In case of emergency like a car accident, it's important to be able to muzzle your dog safely. Dogs in pain can lash out while you're trying to help them. You can make an emergency muzzle with a lot of different materials that you have around (gauze, shoelace, leash, rope, pantyhose etc). I used my bathrobe cord because it was handy and a good width for Mr. N's face.
Mr. N is super tolerant of handling and grooming, both with me and other people. And now that we've finally almost conquered nails, I can do all the basics at home with him. But if something happened (he's allergic to bee stings for example), I'd want him to not freak out further because I had to muzzle him just in case. So we practiced putting one on. He's used to a lot of poking and prodding and adjusting because he is a grooming intensive dog plus he wears a lot of clothes so the process went quicker.
It took me a few tries to figure out how to best position the cord. Not a lot of facial surface to work with here. Once I figured out how to adjust the cord so it wasn't covering his eyes, he was comfortable wearing it for short periods. And rewarded with a copious amount of cheese. Before... well, you can judge for yourself how he felt.
Practice before your dog is frantic and in pain and moving is key. If your dog needs more help acclimating to a muzzle or if you're interested in other muzzle choices, here are some good tips from Karen Pryor's site. Be sure not to leave your muzzled dog alone and remember that the emergency muzzle is a short-term measure. They're not meant to be left on for a long time.
"Tie a knot in the center of the bandage. Make another loose knot several inches above the first knot. Slip the loop over the dog's muzzle and gently pull the knot tight (Step 1). Cross the ends of the bandage under the dog's jaw (Step 2). Firmly tie the crossed ends behind the dog's neck (Step 3)."
The final product. Mr. N chilling on an old boat with his emergency muzzle on. Is your dog comfortable wearing a muzzle?
Welcome to First Monday's Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days. Please share your responsible pet owner positive pet training tips by linking a blog post or leaving a comment below. Our theme for this month is training for safety and emergencies for National Pet First Aid Awareness Month. but any positive reinforcement training posts or comments are also always welcome. The Positive Pet Training Blog Hop goes all week long. Our next hop will begin Monday, May 2nd and continues for a week. The theme for May is play and trying out new training games.
I just treated a human patient who'd been bitten by an injured dog she was trying to help. Obviously because the dog was in pain, they had just been hit by a car. I never even thought of using an emergency muzzle. This post is great! Informative and timely!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the share! Oh no. I hope your patient is OK... It's hard to think of things like this in the moment!
DeleteGreat idea!
ReplyDeleteThis is such great information and something we will definitely have to work on!
ReplyDeleteJan, Wag 'n Woof Pets
What a wonderfully useful post! I need to practice this with my girls. We did some very early muzzle training, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lara! Muzzle training seems to be popular this month.
DeleteGreat idea! I used to do those sorts of muzzles for groom dogs who would bite but still needed their face hair trimmed.
ReplyDeleteEmergency muzzle is a great idea. Cupcake has never been muzzled.
ReplyDeleteMr. N hasn't either. He took to having something on his face pretty well.
DeleteSuch an important reminder! I've used this method to muzzle train my guys.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all these comments - muzzle training is super important and in an emergency no matter how nice your dog is -better safe than sorry. Especially when they're stressed and you're trying to look in their mouth...
ReplyDeleteGreat post food to know how to do this.
ReplyDeleteI should of done this when my dog Toby broke his low as he snapped at me a few times when I carried him to the car.
DeleteLove the post! This is so important to know! Even if you believe your dog won't bite, in a painful situation they might. It is a reflex action and they are just striking out. So, better safe than sorry for all involved. Again, thank you for sharing. It is great to know we can make a make-shift muzzle!
ReplyDeleteI had never thought of an emergency muzzle - this is great to know! Thanks for sharing - we'll give it a try this weekend and let you know how we do!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the PSA and DIY post! Great to know!
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific idea! One of my dogs wears a muzzle at the vet's and he doesn't mind wearing it anymore, but I haven't considered an emergency muzzle for Nelly or Sophie. Nelly has a little face like Mr. N, so it will take some practice for me to figure out the best way.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea :) Layla has a squishy nose also so its fantastic to see how to do it :)
ReplyDeleteWe camp fairly frequently with our dogs, and one of the things we keep is a Dog first aid kit. I am going to make sure to know how to do this just in case. We have had emergencies when camping, so this is great to know how to do in case one of the dogs is hurt and scared! Thank you so much for the great information!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! This is something everyone should learn. Even if you don't own a dog, you never know when you might come across one that needs help. Helping loose/strays is great but you always want to make sure you do so safely.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, this is something that you just might need know someday! Thanks for the share! :)
ReplyDeleteAs Kilo is a biter at the slightest stress, I will definitely try this. It's very hard with his flat face and intolerance/fear. The vet tried a cat muzzle in an emergency and it was a mega!! disaster. We used a cone at his other vet and they wore big protection and we all survived unharmed. We have put off going and are overdue.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, none of my dogs are stress biters but I can imagine in an emergency, that might change. This is such important information to have handy in an emergency. Going to print it and add it to my first aid kit. Thank you for sharing both written instructions and images on how to make an emergency muzzle and for the excellent suggestion to practice before a situation arises where you need one. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I need to share this with my mom and my sister so they will have the information if they ever need it for their dogs.
ReplyDeleteBetter to be safe than sorry. Many years ago we had to do this with our last dog. It broke my heart but I was glad to know how to do it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really important tip, an injured or terrified dog can be unpredictable. Great job and smart idea to use a bathrobe cord! In a real pinch, if you're in a car accident and your dog freaks out or is injured you can use the handle end of their leash to fashion a makeshift muzzle, while keeping them on the leash of course, don't remove it.
ReplyDeleteLove & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Great post. I have never tried to put a muzzle on Gracie so I do not know how she would do. Like Mr. N, she is pretty tolerant, but she is not fond of her face being touched even though she allows it. Might be good for us to practice!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this smart tip! It would never have occurred to me to use a strip of fabric as an emergency muzzle--that's brilliant. I'm pretty jealous of Mr. N's fabulous handling tolerance! Nala only accepts procedures after DS/CC. I'm so lucky that she doesn't require much grooming beyond nail maintenance, because otherwise I wouldn't have any time or calories to train things I actually enjoy.
ReplyDeleteVery very important to know if you find a lost dog which is a bit aggressive or a nipper!
ReplyDeleteI never ever thought about this, and found this post fascinating. A must share because one would never know if they could do this to their dog in an emergency situation. As much as I handle the Boys, I'm not sure if they would cooperate. Will give it a try. This was a great post. Thanks
ReplyDelete