positive reinforcement Archives - Beyond Dog Training and Pet Services

Nail Trims… The bane of many owner’s very existence, aren’t they? So many dogs hate them, many owner’s are frustrated trying to wrestle what is essentially an alligator doing a death roll. They can be frustrating, but it can also be dangerous, both for us, and for our dogs when not introduced properly. And even more damaging to our best friend’s emotional well being when we force these traumatizing events on them, without trying to find ways to make them feel better.

What I’ve been working on with my own dogs, is giving them choices. This isn’t a new concept. In fact, it’s used frequently in the training world, giving dogs choices to make their own decisions. One of my rescue dogs in particular, is not entirely fond of handling, and that’s okay! Not every dog has to love being touched and coddled. Boone has always been this way and finds it very aversive and uncomfortable. So we work within his comfort zone.

Instead, what I have been teaching Boone, is that if he offers a paw and lets me handle it, he gets a reward. A yummy, high value treat, to be exact. And we built it up. He knew Shake a Paw, so we built up him offering his paws through something called free-shaping. With this, I waited for him to present a behavior(something that might lead into him offering or holding his paw up for me). So for this, he would go to paw at me or place his paw on me, and using the clicker, I would capture the behavior with a click and follow it immediately with a treat. And from there, we built it up slowly in increments. So once he was reliably offering his paw on his own, I would capture and reward me reaching for that paw, and then eventually, touching and handling the paw, and then having the clippers in proximity to us, and me touching his paws with the clippers. This went on over several sessions.

We are now at a point, where I can trim one nail at a time, provided he offers the paw. Now, if he sees me sitting on the floor with the clippers, he begins offering his paw to me. We still change it up, sometimes I clip a nail and sometimes I don’t. When I do clip a nail, I often give him a jackpot(several tossed treats, versus just one) to make it highly rewarding.

There are days where he is comfortable with allowing me to handle his paws and doing these sessions and days where he isn’t and we work within his comfort zone. He is allowed to pull away and move away from me and has the choice of whether he wishes to offer his paws or not. This has made nail trimming stress free, for both himself and for me!

Here is a short clip of me working on one of these sessions with Boone. You can see he approaches and lifts a paw, which I then take in my hand, clip a nail, then toss a treat. He then returns to once again, begin offering his paw, which you can see he begins lifting in my direction once again:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk3xOIGALs3/?taken-by=beyonddogtrainingservices

Boone wearing a Baskerville Ultra size 4(design added by me)

There seems to be a stigma in our world, that muzzles are a bad thing or that the dog wearing them is dangerous, when in reality, this simply isn’t always the case and often actually isn’t.

Benefits of Muzzle Training Include:
– Reducing stress at Vet visits where a dog is in a stressful environment or having procedures done
– In cases of emergency where a dog is badly injured and may be defensive
– Allows owner/handler peace of mind when out with their dogs, especially if the dog is fearful or reactive
– Keeps dogs safe in emergency situations such as natural disasters, etc, which may cause fear or may need to be in confined spaces with other people/animals
– Provides safe training/socialization with other people/animals
– Provides a clear, unspoken desire for space
– For dogs with medical or behavioral issues, keeps them from eating undesired objects
– Alternative to a cone for injuries/post-surgeries or healing
– Can be anxiety reducing for both the dog(if conditioned to enjoy the muzzle) and the owner
– Many groomers or vets need to muzzle dogs, your dog would be less stressed in this situation

Muzzle training can be incredibly beneficial, while also being responsible. Helping your dog to become comfortable with and even enjoy wearing their muzzle will reduce the stress of needing the muzzle in the first place, making whatever situation you are in much easier to deal with.

A lot of the stigma surrounding muzzled dogs is that they are dangerous, aggressive, or have some sort of intent to bite or do harm, which is not often the case.

Many dogs you see muzzled could be muzzled for any number of reasons. They may be okay with people, but maybe not with other dogs(ever had that off leash dog that comes barreling at you while the owner is shouting “He’s friendly!”? I have). Maybe the dog is a fearful rescue and needs space from strangers, so the owner has muzzle trained their pup in order to have people give them space on walks(ever had someone come up and pet your pup without asking? I have). I know of some dogs who will try to grab and eat anything on their walks, and have even heard of dogs diagnosed with Pica who will ingest anything, and a muzzle has provided them with a safer quality of life while preventing a dangerous outcome. The reasons for which a dog may be muzzled are innumerous and often the owner is just trying to go about their day with their dog, responsibly.

In some places, there is unfortunately BSL(breed specific legislation), or the law may state that dogs need to be muzzled while in public, and the dog may not have any behavioral concerns at all. Breed Specific Legislation needs to come to an end, and is another topic for another time.

All in all, there are a wide variety of reasons to muzzle train our dogs, there are many reasons people may be out and about with a muzzled dog. Instead of judging, or making assumptions, let us smile for the fact that someone is being responsible, or working with their dog instead of ostrasizing them. Let us give them space and understand that while they may or may not be people friendly, their owner is probably doing the best that they can to give their dog the best life possible. And let us condition our own dogs to a muzzle, if not because it needed, but because there may be a situation in the future where it could be and what is better than to have a dog that is happy and comfortable, than one that is scared or agitated by the muzzle on their snout.

Video Resources for Training and Conditioning with a Muzzle:
1. Pre-Muzzle Training Prep by Maureen Backman

2. Muzzle Desensitization and Counter Conditioning with BUMAS by Maureen Backman

3. Muzzle Training Positive Associations by Maureen Backman

4. Muzzle Training Tips and Troubleshooting by Maureen Backman

5. How and Why Every Dog Should Love Wearing a Muzzle by Zak George

6. Muzzle Training Focusing on Calmness by Emily Larlham(kikopup on Youtube)

7. Teaching a Dog to Wear a Muzzle by Domesticated Manners and Chirag Patel