Question I have a six month old lab and an 8 month old Whilst the 8 month is not a chewer at all the 6 month is terrible If we leave them for an hour we come home to a totally destroyed garden. So we have an outing that will be around 5 hrs and we can’t bring the dogs with us I was thinking of putting the muzzle on the younger on for that time. Will it be to long or is it ok to do so I’m new with dogs and they are spoilt hardly ever out of my site
Oh gosh, I don't know about leaving a dog with a muzzle on unsupervised. My gut says absolutely not, but there are members of the forum who are experienced with muzzles and they'll be able to chime in when Europe wakes up. Do you have a trusted friend or family member who could watch them at your home for that 5 hours? I would ordinarily recommend a crate, but not for 5 hours straight, and if your dogs aren't crate trained that won't be of any use. Do you have a safe room in the house, like a kitchen? You could pop them in the kitchen (behind baby gates) and have somebody pop over after 3 hours for a wee and a cuddle? If you can't make it safely work at home, then I'd find a suitable kennels for the day/night. If he's a danger to himself then he's got to be somewhere safe.
Thank you very much for your great suggestions. the problem is were we live we have no one as were really new to the area....i hate the thought of having her muzzled for 5 hours. but as were renting a house aswell with open plan there is no rooms ....she will chew up everything and we have got kongs but they last maybe 10 minutes with her ...ughhh its terrible i really dont know what to do at the minute
You can buy extendable baby gates, they can reach across the wide openings of open plan rooms. Destruction can still happen, though, and if you're renting then that's probably not a risk you want to take. Are they any dog walking/pet sitting businesses in your area? I'd jump on facebook and see if there's a local doggy facebook page for where you live. Ask for recommendations or check facebook reviews. You could pay somebody to hang out with your dogs, or to let them out for a wee etc. If you're not on FB then it's probably worth creating an account just for this, it can be a great resource for finding doggy services.
Certain muzzles can restrict breathing are not to be used as more than a temporary safety measure. While basket muzzles are safer for breathing/panting, I wouldn't suggest leaving one on a dog unattended and for so long, especially if they are not properly conditioned to it. I would consider a dog sitter as Xena recommends or possibly a dog daycare/boarding facility where the pup can be watched and interacted with. Good luck!
I have just started muzzle training my dog to stop him eating rubbish on walks, it definitely specifies not to leave the muzzle on a dog when it is unattended.
You definitely should not leave a muzzle on your dog unattended, for safety reasons. I would say you are either going to have to pay for a dog sitter for those five hours, or not go to the outing. I do understand, as I have an 11-month old who is not used to being alone. He's fine with my older dog, but I would not want to leave him in the house alone for longer than about an hour without her. I would never leave my dogs alone in the garden; I'd be too afraid of someone stealing them. And yes, a six month old can do terrible damage to your garden if he gets bored!!!
Bored dogs can also do a lot of damage with their feet, it's not all about the teeth! I definitely agree that muzzling while unsupervised is not a safe option, and getting either a dog sitter or using a puppy pen with someone coming to check up on the puppy a couple of times. Or, as Karen has said, sadly forgoing the outing this time - I know it can seem like a pain having to sacrifice things we want to do, but puppyhood doesn't last forever.
