muzzle and halti

My dog keeps trying (and sometimes succeeds) to take them off. I've tried the whole introducing slowly thing - click and treat when he sniffs the muzzle, click and treat if he lets me put it over his face for a few seconds etc. But as soon as it's on he rubs his face on the ground, paws it etc. We will go for a walk and he will sometimes sit and refuse to move! He's only small so I can give him a tug (halter that's over his chest and back) and he'll start to walk again but as he's walking he'll start to paw his face.

I haven't even started properly with the halti, I just put it on and not even have the lead attached. He'll be ok with it for about a minute and then he starts to try to take it off.

I don't know how to make him like them! Any advice?

Why do you need both?
I used a halti and muzzle on Daisy my German Shepherd because when I got her she was very aggressive. There wasn`t any choice in this - she had to wear them for safety`s sake. There was no question of her liking or not liking it so we had to persist. Maybe a more matter-of-fact approach would work with your dog.
I`d recommend you put the halti or muzzle on, charge out of the door, run down the street and back then return (remove on return). That way the dog doesn`t have time to start objecting and begins to associate the halti / muzzle with going out (a Good Thing).

Is your terrier very aggressive? Are you working with a behaviourist?

ClaireandDaisy:

he's bitten someone so that's why i'm using the muzzle on him when I want him to meet people. Also use it when I go for a jog with him because sometimes he runs too slow/too fast and gets pulled and tugged and flung all over the place, he's quite small. He will run by my side and is very good with stopping if I tell him to stay if he sees something he wants to go after. If he has the muzzle on he'll run by my side but every now and then stop to try to take it off or sit until I get a little futher away then he runs to catch up with me. Thing is he is so good off lead but I'm afraid he will get freaked out by someone/something and bite again and I can't take the chance.

As for the halti, this is because he won't walk nice on the lead. At the start of all our walks he pulls to the point where his front legs dont touch the ground and he's hurting himself. Then when we get on a street with people he/dogs lunges/barks at people when on lead. I was trying the halti because I want to get him to stop pulling/lunging etc but still want access to his mouth because when he's nice I want to give him a click/treat.

I had a one to one visit at home but it seems that the hard work is up to me and there's no easy solution to a problem dog

He`s not a problem dog, he`s a dog who needs help. He sounds very stressed. I suspect your `behaviourist` was unqualified - any good one would be offering back-up and a programme of work.
If this were my dog I would go back to basics, take the dog out for training two or 3 times a day for short sessions and work on his calmness around people. Teach the watch-me command at home with your clicker, then use it outside when it`s captured. I would be padding calmly up and down the road and rewarding the dog for looking at me and being quiet. Please stop running with him till he is calmer, as Terriers are prey-driven.

hi,

he's actually pomeranian cross! I run with him because if he just goes for a walk when he gets home at night he will not settle down, he will wake up and bark. He also gets time to walk around and sniff things so it's not just a run. He does get training separately. So basically I do three things, 1. walk with him on the retractable lead where he can have a controlled wander about, 2. run with me to tire him out - I'm not a proper runner so this is just about 2 laps, 3. walks where I do click treat when he's quiet with people/dogs passing by.

I do think he's very stressed when he goes on walks, I'm really trying my best here to get him to relax.

I really wish there were people that won't charge a fortune to help because I've spent so much money in the last two months on people help, tools to help, books to help. I'm running out of savings so I can't afford to pay anyone else.

I'll try the 'watch me' one and see how that goes. The problem is that he sometimes completely ignores the clicker when we are out on a walk and he sees someone/dog that he wants to bark at. Even if I have chicken or sausage or things that he will usually do *backflips* for while in the house. Even if he's good and quiet and i click to treat him he completely ignores the click and keeps on pulling on the lead to walk on.

I'm not trying to introduce him to people, just that sometimes when I'm walking to the park and the pavement is busy or it's a busy day at the park, it's almost unavoidable. Alot of people think he's so cute and I have to beg them to stand back. They only get the picture when the start to get to close and he starts to go mental.

He sounds hyper. I'm with clareand daisy on this. Up the training to exercise his mind, and ditch the jogging. Thinking games should wear him out as much as running if notmore, but jogging a reactive dog may make him more adrenalised. A non pull Harness such as a Mikki walk rite is a much kinder option than a halti, as there is no risk of neck injury. Good luck with your little guy.

Another thought, you say people approach him because he is cute, why not get a tshirt or jacket printed up with 'dog in training, do not distract' or something similar. That could help.

Loki's mom - what type of training to exercise his mind? Right now he gets his dinner via trick training but he is very hyperactive and even if he's getting things right he starts to bark after about 5 minutes. Sometimes without waiting on me as soon as he sees food he starts to do every trick in the book, so I stop put away his dinner and get back to it a bit later when he's calmed down.

I've got him Nina Ottosson Interactive Toys (the Brick one) for his food for when I don't have time to hand fed him, just to try to get him use his mind. He's good at it and gets his food out, perserveres and gets it right.

Now I do think he's a very smart dog, learns things quickly in the house, just doesn't listen when he's outdoors.

Any suggestions on other things to work his mind? He also has a kong that I stuff for him.

The thing is that he gets so much more walks, playtime, training etc than ever before so I thought that maybe it will all get better. Hopefully it will! If not, he's still the love of my life and I'll just continue to be embarrassed when I take him for walkies.

Good idea on the t-shirt, I'll see if I can find somewhere to print something up.

get back to basics and get rid of the muzzle..i train dogs and its the biggest problem i see...and i agree with Clare and Daisy..100%...muzzels prohibit your dogs ability to protect itself .what if you are aproched buy another dog while out... do the ground work first.and a muzel will not be needed...they usually make humans feel better not the dog...respecfully ..and its good to see you ask questions.hope this helps...iv got years of larg breed experience and this is only my opinion. iv tunned lots of dogs that have bitten,around that now live with childern and there is such a thing that some dogs cannot be helped, iv seen that to...good luck and if there is anything else i can help with please ask...phil

I can't see how a halti would work properly with a muzzle on too...

ok so now I'm very confused. If I get rid of the muzzle then I won't ever be able to let him off lead because if I do and he bites someone then he can end up being put down and I can get charged/jailed or whatever, worse if it's a child. He is good off lead but I can't take the chance of him being put down! What would you do if it was your dog? Maybe I should just never let him off lead?

If he were to be attacked by another dog I will be there to step in, he is small and probably won't be able to do much in terms of protecting himself anyway.

p.s. the muzzle and halti are not on together, they are used separately. muzzle for when I walk/run with him in parks off lead, halti when I'm trying to get him to learn not to pull on lead.

p.s.2. I have hardly been using either of these