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Let Me Show You Why They Give Us Those Muzzles


Guest JudiK

Do you muzzle?  

825 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you use the muzzles that came with your hounds?

    • I never muzzle.
      227
    • We use muzzles in the car.
      53
    • We use muzzles inside fenced areas.
      165
    • We muzzle new dogs & fosters.
      181
    • (Other) please explain.
      200


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I posted about this on the day that it happened, asking folks if they thought I could ever trust my hounds out in the yard without muzzles again. Now I am realizing how dangerously naive I was. Here are some pictures that I forgot I had taken on the day that it happened - my granddaughter had just arrived after school and went out to play with the gang...

 

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This is a shot of all three young dogs - about an hour before it happened...

 

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Here is Pere - the guilty party...

 

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Here is poor Bookie, doing what got her hurt:

 

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Here are two shots of the damage.

 

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I'm posting this in the hope that someone who thinks that their dogs "aren't like that", as I did, will realize that it can happen to you. We use muzzles around here now - this isn't Pere's fault, it's mine.

 

 

 

Oh lord - I just looked at my post to see if I had spelled everything correctly and realized that no one had collars on that day. Boy do I remember that - poor Bookie was bleeding and crying and all I could do was wrap my arms around her neck while Bill was on the phone to our vet, then another vet who still had staff on duty to stitch her up...

Everyone here is 'chipped, so we don't need collars either... :headwall:headwall:headwall

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Thank you for posting this. When someone on our adoptor's group site asked about muzzling, Kennelmom's husband (who adopted one of their dogs from our group) posted to us about a nasty pack attack suffered by one of their senior girls - I'm sure that story is also on GT somewhere. There are countless stories of play groups gone bad when unmuzzled dogs start to go at each other. Hopefully someone else will learn from your story. It only takes a split second. :(

 

Hope your baby heals up quickly!

Edited by turbotaina


Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

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For anyone who missed it - the weather here has chilled this week. I remember from my youth that horses get frisky in the fall - it seems that hounds do too. My three were playing in the yard - playing hard. I remember seeing Pere running for all he's worth - leaned almost 45 degrees into the turns. I was inside feeding our youngest granddaughter - and I had gone to the door to ask my husband a question - he was outside throwing a frisbee for the hounds. I saw the two boys snap at each other and heard them threatening each other and I had just begun to yell at them when Bookie saw her chance and dove for the Frisbee. Pere saw what she was trying and he nailed her in the ribcage. She began to whimper and came through the landscaped area there in the middle of the yard walking funny. Luckily when I called her she came straight to me... The fence has been up for 3 weeks and we thought we were past the danger point. They have never shown aggression before.

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But just remember, even with muzzles on you can still have a pack fight and they can still do damage. Be sure to keep an eye on your guys outside even with muzzles on. Last year, we had a pack fight, a few muzzles came off and staples were the end result.

Elphie, Kulee, Amanda, Harmony, Alex (hound mix), Phantom, Norbet, Willis (dsh), Autumn (Siamese) & Max (OSH) & mama rat, LaLa & baby Poppy! My bridge kids: Crooke & Mouse (always in my heart), Flake, Buzz, Snake, Prince (GSD), Justin & Gentry (Siamese), Belle (Aussie/Dalmatian mix), Rupert (amstaff) and Fred, Sirius, Severus, Albus, George, Hagrid, Hermione, Minerva, Marilyn, Wren, Molly, Luna, Tonks, Fleur, Ginny, Neville, Bill, Percy, Rose & Charlie (rats)

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How strange. We had the same looking wound on Teagan about a month ago. Took 15 stapels and we just took them out as it was not healing.

 

But our girls were muzzled. But they ran in race circles in the yard and she ran into a tree branch. So we now understand how fragile the skin really is.

 

Hope things are healing in your house.

 

But I also muzzle my girls in the house, as they tend to play and get rough. I would hate to have something happen when I was not around to help it out.

Edited by tiffyks
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Guest BRYCESMOM

My mom was babysitting my two this summer and she let them out to run together thinking they would have fun, well BRyce had alittle to much fun and kept pestering Shelbi till she turned around and bit him in the side only 3 stiches but she won't do that again....so do I muzzle, YES when they are in a fenced area together or when a new foster comes to the house until all is well....lesson learned.

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To answer the poll question.....

 

I would muzzle if there were more than one dog in the car (although my car only fits one at the time)

I would muzzle all dogs when introducing a new dog.

I would muzzle all dogs for the first few times they all go out in group play, with a new dog, until I see how they behave.

I always muzzle Denny whenever he leaves the house. He isn't safe around any other dog (working with a behaviorist on that issue)

I might also muzzle if there were a small child coming to my house.

I muzzle when clipping nails.

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If that question was for me - yes, these are three of my hounds, they live together and travel in my SUV together. I'm considering muzzling when I am at school (2 days a week.) They can do so much damage in so little time. Bookie came home from the vet and laid down about 3 inches from Pere, she seems to be over it. My big red boy seems more bothered by it all than the poor victim (Bookie) does. Devon (the big red dog) still avoids Pere and growls at him when he lays down close (about 6 feet is OK.)

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Thank you so much for posting this story & the pictures. I don't have pictures, but I've been there 5 times...as recently as February!

And you're so right, sometimes the muzzles do more damage, bruising, broken ribs, eyes put out...SUPERVISION! It only take a second for a fight to break out & months for healing to take place!

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We muzzle in the yard, and in the house when we're not here (rare as that is). I also muzzle Pogo the puppy when he needs to settle down in the house, and just can't find his off button. BTW, it works! He just calms right down. :)

 

Your poor pup! Hope she's back to 100% quickly, and the pack dynamic recovers.

GT-siggy-spring12.jpg

My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!
Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi.

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Guest PNWtrillium
If that question was for me - yes, these are three of my hounds, they live together and travel in my SUV together.

Yes it was. (Sorry for not specifying.)

 

Thank you for sharing this. I intend to get a second GH at some point. I'm glad this'll be in the back of my mind so I can be aware. Kisses to poor Bookie.

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We muzzle in the yard, and in the house when we're not here (rare as that is). I also muzzle Pogo the puppy when he needs to settle down in the house, and just can't find his off button. BTW, it works! He just calms right down. :)

 

Your poor pup! Hope she's back to 100% quickly, and the pack dynamic recovers.

 

 

 

I'm glad you posted this part...I use the muzzle for correction also. If someone is being a little obnoxious & getting growly because someone is too close, I put a muzzle on them...it distracts them & it seems to make them realize they've been bad & they stop. When I had some problems with Pegasus & fighting...he wore a muzzle every single time he was out of his crate. He did this for a year & I never ever had another problem with him & fighting. His fights would start over nothing...they didn't have to be outside or another dog getting too close....they just suddenly exploded in the yard or in the den or in the kitchen...

Edited by Snowy8
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Guest Benjys_mum_Lisa

Aww I hope your baby heals soon :(

 

Yes we muzzle, but we only muzzle our hounds when we go out for walkies. In the car and all the time we are out and back in the car. We take them off upon arriving at home.

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Guest KennelMom
When someone on our adoptor's group site asked about muzzling, Kennelmom's husband (who adopted one of their dogs from our group) posted to us about a nasty pack attack suffered by one of their senior girls - I'm sure that story is also on GT somewhere.

 

That was one of the most horrifying days of my life. In a nutshell - Ken and I just got back with half the pack from a trip to TX - my dad stayed at our house and dog-sat the seniors. We said goodbye to my dad and turned the dogs out to the yard. Ken walked me to the garage because I was running out to get lunch. We were chatting and I heard some barking. I told him to go check on it because it just sounded "off" to me. He said it was probably nothing and he'd see me when I got back. I started up the Jeep and something just told me to go check on things too.

 

I walk into the kitchen and hear Ken screaming from the yard to call the vet...blood was EVERYWHERE and he was holding Erin in his arms. He got her into the car while I did a quick check of everyone for other injuries (none) and muzzled everyone. Basically he got to the yard to see one dog at her neck and four other dogs pulling at each leg :cry1 Poor Erin doesn't have any teeth so she was completely defenseless :cry1 DH broke up a 9 dog pack fight and didn't have a scratch on him (when we are around there is no question who the alpha dog is). Erin's surgery was tricky because her neck was torn open fractions of an inch away from her jugular vein.

 

Here's my sweet baby Erin when she got home from the vet:

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Muzzles...yeah, they are a very good thing. They can be a lifesaver.

 

Since that time we've made some pretty major changes with our routine and how we run the pack. We muzzle when we aren't home (which is rare). We muzzle when we take them to run. We muzzle certain dogs in the yard. If we separate the pack for any length of time, then it's back to muzzles for everyone when outside. Same thing when new dogs come in. Our dogs are never in the yard unattended. We do very controlled releases (one dog at a time so they don't go charging out into the yard as one big pack). I don't let them get riled up and I'm always watching for even the slightest sign of trouble. The ones that like to play with toys get one-on-one time in the yard. Honestly, our dogs don't really run around our yard...even though it's an acre they pretty much just go out and lay down together :rolleyes:

 

Depending on your dogs I think there are ways to manage the pack so that you can trust them again. But the rules you set only apply when you are actually present...all bets are off if you aren't right there. Even then you need to be in tune with the pack and know when to rely on muzzles as a tool to keep everyone safe while you work out any pack issues.

Edited by KennelMom
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Oh my!

 

I hope that darling heals well! Nasty wound. In the poll I answered - in the yard! But that is my experience only, and it took almost a year to get there.

 

My two seem fine together uncrated in the house. They were not unhappy when crated, and that is what we did when Pilgrim was "new." I wanted them to graduate to being free to play and socialize in the house togetherwhile I was gone. They are fine now.

 

When they race together in the big yard they do get excited. So I muzzle in the yard. Just in case. Catwalk once got a tiny nick in the yard from playful Pilgrim. No biggie, no stitches, but I am very cautious. Therefore, I muzzle in the yard.

 

We do not muzzle in the car, because Catwalk has the back of the SUV and Pilgrim the middle seat. Catwalk does not like to share. They both wear seatbelts in the car.

 

That grey skin is so fragile. I really think that being over-cautious is best.

 

Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim.

Gillian
Caesar (Black Caesarfire) and Olly (Oregon) the Galgo

 

Still missing: Nell (spaniel mix) 1982-1997, Boudicca (JRT) 1986- 2004, and the greys P's Catwalk 2001-2008, Murphy Peabody (we failed fostering) 1998-2010 and Pilgrim (Blazing Leia) 2003-2016,

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Guest Brandy_b

OMG thanks for all those pics guys!!!! I have let the muzzle thing slip sometimes.....but this is a damn good reminder of why they need them!!! I'm just lucky nothing happened to Caliloka like your poor pups! But thanks again for reminding everyone about the reason muzzles should be used sometimes!

 

<3 Brandy & Caliloka

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I have never muzzled. Nor do I have one...she did not come with one. Guess I should get one! Yikes those injurys are scary!!!! Now out of fear of dog packs, I don't let her out with anyone but my Nala. Never in my wildest dreams would I think she would do anything, but I guess some of you thought that too!

The Girls

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Guest Heart_Hound

We muzzle if more than 1 in the car and we muzzle when they run..

 

My dogs don't like to hand out in the yard.. they go pee and bark at the door 15 seconds later..

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Thank you for this post. I think many of us are naive (spelling?) about what CAN happen .

 

I would like to make the point that greyhounds are NOT more viscious- or mean- - or whatever- than most other dogs. Their scuffles just SHOW more, because of their thin skin.

 

I was at a friend's house this evening, and she told me about her basset and pit-mix "getting into it" for no reason. Biting, growing, snarling, attacking! And they've lived together for 2 years. Afterward- they were FINE. My comment: "Be happy they weren't greyhounds- you'd be at the vet getting stitches."

 

My 2 greys got into a tussle a couple weeks ago. NOT running. In the house. There were stitches needed. BUT- they're FINE together. Even the same day as the tussle. The hurt one didn't even know he was hurt (and I think he started it- sleep aggression.)

 

So- my point- not sure exactly- ..... stuff happens. Be smart if you have a pack...and take appropriate precautions...but even with less than a pack...stuff happens. Don't beat yourself up about it. We can't prevent every scuffle.

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