Let Me Show You Why They Give Us Those Muzzles

[Guest Flysmom]

Here I was - reading why we should muzzle, understood why we should muzzle, I told folks with multiple Greyhounds to muzzle and I failed to muzzle! Poncho bumped our Foster tonight and she got him. How incredible stupid off me!!

Poncho and I got off lucky, she got his ear that was bleeding like crazy, she skinned the tip and he has a Penny size wound on the bottom of his ear where it meets the head. The poor guy has his head wrapped now in vet wrap after we applied Neosporin. Muzzles are now a MUST when they are in the yard, no matter what!

[Batmom]

Glad it wasn't worse, Flysmom. Best wishes for quick healing.

[Guest Flysmom]

Glad it wasn't worse, Flysmom. Best wishes for quick healing.

 

Thank you. The wrap came off this morning and he is having a big pitty party, the poor boy. I will put some wound spray on him later.

[cello]

Right now with the nice weather, the back door is open with free access to the yard so they all have to wear their muzzles. They don't seem to mind one way or another and I feel much safer in case they hear something or get excited and take off for the back yard.

 

Teddy does this mean that you muzzle all the time? I muzzle for turn outs and when we are not home, but the rest of the time my hounds are muzzle free. I cannot imagine having them muzzled all the time.

[Guest TeddysMom]

Right now with the nice weather, the back door is open with free access to the yard so they all have to wear their muzzles. They don't seem to mind one way or another and I feel much safer in case they hear something or get excited and take off for the back yard.

 

Teddy does this mean that you muzzle all the time? I muzzle for turn outs and when we are not home, but the rest of the time my hounds are muzzle free. I cannot imagine having them muzzled all the time.

 

Yes, as long as they have free access to the yard, they are muzzled. When our great Pyrs barks, the GH's all head for the yard. With 8 GH's on 2 full acres, there is no way I could get to them fast enough to prevent damage if a fight broke out. When they are in the house with the door closed and I am with them, the muzzles come off. All of my GH's came to me within the last year so until they are an established pack, I will not take chances.

[Guest PhillyPups]

Yes, as long as they have free access to the yard, they are muzzled. When our great Pyrs barks, the GH's all head for the yard. With 8 GH's on 2 full acres, there is no way I could get to them fast enough to prevent damage if a fight broke out. When they are in the house with the door closed and I am with them, the muzzles come off. All of my GH's came to me within the last year so until they are an established pack, I will not take chances.

 

You now have 8? Are they fosters or keepers? 8 in a year, with them adding up so quickly, it is possible they never have enough time to become an established pack. For me it takes time when each new one comes in. Personally, I have my hands full with 5. I pdo muzzle mine when we travel, when I am at work and when they go out, but going out is supervised. Are the other dogs muzzled too? It is not only greyhounds that can tear greyhounds skin, any dog with teeth can do a number on them. I saw one GH's side ripped by a Dalmation doing a fly-by with mouth opened and a quick nip. Even cute little JillyBean has a muzzle and has been known to wear it.

Edited November 1, 2010 by PhillyPups

[Guest TeddysMom]

Yes, as long as they have free access to the yard, they are muzzled. When our great Pyrs barks, the GH's all head for the yard. With 8 GH's on 2 full acres, there is no way I could get to them fast enough to prevent damage if a fight broke out. When they are in the house with the door closed and I am with them, the muzzles come off. All of my GH's came to me within the last year so until they are an established pack, I will not take chances.

 

You now have 8? Are they fosters or keepers? 8 in a year, with them adding up so quickly, it is possible they never have enough time to become an established pack. For me it takes time when each new one comes in. Personally, I have my hands full with 5. I pdo muzzle mine when we travel, when I am at work and when they go out, but going out is supervised. Are the other dogs muzzled too? It is not only greyhounds that can tear greyhounds skin, any dog with teeth can do a number on them. I saw one GH's side ripped by a Dalmation doing a fly-by with mouth opened and a quick nip. Even cute little JillyBean has a muzzle and has been known to wear it.

 

When the greys have access to the yard, the other dogs are not out. There are a couple of elderly dogs that don't run any longer and they will sometimes be out laying on the deck but thats it. The greys are really good in the house and I haven't had much problem except the occational snark when another grey steps on them but no fighting or biting. I just don't trust them out side even when I'm out with them because of the size of their yard. I don't have to muzzle them when we go for our leash walks but the yard is just too big to trust them not to be racing around and getting too worked up. After the incident with Teddy getting hurt, I just don't take chances. I may be overly cautious with the muzzles but I feel a lot safer and they get to play.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Bump for the newbies.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Are there any other softer muzzles, than those plastic ones? I've got one of those, but Bella is always rubbing her face (I'm assuming it itchies) everywhere.

[Guest Vers]

Google "australian nylon muzzles" Not so much soft as extremely lightweight and moldable. That's what I use/d with Stella, who had wicked muzzle rub from a standard kennel muzzle when she came home. All of the soft muzzles I've seen have been fabric, and don't allow the dog to pant or drink (or vomit), so not safe when used unattended if at all.

 

And Bella may be doing what Stella does... putting on a show of "get it off. get it off!" until I ignore her and her muzzle and then she ignores it too.

[Guest borzoix4]

This is not something I would have thought of, and frankly I am a bit alarmed. I have never muzzled my dogs and while they are trained to know what a lure muzzle is, that is extent of it. Maybe its because I would never let two dogs out in a uncontrolled situation ( say loose in a yard) that I could not trust together, but all this reading has a serious raised eyebrow with me.

 

So now I have a question- would a puppy coming a breeder and not the track Probably have this situation of needing to be muzzled in the yard or house ? Those breeders I have been in contact with never have I seen a situation such as the ones described.

[TheFullHouse]

This is not something I would have thought of, and frankly I am a bit alarmed. I have never muzzled my dogs and while they are trained to know what a lure muzzle is, that is extent of it. Maybe its because I would never let two dogs out in a uncontrolled situation ( say loose in a yard) that I could not trust together, but all this reading has a serious raised eyebrow with me.

 

So now I have a question- would a puppy coming a breeder and not the track Probably have this situation of needing to be muzzled in the yard or house ? Those breeders I have been in contact with never have I seen a situation such as the ones described.

 

You can't compare a puppy to a full grown greyhound having been raised as a racer. Those are two totally different situations. If you get a greyhound puppy from a breeder before it goes into training you're getting just that, a puppy, just like any other breed. You will be the one to teach it it's manners. It will grow up in the house, not having the limitations that a racer would have as in being crated, scheduled turn outs, eating separated from other dogs by a crate. Two totally different worlds. You also have a puppy and not a competitive athlete. What leads to incidents in the yard is competitiveness between the dogs and one little nip will set them off which is why most of us on the board with multiples recommend muzzling when running and playing.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Maybe its because I would never let two dogs out in a uncontrolled situation ( say loose in a yard) that I could not trust together,

The thing is, it's not about trust. It's about sharp teeth (and nails!), thin skin, and fast speeds. Those things combined together can cause serious injury, even in play. Dogs communicate and play with their teeth. It's not about "trusting" dogs to be loose together, or to get along. Even dogs that have lived together for years, dogs that love each other, can get overly rambunctious and get injured while mouthing/wrestling. Or a simple spat, an exchanging of words, can result with a trip to the E-vet, while another thick-skinned breed wouldn't have a mark on them.

 

For all the pros to Greyhounds, one of the cons is thin skin. I let my other breeds run around unmuzzled all the time, but that's because they have thick skin, it is not prone to tearing. They mouth each other and play bite a lot. I still monitor them, but the chance of injury is not as great as with the Greyhounds. I've had Greys come in from the yard with cuts and scrapes on their legs for no discernible reason. They must have scraped it on something, who knows exactly what. With that type of skin no way am I leaving them loose together with all their teeth out.

 

Some people don't think muzzles are necessary for Greys that aren't ex-racers, Greys from breeders, etc. I disagree. While the ex-racers are a whole different ballgame for sure (used to being kenneled separately once an adult, turned out with muzzles on, can get competitive, etc), I would argue that the real issue is the thin skin. My lurcher Honey has thin skin also, and came to me with several scars. She's not an ex-racer, we don't really know where she came from. But she's one of the worst play instigators in the yard out of anyone, she uses her mouth and her paws, so she gets muzzled too. (She's actually better about wearing her muzzle than some of the ex-racers, ironically enough).

 

The likelihood of an issue happening with an ex-racer might be higher, it might not, I don't know. But for me the deciding factor is the thin skin. Pack mentality and competitiveness occurs in all breeds of dog, regardless of upbringing. The problem with thin-skinned breeds like Greyhounds is that a pack attack is going to cause serious, sometimes fatal, injuries, while other thicker-skinned or thicker-coated breeds might come away unscathed or with minor injuries.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[lotsoffreetime]

we muzzle when we let the pups out in the yard, and when we add a new dog to the pack, whether they are inside the house OR outside, until we are sure the pack has established "who is who", and even then, we watch carefully for any "squabbling, and the ones who are acting up will get muzzled until they settle down. We, too, learned the hard way when two of our hounds got injured after we brought our fourth home...his presence upset the balance of the "triplets' (3 fawns), who were quite happy, and although they all seemed happy when we were home or when they were outside in the yard, things were not fine when we left them alone to go to the store . We take no chances now.

[Guest borzoix4]

Well this has put a damper on my 'dream' a bit. I guess I never thought of this. Having Borzoi as the coat protects the skin obviously, I think its time to rethink this a bit.

My dogs love to play grab at the neck of another, or tug of war with say a rope toy at close range. However, obviously that mane carrys a lot of protection from the thinner skin.

Notice Lindseys paws wrapped around Ninas neck.

[TheFullHouse]

Playing like that is great until someone nips a little too hard and the other takes it personally and you have a dog fight on your hands and unless you've seen a dog fight in person, you have no idea what you would be dealing with. I've had two and one time it took the water hose to break the two of them up and the other I threw what was in my hand at them to break it up. I was lucky, I stepped in right away and they came away without any damage but what could have happened sends shivers down my spine to this day. I have also witnessed one pack attack and that wasn't pretty either. This is the reason why mine are ALWAYS muzzled outside.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Judy, your knowledge is awesome! It's so nice to read first hand info on here about greyhounds. Could you tell me what a pack attack is exactly? I'm assuming when they attack just one greyhound?

[TheFullHouse]

Dogs like wolves are pack animals. The survival of the pack depends on the health of the pack, if you have a weak "link" (an injured or sick member) so to so to speak, for the pack to survive they have to rid themselves of the weak link. That's basically what "pack mentality" is.

 

With a group of dogs, sometimes all it takes is for one of the group to "scream" and the others will turn on it and each other. For instance, you have a group of greyhounds at a play date, one of the hounds steps wrong, hurts it's leg, screams and the others will go after it. It's instinctual. If you've ever seen this happen, you will never forget it.

 

I had it happen twice in my home. My pack went after Saint when he had a seizure. They immediately turned on him and since we were in the house, they weren't muzzled. I put myself between Saint and the pack and the only thing that kept them from getting to him was me. I'm very lucky because my pack listens to me and when I started yelling at them and pushing them back they listened, and don't kid yourself, size doesn't matter because the only dog in the house that had any success at getting passed me was Jilly Bean and she found herself tossed off to the side. My pack was deadly serious and it wasn't until after Saint quit seizing and things calmed down did the pictures come back one at a time as to how things looked and it was scary!

 

This is the reason you see greyhounds in a turn out pen at a track with muzzles. It's for the safety of the hounds and the people caring for them.

[lotsoffreetime]

this is the very reason that when we go to runs, not only are all the hounds muzzled, but we have specific procedures for what to do if one of the pups gets injured and/or "screams". Certain people are designated to protect the injured "screamer" and others are designated to control the other hounds immediately to ensure no one attacks the injured. Tiana got hurt about 2 months ago at a run, and within seconds, two people had thrown their bodies over her to protect her, while all the others had the other hounds in control and away from her. It was amazing to know people could work so well together to make sure our baby was so well-protected!

Edited December 29, 2010 by lotsoffreetime

[Yamaha_gurl]

Dogs like wolves are pack animals. The survival of the pack depends on the health of the pack, if you have a weak "link" (an injured or sick member) so to so to speak, for the pack to survive they have to rid themselves of the weak link. That's basically what "pack mentality" is.

 

With a group of dogs, sometimes all it takes is for one of the group to "scream" and the others will turn on it and each other. For instance, you have a group of greyhounds at a play date, one of the hounds steps wrong, hurts it's leg, screams and the others will go after it. It's instinctual. If you've ever seen this happen, you will never forget it.

 

I had it happen twice in my home. My pack went after Saint when he had a seizure. They immediately turned on him and since we were in the house, they weren't muzzled. I put myself between Saint and the pack and the only thing that kept them from getting to him was me. I'm very lucky because my pack listens to me and when I started yelling at them and pushing them back they listened, and don't kid yourself, size doesn't matter because the only dog in the house that had any success at getting passed me was Jilly Bean and she found herself tossed off to the side. My pack was deadly serious and it wasn't until after Saint quit seizing and things calmed down did the pictures come back one at a time as to how things looked and it was scary!

 

This is the reason you see greyhounds in a turn out pen at a track with muzzles. It's for the safety of the hounds and the people caring for them.

 

Thank you very much for the info! I take Bella to a weekly dog "playdate" at the enclosed diamond. There's only about 6 of us tops, but I will mention to them that if this were to happen, then everyone hold back their own dog...does that sound like the proper thing to do?

 

Edit: Just wanted to mention that we do muzzle.

Edited December 29, 2010 by Yamaha_gurl

[TheFullHouse]

If you've got a pack attack going, people should just grab any dog, doesn't matter if it's theirs or not. The first object is to save the one being attacked. Once you grab hold of a dog their concentration is usually broken and they will settle down quickly. Good that your group wear muzzles but be aware that some damage can be caused by dogs wearing muzzles though nothing to the extent that unmuzzled dogs can cause, so best to just grab dogs as quickly as possible.

[grey8greys]

I use to use muzzles all the time for Kerri and Abel when they were in the yard or in the van. Since Kerri had the rest of her teeth pulled in Sept, toothless except 4 little teeth in the back none in the front or sides, I don't muzzle her anymore, but Abel still wears his muzzle. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

 

 

[Guest desertlady]

Roommate dogs for 5 years without an incident, went to the dog park to play. We were within a separate area with just my two dogs, holding the muzzles waiting for our play date pals to arrive. I'm within 3 feet of the dogs when two small yappy's approached the fence. My dogs reacted and went to the fence. My male reached over and nipped my female on the back and their motion caused a rip...

Good reason to muzzle.

[TheFullHouse]

Ouch! Man, that looks painful!

[Charlies_Dad]

OMG! That is very nasty. I hope your girl heals quickly.