No dog owner likes to think about putting a muzzle on their dog but depending on the type of dog you own and where you live, using a dog muzzle may be a necessary part of your pet-owning life.  Breed specific legislation (or “BSL”) in a number of provinces and states across North America mandates certain breeds, or dogs bearing the appearance of a banned breed, are required to wear a muzzle when off private property or out of a secured pen.  BSL aside, individual dogs known to act in a threatening manner toward strangers or other animals can greatly benefit from wearing a muzzle, and with careful selection and appropriate training, it doesn’t have to be the distasteful experience most pet owners associate with dog muzzles.

Choosing the Right Dog Muzzle

The first thing to consider is why you need a dog muzzle.  Has your dog demonstrated aggression in the past?  Are you required by law?  Is it for trips to the veterinarian? Or is your dog a threat to your shoes and furniture?  One reason not to get a dog muzzle is to stop unwanted chewing unless you have exhausted all other alternatives to preventing that kind of behavior.  If you think you need a dog muzzle for chewing, talk to an experienced trainer first!

There are a few different types of dog muzzles but the most recommended and humane is the basket dog muzzle.  At first glance, it may appear threatening and overtly “cage-like” but in actual fact, it is the least likely to restrict movement or irritate the skin, allows for excellent air flow, and doesn’t restrict panting or drinking.

Basket dog muzzles are available in wire and plastic forms.  The wire muzzle is the sturdiest option, best for large dogs or bite prevention.  A plastic basket or cage-type muzzle is more suitable for smaller animals.

Fabric muzzles may look more comfortable but they are actually considered the lesser option.  They are recommended only for short period of time, such as during grooming or uncomfortable veterinary visits and shouldn’t be used during warm weather because they can chafe and prevent panting.  There’s also the risk of it being chewed off.  For a dog required to wear a muzzle during all outings, a fabric muzzle is not recommended.

Once you have selected the type of muzzle you need, the size and fit is important to your dog’s comfort.  Be sure to get a proper measurement of your dog’s snout to ensure a proper fit.

Training to Wear a Muzzle

Perhaps the most difficult task of using a dog muzzle is training both yourself and your dog to accept it.  Dogs are sensitive to the emotions of their owners and any stress you experience when using the muzzle will pass to your dog.  If you are uncomfortable, the best thing to do is speak to an experienced trainer who can help you both overcome your uneasiness.

As always, associating the muzzle with positive experiences will help.  You will likely need to start with short periods of wear and gradually lengthen them based on your dog’s comfort level.  Ample praise can go a long way toward teaching your dog that the muzzle is not a form of punishment.

Experts agree dog muzzles can help prevent certain behavior but they are not a solution to stop it for good.  If your motivation for using a dog muzzle is behavioral, try to understand the root of the problem and explore long-term solutions through training.  Regardless of how you feel about dog muzzles, remember they can be useful tools not only to shield others, but also to shield your dog from the consequences of a bad situation.  

A well-behaved pet is a welcome addition to any family. So regardless of whether you’re a first-time pet owner or someone who’s owned many pets, you should not underestimate the importance of positive reinforcement when training cats and dogs.

Positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful and effective tools to train your pet—just like people, pets respond better to praise than criticism!  Positive reinforcement training involves giving your pet a reward such as praise or a food treat immediately following the behavior you are trying to encourage.  It is simple but must be done consistently and correctly to achieve the desired results.

Whether you’re training your dog traditional commands or encouraging your cat to use a scratching post, here are some important techniques to remember when using positive reinforcement to encourage the behavior you want!

Positive Reinforcement Training Requires...

Timing

 Timing is critical for successful positive-reinforcement training to ensure that your pet associates the reward with the desired action. That means the reward must be given immediately, within seconds of the behavior you want to encourage.   Cats in particular, tend to have short attention spans (let’s face it; cats have better things to do…) so it is important to respond quickly to desired behavior.

It also means you need to be vigilant in your training efforts! Try to thwart bad behavior before it happens and guide your pet to the correct behavior. For example, if you are house training a puppy and you see the tell “tail” signs of an accident about to happen, help your puppy get where he needs to go!

Simplicity

 Keep it simple. Commands should be uncomplicated and short. Common commands used when training dogs include sit, stay, watch me, off, come, down, heel, settle, stand and leave it. If you want to teach your dog a new trick, you will want to break it down into a series of small, simple steps. For example, to teach your dog how to shake hands, you might start by rewarding it when it lifts its paw off the ground, then rewarding your dog when it lifts its paw higher and touches your hand with its paw and finally rewarding your dog when it shakes your hand.

Consistency

 Another critical element of positive-reinforcement training is consistency. That means that the same commands should be used by every family member, and rewards must be given consistently for the desired behaviors and never for undesired behaviors.

Rewards

A variety of rewards can be used in positive-reinforcement training so you might want to try a couple of different rewards to see how your pet responds to each.   Rewards could be a food treat, a favorite toy, praise or a favorite game.  If you choose to use food, keep it small (no larger than a big pea) as you don’t want to train your pet into becoming overweight!  When training a dog, keep a variety of treats on hand so that your pet won’t become bored with the one you are using. And don’t forget! Physical rewards should always be accompanied by verbal praise.

“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There's nothing quite as much fun as new kittens. They're like little balls of rolling, jumping, and leaping fluff. While they're entertaining on their own, playing with your kitten can help burn off some of that boundless energy kittens have, and it's a great way to bond. Fortunately, finding fun games to play with kittens is easy.

Kittens play not just because it's fun but because they're honing their hunting skills. Inside that cuddly little furball is the heart of a great hunter. The best games aren't just fun, but they also help your kitten develop the natural instincts for the hunt.

Don't roughhouse with your kitten. It will teach him to be aggressive, to bite and to scratch. And be sure not to use your hands or feet as toys. Teaching kittens to bite your hands and feet now can lead to aggressive behavior as they grow. Let them use their hunter's skills on toys. Your role is as the mother or leader.

Playing "hunt" games lets your kitten gain confidence and coordination. You don’t need expensive toys. Simple things like balled-up paper and basic cat toys are fine. Your kitten's imagination will do the rest. Here are just a few ideas of fun games to play with kittens.

Mouse

Mouse is a kitten favorite. Kittens love to pounce. They’ll stalk their mouse prey, tail swishing uncontrollably, their backsides wiggling as they prepare to strike.

You can simulate the mouse hunt in several ways. Use a stuffed mouse, a ball of paper or a felt ribbon on a stick to simulate the movement. The kitten just needs something it can stalk. Pull the ribbon along the floor and around corners. Give it a wiggle.

Be sure to let the kitten "win." Even though these are fun games to play with kittens, it's not all about the play. Just like humans, cats take pride in their victories, and earning confidence makes for a happier and healthier pet.

You can also use a flashlight in a dark room. Kittens will chase the spotlight. But since they can’t ever capture the light, too much of this can cause frustration. Be sure to reward them with praise and another toy.

Rabbit

Another option from the list of fun games to play with kittens is the rabbit. Rabbit simulates the wrestling of prey. In the wild cats will chase and tackle prey, wrestling their targets to the ground and then biting and kicking with their back feet.

All you need is a plush toy. Rolled up socks will also work. You want the toy to be large enough for the kitten to wrestle with, but not so heavy that it can hurt itself in the mayhem.

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Bird

Kittens love to swipe at things in the air. They'll jump up on those tiny legs and try to grab whatever is above them. This is their way of honing their bird-catching skills.

Happily, you don't need to hurt any birds to play. As with other fun games to play with kittens, simple props are easy to find. All you need is a toy that dangles from the end of a stick. Wiggle the toy above your kitten's head and watch him jump and swat. Again, remember to let him "win" some of the time.

Fish

You've probably seen your kitten sitting on something and then reach down trying scoop something up. This is how cats fish. In the wild, they'll use those super cat reflexes to grab fish right out of a stream.

Put your kitten on a pillow or something that’s not too far off the ground and wiggle something tempting below them. They’ll lie down flat and reach down with their little paws trying to scoop up their fishy prey.

Once you get going, you surely will discover that there are endless possibilities for fun games to play with kittens, but be sure to play safely. Don't use rubber bands, small bits of string or anything so small that your cat can swallow it (or worse, choke). Don't use plastic bags; your kitten could suffocate.

Be creative and have fun. Your kitten will grow up before you know it, and playtime will slowly fade away. So enjoy these fun times together while they last.

One of the many challenges as a new dog owner is becoming aware of your dog's behaviors and learning to thwart the bad ones, such as chewing on furniture. Not only does this have the potential to ruin the furniture, it is also indicative that the dog needs more positive stimulation. Dogs require an abundance of attention, and when left alone, they tend to become lonely and bored. Also, many dogs love to engage in tasks. They want to feel needed and useful. When a dog chews the furniture, it is showing signs of boredom, loneliness, or efforts to accomplish something. The dog may not realize at first that chewing the furniture is bad idea. Nevertheless, a dog owner can stop a dog from chewing on the furniture by correcting the dog with positive reinforcement, offering adequate exercise and healthy play and separating the dog from the furniture.

Positive Reinforcement

One of the ways to stop a dog from chewing on the furniture is to demonstrate to the dog that such an action is bad and should not be done. When the dog begins to chew the furniture, reprimand the dog in a firm voice. This will allow the dog to realize the negative effects of the behavior. Then provide the dog with an alternative and offer an appropriate chew toy. Obviously, it is better for the dog to chew the toy than the furniture. Through this practice, the dog will begin to understand that chewing the furniture is not allowed, but chewing the toys is.

Play With the Dog

Dogs require attention. A dog will turn to chewing the furniture when it feels neglected and does not have anything else to do. To discourage such behavior, make sure to play with the dog regularly. Playing with the dog will provide stimulation and therefore make the dog less inclined to chew on the furniture.

Exercise

Dogs need to have regular exercise. When a dog is confined to the house, it may become frustrated, so it then tries to release this energy by chewing on the furniture. Making sure the dog receives the proper amount of exercise is one of the easiest ways to stop the dog from destroying the furniture. Take the dog for a walk or run around in the yard. The exercise will allow the dog to release its energy, and therefore be less likely to chew on the furniture.

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Separate Dog From Furniture

Preventive measures such as positive reinforcement, attention and exercise can redirect the dog from chewing the furniture. If the owner is not going to be around for a certain amount of time, however, leave the dog in a room that does not contain the important pieces of furniture. Although the dog should be more aware of the negative aspects of chewing on the furniture, it still works to be as cautious as possible.

Keep in mind, chewing on the furniture is a very common dog behavior. Redirect your dog from boredom and an abundance of unused energy by giving it plenty of attention and exercise, and you'll have a happier dog as well as minimal destruction to your home.

Bringing a new puppy into your household is an amazing experience you will likely remember for the rest of your life. In order to share many years of pleasure and fun with your dog, it is imperative that you properly socialize your new puppy. If the newest addition to your family suffers from shyness or is easily frightened by everyday occurrences, learning how to manage fearfulness in puppies is an important step to take in raising a well-adjusted dog.

Causes and signs of fearfulness in puppies

Puppies can be fearful of loud noises, other animals, groups of people and new places. As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to get your new puppy accustomed to the presence of different people, noises and situations. Although a good breeder should start the process with your puppy at a very young age by introducing it to random objects and sounds, it is up to you to continue this socialization in order to ensure your puppy is well adjusted.

A puppy is most likely to be fearful of a noise or object he has never seen before or has had a negative experience with. Strange objects such as umbrellas can be frightening for young dogs as well as sounds, including thunder, slamming doors and honking horns. Figuring out exactly what your puppy is afraid of is the first step to determining how to manage fearfulness in puppies.

If your puppy is fearful of a person, place, object or situation, you will undoubtedly be able to tell by its body language. Fearful dogs tend to be very shy, withdrawn and hesitant when approaching things they are unfamiliar with. Signs of a fearful puppy include crouching low to the floor, hiding behind furniture, tucking its tail between its legs, laying its ears flat back on its head, or even growling or snarling.

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How to manage fearfulness in puppies

Although helping your puppy to overcome this behavior can seem daunting, using careful and gentle training and socialization techniques can alter the response it has to fearful situations and help it become better adjusted.

If your new puppy is afraid of going to a particular location – such as the veterinarian or a pet store – it’s important to make him associate the trip with a positive experience. This can be achieved by providing treats along the way, during the time spent at the place he fears and after the visit is over. Over time, your dog will begin to realize that a ride in the car or trip to a feared location results in treats he enjoys and a healthy dose of praise for good behavior.

If your pet has a fear of noises – such as thunder, firecrackers, loud music, sirens or construction sounds – a great method for how to manage fearfulness in puppies is to distract it from the fear and get its mind off the upsetting sound. Turn on soothing music or a television to provide just the right amount of noise to block out the sounds the puppy is afraid of. Playing fetch or tug-of-war can distract the dog temporarily and reassociate the sounds with a positive playtime experience.

If distracting your puppy during storms or other frightening experiences that last a long time doesn’t work, creating a safe place can help to reduce stress and fear-related issues. A dog crate with a soft bed and favorite toy can be a great escape for a fearful puppy that suffers from a phobia of noises. Encourage the pup to go to this safe place whenever frightening noises occur.

For most puppies, hearing sounds or encountering objects again and again that are initially frightening will desensitize them over time. If you have tried a variety of techniques to manage fearfulness in puppies and aren’t seeing any improvement, consult a professional dog trainer or ask your veterinarian about alternative therapies, such as medication to help your puppy cope with frightening situations.