of easy wins and reinforcement – it can help to build a positive association with wearing a muzzle. It is also a good way to get them used to the muzzle moving round or bumping slightly on their face as it inevitably will in the real world when they sniff and engage in activities on their walks. Before we get started… Using a marker in training What is a marker? Usually, it is either a clicker or word. A marker is used to bridge the gap between seeing a desired behaviour and getting a reinforcer to the dog. It says 'that was the behaviour I wanted, a treat is on it way!’. Once your dog understands their marker word, it allows us to communicate really clearly the exact moment we want to reinforce. It can be any word you want but popular markers are ‘good’, ‘yes’, ‘wow’ or ‘yip’. How do I teach my dog a marker? In an area with low distractions, call your dogs name. As soon as they look at you say your marker word and immediately reinforce them (give them a treat or engage in play). Repeat several times in multiple sessions. · Your dog will soon associate: marker = something great is about to happen. ·Check your dog's understanding by waiting for them to be a little distracted and say the marker word. If they ignore or don't notice, you need to do some more repetitions. If they look at your ready for their reinforcer, you’re good to go! How do I target train my dog? Nose target to hand: Most people use an open palm or a closed fist as the hand target so choose which works for you. If using an open palm, tuck a treat in between your fingers or if using a closed fist, hold the treat in your fist. Present the hand near your dog (not too close that it’s right in their face!) and as soon as they move their head towards or sniff your hand, immediately give them the treat! Repeat this a few times until they get the game. If your hand signals for sit, wait, paw or any other behaviours is an open palm, use a closed fist or even the back of your hand as the target instead to avoid confusion! Next, present your hand with NO treat and as soon as your dog touches your hand with their nose, use their marker word and give them a treat from your other hand, a pot/treat pouch etc (this called ‘mark and reward’). If you dog doesn’t respond at any time, put your hands behind your back then re-present it a little closer to make it easier for your dog.   Next, present your hand with NO treat and as soon as your dog touches your hand with their nose, use their marker word and give them a treat from your other hand, a pot/treat pouch etc (this called ‘mark and reward’). If you dog doesn’t respond at any time, put your hands behind your back then re-present your hand a little closer to make it easier for your dog. Once your dog seems to understand and is consistently targeting your hand with their nose, you can add in the verbal cue or command. Again, the cue can be any word but popular choices are ‘touch’ or ‘boop’. Say the verbal cue first then immediately present your hand, and mark and reward your dog for the target. It’s as easy as that! To progress your dogs’ hand target, practice presenting your hand from different angles and be sure to train with each hand. You can gradually increase how far your hand is presented from your dog to start encouraging them to move to touch your hand. Most dogs really enjoy it when you add in some more energy and movement as it feels more like a game! If you have already muzzle trained your dog, you can also practice hand targets while muzzled so they can have a fun experience in their muzzle. It can also be a nice way to get your dog moving comfortably when muzzled.   Nose target to a physical object: Ideas for physical markers: Post-it note Sticker Tupperware Lid Plastic Plat Credit card Cone Frisbee Choose a physical marker that you’d like to use and place it on the floor. If your dog seems disinterested, you can place a couple of treats on or around the target and as soon as they take the treat, use their marker word and put their reward on the target too. This encourages them to return to the target so you get another opportunity to mark and reward! Repeat several times. Now, sit and do nothing for a few seconds! Don’t put any food on the target and give your dog a little bit of time to see how they respond. If they seem confused or frustrated then repeat step 1 a few more times. If your dog moves towards, sniffs or touches the target with their nose, mark and reward them! You can now give their reward from your hand rather than on the target. Repeat several times until your dog is consistently putting their nose on the target. To add in the verbal cue, lift the target off the ground. Say your cue - something like ‘target’ or ‘press’ are common choices, then immediately place the target back on the floor, mark and reward when your dog touches it with their nose. You guessed it....repeat several times! To check your dogs’ understanding of the verbal cue, leave the target on the floor, wait a few seconds then say the cue again. Mark and reward if your dog targets it with their nose and keep practicing with the target remaining in position. If you dog seems unsure, repeat the process a few more times until the association of the cue and the behaviour is built. Once your dog has got it, you can build on the game by moving the target to different areas or even sticking it to the wall or door. If your dog is muzzle trained you can now practice the nose target to a physical mark whilst wearing their muzzle! Target training to help muzzle training  Nose targeting a pot: If you don’t have a muzzle or are waiting for one to arrive, you can still make a start on building your dogs’ confidence with putting their nose in something! You can use an item like a plant pot or a yoghurt pot to practice! Place the pot on the floor on its side with a couple of treats sprinkled around it. Let your dog sniff and investigate. Once they seem comfortable, put a treat at the opening of the of the pot. Once your dog has taken a couple of treats this way, put the treat a little bit further inside. Repeat several times and only progress if your dog looks happy and comfortable. Now it’s time to see if your dog chooses to put their nose towards the pot themselves! Sit and do nothing for a few seconds! Don’t put any food in the pot and give your dog a little bit of time to see how they respond. If they seem confused or frustrated, then repeat step 1 a few more times. If your dog moves towards, sniffs or put’s their nose towards the pot, mark and reward them! Repeat several times. Gradually be more selective about when you mark and reward your dog - start to only reinforce them for their nose being at the opening of the pot, then when their nose goes inside the pot slightly, and build until your dog is putting their nose right into the pot! You can practice with the pot held in your hand and in different places around the house, garden and on walks!  

Muzzle training isn’t always plain sailing! We are asking a dog to do something really different and quite strange... By trusting us to put their face into this colourful, unusual object, so it’s not surprising that we can sometimes run into some teething problems. Here, we will look at some of the common problems when muzzle training and how to overcome them! My dog is being naughty when muzzle training! If you feel your dog is mis-behaving during training, there is usually an underlying cause to the behaviour. Dogs aren’t just naughty – they are usually responding to the way they are feeling so remember to stay positive and don’t tell your dog off or punish them for ‘bad’ behaviour. If they are feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure, this can easily make them feel worse and create a negative association with you, the muzzle and training in general. Try to stay patient and consider what reason your dog may have to behave in this way. My dog is ignoring me. If your dog doesn’t respond to you whilst training, it’s important to work out why. Are they ‘ignoring’ your marker word or clicker? It may be that your dog simply doesn’t understand it fully, in which case you can continue to load the marker by pairing it with something great! Simply say your marker word, or use the clicker, then immediately give your dog a high value treat or engage in a fun game of tuggy! Repeat this several times to create a strong association that marker = something great happens. If your dog is responding to the marker at other times such as in another location or when doing other training, non-response to the marker may actually be a stress response. If your dog is ignoring you, or the muzzle, they may be avoiding interaction due to feeling worried or stressed. Avoidance can be really subtle, such as simply not wanting to look at the muzzle, appearing to 'ignore' you, and offering displacement behaviours such as sniffing around, scratching, yawning or perhaps engaging in play elsewhere.  In this case, it's important to take away any pressure and continue to slowly work on building a positive association with the muzzle, before even beginning to work on muzzle training. You may need some support from an accredited, force-free trainer to assist you working through this if you are finding it difficult.   You could take a short break, make a some changes in the environment such as reducing distractions, changing location, or you may need to work on muzzle confidence before training.   My dog won’t go near the muzzle. If your dog is avoiding the muzzle, or is unwilling to engage in training, assess that the issue is definitely the muzzle. Try the exercise in another area, look at your dogs’ body language and ensure they are happy around you and in the space without the muzzle. Read more about understanding your dog's body language here. Once we are confident the muzzle is the problem, you can work on slowing the desensitization process right down.   You can start by simply placing the muzzle out in the room, perhaps on a table or side, carrying it around while you continue your usual daily activities.   You could also use a cheap muzzle, cut up into smaller pieces to start with, until your dog feels more confident. Read more on introducing a muzzle blog My dog keeps running off with the muzzle!   Another common problem we come across with muzzle training is the dog grabbing the muzzle in their mouth! If your dog does this, start by marking and rewarding just being around the muzzle, with no grabbing. You may only achieve a second between reinforcement to begin with but you can build slowly until your dog is able to be around the muzzle for several seconds with no grabbing. Here, we are teaching your dog that it is more beneficial to not grab the muzzle. You can also fix the muzzle down by fastening it to a chair leg or using a hook on the wall. This stops your dog from practicing the fun game of stealing and running off with the muzzle, when you will inevitably accidently reinforce the behaviour by trying to get the muzzle back! Also ensure that you are doing training when all of your dogs needs have been met – if your dog has excess energy or wants to play,..   ..if they are feeling hungry and frustrated, this can make it harder for them to focus and concentrate on learning.   I don’t have a muzzle yet but I want to make start on training.   If you are eager to get started on muzzle training but you are waiting for a muzzle to arrive, you haven’t chosen one suitable for your dog and needs, or are unable to get a muzzle right now, you can still make a start on the training process with an alternative object. You could use a cheap pet store muzzle which may not be the best fit, but it is suitable for training. You can also use objects such as flower pots, mugs, empty yoghurt pots, small cardboard boxes or even just your hands!   Basically anything that your dog and safely and comfortably fit their nose into, just to get them used to the feel of it.   My dog seems confused. There are several stages to work through as part of muzzle training and it can be hard to know when your dog is ready to move to the next step. If your dog is required to wear a muzzle by law, or to keep them safe, you will also be feeling a lot of pressure to get your dog to a stage where they are able to wear the muzzle so you rush the process. It is really important to progress at your dogs pace – this means ensuring your dog is fully happy and comfortable with each training step before progressing onto the next step.   If your dog appears confused or worried at any stage, go back to the last step they were comfortable at and repeat that stage again, progressing more slowly.   Muzzle training is different for every dog, some dogs breeze through the process and can feel comfortable wearing a muzzle relatively quickly, whereas some dogs need much more time to work through the stages and progress more slowly – and both are fine! If you have any concerns or need more support on muzzle training, please hire an accredited and force-free trainer or behaviourist to help you.