Muzzles

I have the guilt just writing this. I've never used a muzzle on a dog.

So myself, my partner and our two dogs will be spending Christmas eve and Christmas day in my parents house. My mother has a cat who she utterly adores and who my terrier hates. When we visit we keep them in separate rooms which is easy enough when there's only a couple of us there but gets harder and harder as the numbers increase.
On Christmas eve and day the house will be packed solid! We had hoped Hiro the terrier would have made some advancements in his feelings on cats by now but he really hasn't. This has become a real worry for myself and my mother.
None of the doors in the house lock and people are always accidentally opening the wrong one forgetting about the animals. Also I don't want to spend the whole of Christmas fretting and following people and animals around trying to contain everyone (there will be five animals in total on the go! Never mind the amount of people)
So... I'm pondering a basket muzzle to give us all peace of mind and keep the cat safe. What are peoples opinions? Is it a cruel solution? Will it work? Will it make him resent the cat more? Any other ideas?

tk123

Is he crate trained?

seamus

Is it feasible to leave the dogs at home and pop back to let them out, or ask a trusted friend to do it for you?

aonb

Jeez, if I was lucky enough to get to bring my two dogs to a big family Christmas, where there was a loved resident pet that would be in danger from my dogs, I wouldnt worry too much about a muzzle really. Your dogs are loved, putting a muzzle on them means that they will be part of the family, taken care of, and you wont have to worry about finding someone to mind them/leaving them home alone etc etc etc If you can get them used to the muzzle now, by putting it on for a very little time every day, building up gradually, you will be fine hopefully. WHY feel guilt when you are protecting your mums beloved pet, AND getting to bring your two terrorists with you, so that you dont have the hassle/worry of them home alone.

Im sure you will get lots of advise on here about the best muzzles, and how to get your dog used to them.

When I brought my old terrier to the vet, he HAD to be muzzled because he hated vets so much (in fairness he had a tough time at vets for many years with illness/ops etc) - we used a lovely soft muzzle that worked very well...

He is crate trained tk123 in that he likes his crate and will happily go into it for short periods or at nighttime but with all the other dogs running loose on the day in question I'm fairly sure he'd be miserable and crying and barking. He's a noisy little fella.
I couldn't leave them home on Christmas Seamus. I'd feel awful. Its his first Christmas with us and I want to share the day with him, shower him with gifts and treats. (Im very soft like that.)
Yeah aonb, I looked at muzzles online, didn't know a thing about them and basket seems the best choice from the bit I read for prolonged use. Cause he can pant, bark, recieve treats etc. But other than that I'm clueless so I'd definitely love some advice from anyone in the know...

DBB

How would he feel about, say, doing a stint in your car for a while with something nyummy to chew on, a stint in a playpen (I'm a huge fan of playpens... They fold flat and allow you cordon off rooms or parts of rooms)... Several stints of running around the garden etc, maybe a baby gate with cat upstairs and dog downstairs... And as for muzzling, get on to YouTube and search for "Blue Cross training a dog to wear a muzzle"... A super video.
I'm not recommending any one of these things, but with a bit of ingenuity some of these things in combination might get you through the day!

DBB

Ps, basket muzzles are the only ethical option for wearing any longer than a few mins.

boomerang

I wouldn't rely on a muzzle as your only safety - a determined dog can get one off. Terriers have small ears which makes it easier for them to wriggle out!

Toots

I have to muzzle one of my dogs because she's a staffie cross, and we found this muzzle very good. I don't know what size you'd need for your dog, but as muzzles go it seems comfy but at the same time it's sturdy. I like the way it's designed so that you can give your dog treats while they're wearing it. When we were introducing it, we spread a little bit of pate in the inside, to encourage her to put her head in, then graduated to holding the muzzle in our hand with a treat in it, now she will allow us to put it on without hassle, and knows she'll get a treat once it's on.

It seems pretty secure also, we threaded her collar through the loop bit under the chin, and then the strap that goes over the head gives extra security. Our dog has a very pointy head, and we've had trouble with her wiggling out of stuff before, but she hasn't managed it with this one (yet).

DBB

DBB wrote: »

How would he feel about, say, doing a stint in your car for a while with something nyummy to chew on, a stint in a playpen (I'm a huge fan of playpens... They fold flat and allow you cordon off rooms or parts of rooms)... Several stints of running around the garden etc, maybe a baby gate with cat upstairs and dog downstairs... And as for muzzling, get on to YouTube and search for "Blue Cross training a dog to wear a muzzle"... A super video.
I'm not recommending any one of these things, but with a bit of ingenuity some of these things in combination might get you through the day!

Thanks so much DBB, that video was excellent. So I had a chat with my mam and we are going to use a combination of things like you suggest. Unfortunately there won't be enough space anywhere for a playpen but we are going to bring his crate over for short stints of crating if neccessary. If he gets agitated in it with the other dogs loose, we'll put him in the car for a short time with a stuffed Kong and he'll be happy out. He'll be out in the garden with the other dogs every now and again and we'll use the muzzle intermittently if we feel the need (although only if I can get him happy enough to wear it). The muzzle is only to keep the cat safe until one of us can get to him or notice he's escaped. I doubt he'd have time to get it off before one of us notice but I'll have to see how he is with it on. The cat is sure to go up to one of the bedrooms for a nap at some stage (they usually last a couple of hours) and we can leave a note on the door then and all relax for a while. Anyways things like that should keep it all under control. I feel way less worried about now knowing we have a 'plan' of sorts. It'll probably go a lot smoother than I'm imagining anyways. He's such a great little dog and I'm really looking forward to Christmas with him so I'll probably have him stuck to me the whole time anyways!

the_syco

In a dog shelter that I volunteer at, peanut butter is put on the snout end of the muzzle; the dog will put their entire head into the muzzle to lick it before they even realise what is happening May be an idea if you need to get the muzzle on quickly?

the_syco

the_syco wrote: »

In a dog shelter that I volunteer at, peanut butter is put on the snout end of the muzzle; the dog will put their entire head into the muzzle to lick it before they even realise what is happening May be an idea if you need to get the muzzle on quickly?

Yep that's in the video DBB suggested and I think it will work a treat because he absolutely loves peanut butter!!!

hardCopy

If the cat is likely to avoid him you could try tethering him to you. It worked for us recently at a family gathering to stop our lad jumping on my granny.

hardCopy

hardCopy wrote: »

If the cat is likely to avoid him you could try tethering him to you. It worked for us recently at a family gathering to stop our lad jumping on my granny.

That is an excellent idea!!! I can attach his lead to my belt or whatever and know where he is at all times but hands free! love it! And I can swap with my partner every now and again! The cat would definitely avoid him to a certain degree. (She might hang around the opposite side of the room) Thanks very much!

hardCopy

Deleted User wrote: »

That is an excellent idea!!! I can attach his lead to my belt or whatever and know where he is at all times but hands free! love it! And I can swap with my partner every now and again! The cat would definitely avoid him to a certain degree. (She might hang around the opposite side of the room) Thanks very much!

Full credit to Sophia Yin: http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/the-learn-to-earn-program-implementing-the-program

Latatian

You can use a climbing carabiner (or similar), makes it easier to unclip the dog if you need to.