Today's blog is about one of the most misunderstood tools in the dog world - MUZZLES! Muzzles have a terrible reputation with the general public, and often elicit feelings of fear. I want to help give muzzles the reputation they deserve, and so without further to do, let's dive in! 

I posed this question to my personal friends, as well as customers - in order to see the kind of reputation muzzles have within my circle. A lot of the responses were in line with the kind of bad reputation I expected muzzles to have.

Here are a few of the responses:
​
- Bitey McBiterson
- The dog has bitten someone in the past
- Sadness
- Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, run
- :(
- Makes me sad!
- their owners are jerks!

Nothing here surprises me, this is the reputation muzzles have. It is how they are often portrayed in popular culture, and sadly it is often what we see in the news as well. Stories of scary dogs needing scary muzzles. 

However, I had a few responses that made me super happy! Responses that showed the reputation of muzzles isn't completely bad - and that the knowledge of what muzzles really are is out there. 

- Safety. Responsible dog owner.
- Good! His parents are being smart and responsible. Not afraid at all.
- Responsible owner! And they probably want some space
- That they're a biter (but have a responsible owner)

Literally each one of those responses touch on RESPONSIBILITY! I love it. 

Muzzles are, above all, a safety tool. A preventative measure. So yes, they are mainly used to prevent dog bites. However, not every dog who wears a muzzle is an aggressive or threatening dog. Let's talk about that. 

Muzzles for dogs with a bite history/aggression:
​- This is what most people think of when they see a dog with a muzzle.
- The dog has likely bitten a person or a dog, and has either gotten a muzzle on their own will to prevent future incidents (good for them) or has been given a muzzle order and is following it (good for them)
- The bite likely occurred due to the dog being fearful & therefore feeling the need to protect itself by acting aggressively
- The muzzle allows for the human to do appropriate counter conditioning training without fear of a repeat incident, allowing the dog to build confidence and become less fearful/less reactive/less aggressive
- Did I mention good for them? Because GOOD FOR THEM!

Muzzles for reactive dogs with no bite history:
- these are the real MVPs of responsible dog owners
- No bite history, but using .a muzzle as a preventative measure
- Not only does this allow for safely training of your dog, but because people are scared of dogs in muzzles - it will keep dogs at an appropriate distance and ensure you are able to train UNDER THRESHOLD which will make training more efficient and likely lead to quicker results
- Good for them

Muzzles for otherwise friendly dogs with poor bite inhibition:
- Bite inhibition is a dogs ability to bite without actually breaking skin
- Puppies begin to develop bite inhibition as babies with their littermates, and learn from feedback when the bites are too hard
- Puppies continue to learn through socialization at young ages, both through human interaction and playing with other dogs. Not all dogs get the appropriate interactions as babies and puppies and do not develop proper bite inhibition
- Some dogs are predisposed to having poor bite inhibition because in the past they may have been bred to have a strong bite
- All dogs mouth and bite, but not all cause the skin to break. Dogs with poor bite inhibition can cause damage with what appears to be very little trigger because they do not know what is too much. For example, at the dog park it is VERY normal to see 2 dogs get into a row after some rough play. We hear lots of growling and see lots of snarling teeth & contact - but neither dog comes out with any punctures. This is NORMAL dog behaviour. However, when a dog with poor bite inhibition gets into a normal row, they are likely to cause damage.
- This is difficult and dangerous to train as adults, as we do not want to expose humans or other dogs to bites, so management is the best way to go. By management I mean preventing the dog from having access to biting. So this either means remove all contact from the dog. No park. No group walks. No saying hi on the street. OR put a muzzle on the dog. Allow the dog to go to parks, be in the group, say hi to others! The chance the dog will get into rows is just the same as any other dog there - these dogs I am talking about aren't unfriendly - they just can't control the strength of their bite like others. This allows them to have all the same experiences, but keeps them and other dogs (and humans) safe.
- GOOD FOR THEM!! This one is tough, because you have a dog that is okay with socialization and you're looking out for them and the public.. but people are going to look at you like you and your dog are evil.

Muzzles for dogs who eat EVERYTHING off the street:
- There is so much on the sidewalks that can potentially be dangerous for our dogs to eat. Garbage, chicken wings, dead pigeons, sticks.. Some dogs are more likely than others to GRAB & SWALLOW
- Again, for dogs who have a history of eating things off the street (and potentially have resource guarding or a poor DROP IT command), managing the situation and preventing them from having access to the dangerous goodies the sidewalks have to offer is a lot easier than trying to deal with the dog eating garbage constantly. With a muzzle, you are preventing the dog access to eating this stuff. They can still sniff & enjoy themselves, but they can't actually consume the stuff. 
- At home, you can do training on the resource guarding/DROP IT behaviours, but can also rest easy knowing your dog is safe on their walks.

Muzzles for dogs who consume sticks/mulch at dog parks:
- omg, guys. This is a real thing! A little wood never hurt a dog, but there are dogs who will absolutely guzzle down sticks/mulch when off leash at a park, and this can get dangerous.
- Sticks can get lodged in dogs mouths. If you have a dog who is constantly chewing on sticks, your likelihood of this happening would be increased
- Sticks/wood doesn't get digested well (if at all) and can damage the digestive tract
- PREVENTION people, prevention. A muzzle would keep these wood guzzlers safe. Still allowing them to play and have a great time, while preventing them from going to town on all the wood out there. 

If you knew you should to do something that was the right thing to do (but optional), but were going to be judged by pretty much everyone you encountered, you would certainly think twice about it - wouldn't you? This is what happens with dog parents who's dog would benefit from a muzzle. They know wearing a muzzle would benefit their dog (and potentially other dogs/people) yet they are too scared to face the judgement that comes along with that, so they opt to risk it. What happens next is there is a dog that could encounter a stressful situation that may result in a bite because the world is so judgemental we are afraid to do what's right & what's safe.

Also, lets be real - there are some JERK owners out there... but they are not the owners of dogs who wear muzzles. They are the owners of dogs who would benefit or require a muzzle, but they don't give a shit and let their dog go muzzle free. These are the dogs who are likely to have repeat incidents, and are a danger to society. The people who do muzzle their dogs are RESPONSIBLE and WONDERFUL. Let's not judge these people for doing what is in the best interest for their dog (and potentially others dogs as well). Good for them for facing a judgemental society and doing what is best. Good for them for being responsible AF. 

The one wonderful thing about the bad reputation muzzles have is they let the general public know that this dog might need space. What I friggen wish more than anything is that the general public would take this logic and apply it to ALL DOGS. MUZZLED OR NOT. Any dog might require some space. My dog, Sadie, has never had a bite history - yet she can be fear reactive. There is nothing that makes me more frustrated than having to explain to offended dog owners why Sadie doesn't want to (or HAVE to) say hi. People often assume because they have a friendly & confident dog, that any (unmuzzled) will want to say hi. Sorry, but no. Sadie is happiest, friendliest, and confident at a distance. She doesn't want to say hi to every random dog. If I pull Sadie to the side, clearing the path of new & unfamiliar dogs - I think this is a pretty good sign that she doesn't want to say hi. Yet people will allow their dogs to run up to her & make her uncomfortable, even ignoring my "please give her space" requests. "Ohh but my dog is friendly!"  It has gotten to the point where I now respond "MINE ISN'T!" just to get the point across. Even though Sadie is fairly friendly, she is VERY uncomfortable/scared in these situations and at times may even become reactive. Although she has never bitten, any dog is capable of it. If a dog is put in a situation where they feel trapped, biting is an obvious way for the dog to make it clear they need space. Yet, if I put a muzzle on Sadie - I bet you $1000 I would never have to justify it to people that Sadie needs her space. I wouldn't even have to ask. Sadie would be granted the space & respect that ALL dogs deserve. 

Seriously, I have so much to say but I really just want people out there to take a second and realize that judgement toward muzzles is often unfounded and unfair. We should look at them as the wonderful safety tools they are, and praise the owners who are responsible (and brave) enough to use them. 

If you would like more information on muzzles (type to get, how to desensitize your dog to wearing one, more education) please check out the MUZZLE UP PROJECT. They are wonderful advocates, and their work needs to be shared and shared again!

So let's not judge a book by it's cover, or a dog by it's muzzle. I have said this many times - but becoming a dog trainer has made me a better person. I have empathy & understanding that I just could never have developed working with humans. This is because our dogs do not have a voice. So we have to be their advocates. Muzzles are wonderful. As are you all for reading this. 

Please share, and help change the stigma!

Hope everyone is staying warm in this treacherous winter (I know, I know.. It's Canada, what did I expect?). 

Today I wanted to talk about a really common, but extremely misunderstood behaviour in dogs: growling. When most people hear growling they are scared & think the dog is being aggressive, or is a bad dog. However, I think growling is a VERY polite behaviour - and I will tell you why. 

Hate to break it to you, but... Dogs can't talk. Not in english anyway. So they have to use body language & vocalization to express their feelings and needs with us. Not all of us are great at reading the more subtle body language signs - and sometimes we put our dogs in situations in which they are very uncomfortable. In these situations, if a dog's body language isn't being listened to - they know they have to step their game up a bit more - and this is when a growl comes into play. A growl is akin to a human saying "please stop, I do not like this." If this were the end of the story, we would all think growling is great. But unfortunately, we aren't always great at listening to our dogs - and growls quickly turn to bites or other acts of aggression. And so growling has a bad rep. But growling escalates because we quite often don't listen - and our dogs feel like they have no other choice to make their feelings clear. 

I think it would be easiest if I lay this out in a hypothetical scenario for you to grasp how important it is we listen to our dogs when they growl. I will do 2 approaches. Approach 1 will be not listening to growling & acting like growling is a bad behaviour, and Approach 2 will be listening to growling & thanking our dogs for doing it. 

Approach 1:

I have a dog. My dog is uncomfortable with men. I am not aware of this fear. I see my friend down the street, and my dog starts to let me know through subtle signs that he is uncomfortable. He starts to sink lower to the ground, his tail sinks between his legs, he puts the breaks on, and starts to get wide & shifty eyed. I don't notice these things, and I pull my dog toward the man. My dog tolerates the interaction, but continues to exhibit the fearful body language. This forced interaction happens several times. 

What did my dog just learn?
- that his human doesn't listen to his body language cues that he is uncomfortable, and that he needs to make it more clear that he is afraid. He needs to step up his game!

I am again out walking my dog, and we see another man! My dog is thinking to himself "OK. I have tried over and over to tell my human that I am very uncomfortable in this situation through my body language signals, but she ISN'T LISTENING! I need to make it more clear today because I am REALLY uncomfortable and I do not want to interact with this man." So as I get closer to this man, my dog emits a growl. Me, the human, is SHOCKED! And embarrassed. And I say "omg hes never done this before!" and I may force my dog into the interaction anyway. He's interacted with men a bunch of times before with no issues, he's probably just being moody today. And so it goes, this happens a few more times where dog growls & we either get mad, or ignore it!

What do you think the dog is learning? 
- He is learning that his human is A BAD LISTENER! He needs to REALLY REALLY step up his game. 
- This is where "unprovoked" aggression can come into play 
- This is where a shut down dog can also come into play

We are out walking, and I see my friend, the man, on the sidewalk. I walk with my dog over to him and my dog doesn't growl this time. I think OH GREAT! But my dog is thinking "why bother growling? It doesn't work." And 1 of 2 things will happen
1) My dog will completely shut down and accept defeat, interact with the man while feeling pure turmoil and anguish inside. They have learned that we do not keep them safe, and they have learned to be helpless. 
2) My dog approaches the man, with no cues he is uncomfortable. When the man goes to pet my dog my dog SNAPS and potentially tries to bite the man. They have learned that we don't listen, so they aren't going to warn us. They are just getting straight to business. They will make it painfully (literally) clear that they are not interested in this interaction. Even more, the fear may grow into not just fear of males - but fear of all strangers.

Approach 2:

I have a dog. My dog is uncomfortable with men. I am not aware of this fear. I see my friend down the street, and my dog starts to let me know through subtle signs that he is uncomfortable. He starts to sink lower to the ground, his tail sinks between his legs, he puts the breaks on, and starts to get wide & shifty eyed. I don't notice these things, and I pull my dog toward the man. My dog tolerates the interaction, but continues to exhibit the fearful body language. This forced interaction happens several times. 

(same first step as approach 1, because body language can be difficult to read and this is a very common error we all make with our dogs). 

I am again out walking my dog, and we see another man! My dog is thinking to himself "OK. I have tried over and over to tell my human that I am very uncomfortable in this situation through my body language signals, but she ISN'T LISTENING! I need to make it more clear today because I am REALLY uncomfortable and I do not want to interact with this man." So as I get closer to this man, my dog emits a growl. Here is where the change comes into play. I hear the growl, and I say "woah! I am so sorry male friend, but my dog is really uncomfortable right now - so he can't say hi! But have a great day." And we walk away without an uncomfortable interaction. 

What did my dog just learn?
- That his human listens to him 
What did the human just learn?
- That my dog is afraid of men
- I need to help my dog 

The next time I am out walking my dog, and I see a man - I look at my dog and know that he is likely very uncomfortable. I watch my dog, and I start to notice the subtle shift in body language. From peppy & silly to tight & nervous. At this point I realize that I can help him through this. I can offer treats for him looking at the men, and allow my dog the CHOICE as to whether or not he wants to get closer or not. Overtime - through positive association and having free will, I have the opportunity to help change how my dog feels when he sees men. He won't feel hopeless. He won't feel like he needs to resort to aggression to get his point across. And he will know I am here to be his advocate, and that we are a team! 

Summary:

• Growling is our dogs saying "woah now, I do not like this. Please stop/Please remove me from this situation".  
• Growling usually begins when dog's have tried to communicate their discomfort through body language, but we have missed the cues. So they need to make their discomfort a bit more clear.
• If we do not listen to growling, our dogs will learn they need to make it even clearer that they do not like what is happening, which is when aggressive behaviour begins to be exhibited. Or, our dogs shut down. They face defeat. They learn to be helpless.
• When we hear growling, we should thank our dogs for communicating to us their discomfort. I ALWAYS say that growling is polite behaviour. They are saying "please, back off." Growling is the human equivalent of asking politely. Whereas snapping/lunging/biting is the human equivalent of "BACK THE F OFF". Most humans don't start off the bat by telling people to back the f off, we only get to that point when we realize that our politeness isn't getting us anywhere. Same with our dogs.
• When we hear growling, we have the chance to help our dogs - and start training before the behaviour escalates. 

I am always here for any questions. This was a long winded post, but I wanted to use a real life scenario to show the value of the growl - and why we should listen to our dogs when they are trying to talk to us. We all just want the best for our dogs, but sometimes we don't know what that is. That's what I am here for.

And remember, it's a Dog's World - we're just living in it. 

I am so very excited to be reviving the Blog's World! For my first post, I wanted to go with a topic that changed my literal life: Sadie! My reactive little ladle.

There she is in all her glory. Cute, cuddly, and a former reactive dog.

Most of you know who Sadie is, and have probably had the pleasure of seeing me avoid you by running across the street when I see you and your dogs approaching. This isn't because I don't want to say hi, it's because it's what Sadie needs. ANYWAY. Not to get too deep into the actual training side of things, I want to talk about how this reactivity changed my life and made me a better person (and made my business what it is today). 

Lets go way back into a brief history of how I found Sadie. I moved to Toronto in January of 2013, with my co-pilot Frankie! I worked really long hours - and thought "Frankie needs a friend to keep him company!" (note, future Kelsey would tell this Kelsey that this is not a good reason to get a new dog, but alas, past Kelsey did not know this). So I started searching for fosters & dogs to adopt. On a fateful Monday morning at my new job, I was searching on the Toronto Animal Services  website and they posted 4 ADORABLE 11 WEEK OLD SHIH-POO PUPPIES! I couldn't believe it. It was so rare to see puppies on TAS, and these dogs were insanely cute. 3 boys, and one Sadie. I wanted that little tri-coloured pup SO BAD. I called my mom, and she told me to take the rest of the day off work (my first sick day at the job) and taxi to TAS to get there for when it opened. I took her advice. However, I got really lost trying to find the building, and ended up getting there about 8 minutes after they opened. I walked up the stairs, and the staff knew why I was there - for those ridiculously cute puppies. They warned me "we only have one pup left, and its the girl". I WAS LIKE OMG FATE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not even 30 seconds later a mom and daughter came up the stairs hoping to secure a puppy, but I was there first and Sadie was MINE. Sorry kiddo. But it really felt like fate. And I had no idea how fateful it would be. 

Long story short, Sadie is the reason I became a dog walker. I realized a puppy needed a break during the day, so I needed a dog walker. I got a dog walker. And I became obsessed with the idea of being one myself. So a year later, I did. 

That's a brief history. But kind of far from the point. Let's focus! 

I will be honest. When I started my business, I didn't know much more other than the fact that I loved dogs - and they loved me right back. I had a knack for entrepreneurship, some really loyal customers who believed in me from the start, and was able to build a fairly successful business right off the bat. But I knew nothing. And I thought this was fine. I was blissfully ignorant. I cared for the dogs, loved the dogs, but I also really cared about being the best dog walker. I cared about that status. 

Things were going great, but I noticed Sadie "out of no where" started barking at dogs (*note, reactivity doesn't come out of no where - but that's for another post). It was pretty embarrassing. Here I was, a dog walker determined to be the best.. and yet my own dog was a disaster. When she would bark I would be like "SADIE! stop!" This did not help. Obviously. It got way worse, she would bark at dogs across the street and waiting for the elevator became an extremely stressful event for us. Would another dog be in there? If so, Sadie would make a scene and I would be embarrassed. 

This is where I know I have changed. Sadie was suffering, and I was concerned about myself and my status. Makes me so sad when I think about it. 

I honestly didn't know what to do, and eventually got a prong collar for her (UGH). It didn't help either (OBVIOUSLY). As fate would have it, around this time I was registered for a Dog Walking Certification course with Dog*Biz. It was at the TCCE and it was an eye opener. We learned about positive reinforcement, on top of MANY other things. I came home after the first day and literally could not stop crying. Not only did I realize how little I knew, but I realized I was hurting Sadie and making her life pretty scary. I completed the course (with 100%) and made it my mission to learn everything I needed to make Sadie's life better. 

From here, I was able to get a volunteer position with When Hounds Fly. Andre took me under his wing, and being able to watch him teach foundations and puppy socialization was so incredible. After a few months, Andre learned of Sadie & the issues I was having with her. After the dog*biz course and my volunteer experience, I was definitely on the right track. I was using treats on our walks, and got rid of that awful prong collar. But she was still reactive. Andre offered to come and walk with Sadie and I - and give advice on how to help her. Again, this isn't a post about training, but this meeting was life changing. He made me realize that I am Sadie's advocate. I am responsible for making her feel safe and happy. And after this, there was a switch. And I would never be where I am today without that switch.

I was on an absolute mission, my objective wasn't to have a less embarrassing/less barky dog - it was to make Sadie feel better. That was it. That was all I cared about. When we saw other dogs, we would cross the street. If I had to, I would pick Sadie up and carry her. If Sadie did have a reaction, I wouldn't shush her or get embarrassed or flustered. I would praise the crap out of her, while adding distance from the dog, and give her ALL THE FOOD IN THE WORLD! I didn't give a fuck what other people thought. I am sure I came (come?) across as being cold, never socializing with neighbours and literally running away from them - but I didn't care. I didn't care that maybe I was turning away potential customers. Old Kelsey would be mortified. Make excuses. Try to sell myself and make sure they know that Sadie doesn't define my business. Not new Kelsey. Nope. New Kelsey just wanted her Sadle Ladle to feel safe and loved.

Overtime, like, a year later - I started noticing Sadie was healing. She could get surprised by a dog and not bark (WHO IS THIS DOG). She wasn't perfect, but as long as I had treats and an escape route we could avoid a reaction. Add another year onto that, and Sadie is almost healed completely. Of course there will be times when we can't escape situations, but for the most part she is so happy and relaxed on our walks. As am I. 

So what changed? 

One, I learned so much about Positive Reinforcement and learned I wanted to be a dog trainer. I now work as an instructor at When Hounds Fly, and in 2019 hope to earn my CPDT-KA title. 

Two, Instead of being selfish and caring about how good I looked as a dog walker, or if I had the most customers - I cared about making sure the walks were the best experience for the dogs. On our walks, we WALK! We are in our own world. I don't need to impress the general public or other dog walkers, because I know in my heart that the work I am doing is amazing. And honestly - this is WHY someone should want to be my customer. I care THAT much, that I would put Sadie's health and happiness (and every single dog I walk) before schmoozing. 

Three, When I had customers who were overexcited or stressed, I knew how to handle them. I was able to advocate for them like I would for my own Sadie. 

Four, I gained a confidence I never had before. Before, I didn't know much - and because of this I was really insecure. Obviously. I didn't know why I was insecure, but now I know. I cared so much about my reputation, and less about the actual work I was doing. Now, I couldn't care less about my rep. I know I do the absolute best for my customers, giving them world class walks, and I am SO proud of the work I do. I know I make a difference. I know I advocate for the dogs. I know I do incredible work. I have a priority to my customers. When I am confident, I am focused - and the dogs sure benefit from it. 

Five, my priorities changed. Not just with dog walking, but with life too. I care so much about giving my dogs the best life possible - and I love spending time with them. Instead of taking courses to make myself look knowledgeable and impressive - I take them to LEARN. I am obsessed with learning.

​Finally, I gained an empathy that I never knew I was missing. For that, I am forever thankful. I am so thankful for all my mistakes, because from them - I was able to grow into the dog walker, trainer, and advocate that I am. 

Sadie, I am so sorry the world was so scary to you. I am sorry it took me so long to realize that that was how you felt. I am sorry for every time I got frustrated with you, or embarrassed by you.

Sadie, thank you. Thank you for changing my life. Thank you for making me a better person. Thank you for making me a better dog walker. Thank you for helping me change the future of dog walking & be able to impact and improve other dog's lives like I was able to with you.