Well, I have to say that as of today, I am really happy with the way Tiny is progressing. He has “Sit” mastered. I still have him sit before going through gates and doors and now before we go up or down stairs and before he eats. If we see a dog or a squirrel on our walk, I have him sit until he relaxes enough to move forward. Tiny has been wearing his muzzle for a few days now with no problems or issues. I’m guessing it’s comfortable only because he doesn’t try to remove it. He only wears it on walks. It looks like something Hannibal Lechter would wear. Don’t worry!! He can still pant, drink, yawn and take treats without any problems. I have to say…it’s kinda fun to walk around the neighborhood and see the reactions from people we pass. Some people even cross the street! Haha! But I do feel safer with him wearing it…not because I’m afraid he’ll attack someone. On the contrary…he’s a gentle giant. I live in a neighborhood that has a lot of little dogs. Most of the time, they are on leashes, but you never know when one may get out of the yard or run out the front door when their owner isn’t paying attention. Tiny has a very high prey drive and if approached by a small dog, he would probably injure it (at the very least). Having Tiny wear his muzzle while we are out and about is just erring on the side of caution.
The only problem we have run into is teaching Tiny “down”. While having him sit, I hold my hand up and drop it straight down in front of him in hopes that he’ll drop his chest to the ground. Instead, he thinks I’m trying to "shake paw". I have provided the stinkiest meat as a reward, I have tried to urge him down by placing my hand on his shoulders, and we’ve tried to get him “down” while having his butt up against a wall. Nothing…nada…zip! If anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears. Until then, I’ll keep watching YouTube until I find the technique that works for him.
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