frontpost Report post Posted August 14, 2009 (edited) What is crate training?Tony. A crate is a box with a door to keep you dog in. When my dog was a pup I would let her stay inside with the door open, then shut the door. She got to the point where she felt safe inside. Now she can travel in the crate and she can't jump around, and cause me pains. Edited August 14, 2009 by frontpost Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunshineNative Report post Posted August 15, 2009 So sorry you feel like you were the new guy and got slammed. I for one have my own opinion and think the very idea of muzzling a dog for chewing to be ridiculous. When your mother potty trained you, did she tape a baggy over the offending part? If you would try to get your roommate and his pooch to a training class, then maybe you would all live a better life. There is absolutely no way that a muzzle will help you reach your goal. Chewers do so for many reasons and the very idea that you think a pit is going to calm down with force is a testament to the fact that you do not know the mentality of that breed. He WILL become aggressive after such treatment. I have trained, bred and raised German Shepherds and Full blooded Wolves for over 40 years. The only one who is loosing in this whole mess is the dog. Wildrose, THANK YOU! I appreciate your reply very much. And yes, I will talk with my roommate about both crate training and muzzle use. Not trying to turn this in to an online shoving match at all, I'm just frustrated with a bad situation and trying to find a workable solution. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildrose Report post Posted August 15, 2009 Let's not get into baiting again, shall we? There is no reason to get antagonistic when the purpose is to present information/get information. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whinewine Report post Posted August 16, 2009 A crate is a box with a door to keep you dog in. When my dog was a pup I would let her stay inside with the door open, then shut the door. She got to the point where she felt safe inside. Now she can travel in the crate and she can't jump around, and cause me pains. We have an adopted greyhound. Racing greyhounds are all crate trained... because when they are not racing, they need to be controlled in a small environment (for transporting & otherwise) & so they live in crates/cages. We got ours with the crate, and, during the day, she pretty much had free reign of the house (although the crate door was always open if she needed to 'get away from it all'), & she only went into the crate at bedtime. However, she realized early on that she was a family member (she being the very bright girl that she is) & since she was a family member, she gave up her crate. [To prove & to reinforce that point she broke my wife's ankle (but that is another story entirely).] Bottom line: for a dog, the crate is a secure area- a SAFE area. Some dogs NEVER wish to give up their crate, & some do. BUT IT IS A SAFE HAVEN for them, and once they learn that, they know they can never get in trouble when they are in the crate, & they like that! It gives them limits & they know that, and that makes them good dogs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BradB Report post Posted August 16, 2009 (edited) you could always call that Dog Whisperer guy! :-P Crating does not always work either, Tucker (my profile pic) learned how to get out of his crate. He would flip it over, get the tray out of the bottom and then get the bottom loose. This was one of the big wire crates... I should have named him Houdini as he gets out of anything.. Edited August 16, 2009 by BradB Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunshineNative Report post Posted August 16, 2009 you could always call that Dog Whisperer guy! :-PCrating does not always work either, Tucker (my profile pic) learned how to get out of his crate. He would flip it over, get the tray out of the bottom and then get the bottom loose. This was one of the big wire crates... I should have named him Houdini as he gets out of anything.. Heh Heh. That is true! Sometimes you have to get REALLY creative! My wolf boys from last year get fed up with being nice and will just take a chunk out of the door, and walk out of their crates. Luckily for me, they only want to come into whatever room their favourite family member is sleeping in. Well, lucky if you don't mind waking up with a furry partner. Besides, I have learned how to weld out of necessity to repair the crates. Something new to be learned around every corner. :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skidder Report post Posted January 5, 2013 Just had to post. I'm also looking for a muzzle pattern. A good friend is a professional trainer for search and rescue dogs as well as personal protection types. They're for police and other agencies. There is a place for them in training and it's definitely not a lack of knowledge on her part. It's also not abusive, or inviting trouble, or even laziness and a case of not knowing how to train. There's also an element of training the dog to accept the muzzle, not just slap it on and turn it loose. So to post generic one size fits all statements about whether or not they're appropriate or what the owner should be doing is a bit odd. However, a pattern would be nice to have. As it stands it looks like I'll have to make one off of one she already has. As far as crate training, you shouldn't use the wire type crates for a number of reasons. Being very close friends with a number of vets, there's an issue with collars, paws, and other things getting hung up in the wire that can be as damaging or more so than a muzzle. Crate training isn't a matter of just containing the pet. You want to use a crate that has most of three sides completely enclosed such as some of the plastic models you see out there with just the door that allows a view of the world. If you insist on using a metal cage type, then it should be covered on top and three sides with towels or other material. The goal is to create a den for the dog. By keeping most sides and the top covered, the dog feels safe and secure in its den. If you leave them open, then they simply feel trapped and unable to escape or see what's approaching from all sides at once. This can make it worse. I have a blue heeler mix that has separation anxiety and if left alone more than a couple hours, he tears apart everything he can get to. By gradually introducing him to the crate, including some food, toys and other comfort type items, he will detect me getting ready to go somewhere and go into the crate/kennel without me saying a word and wait for me to close it up. He then stays there without any issues until I get back. It's security, not containment that holds the magic. Anyway, a pattern would still be nice, but it doesn't appear anyone has one so I guess I'll be making my own. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leela Valley Leather Report post Posted January 14, 2013 The hardest part of making a "working" muzzle will be fitting the hard bar at the front so that it doesnt jab the dog when it's putting the smackdown on someone who didnt listen. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mijo Report post Posted January 14, 2013 I don't have a muzzle pattern per se but Dean and Tyler makes muzzles, http://www.dtdogcollars.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=114 . I've seen their leather muzzles in person, two years ago at Superzoo, and they are really nice. I was thinking about scaling down their "Guardian" muzzle so that it would fit a small dog but I couldn't justify paying for one just to tear it apart in order to scale it down. San Francisco's public transit allows for dogs that are either muzzled or in a carrier, if the dog isn't a service animal, and I was thinking that there might be a market for small dog muzzles in my area. Then I noticed that most people that bring their small dogs on the bus have their dogs in carriers so I never pursued the idea any further. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dolo286 Report post Posted February 12, 2013 Ur in luck was at the vet today with my american bulldog and they brought in a nice leather one... My eyes lit up with excitement and remembered this post Email me and i can send u the picture it pretty easy dolo286@googlemail.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ERMcdow Report post Posted July 17, 2023 The problem you all have failed to tell this person is a leather dog muzzle for a dog who is chewing isn't good for 1 reason only the dog will chew thru the leather and be back at destroying your house in short work and he might just think its a toy that has a challenge to it I can't use any thing but wire on my Belgum mal but its just for the safety of others while I'm training them Crate training is the better option for a pit get a sturdy one and take time letting them get used to it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted July 22, 2023 ERMcdow, this thread has been dormant since 2013. The 6 month old puppy the OP was referring to is no doubt long dead. (Original post was in 2009.) I agree a dog should not be left untended while wearing a muzzle. I had a dog-aggressive dog I was trying to rehab, and was using a wire basket muzzle with leather straps, which was attached to her collar at both the top and bottom. She put her toes inside the bottom of the basket, and ripped the straps in two... I also tried walking her in a Gentle Leader. She destroyed THAT in about 30 seconds! Crate training is definitely the best way to go! My dog spends the better part of the day lounging in her crate - door is always open. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
