Starting April 1, 2016, The Muzzle Up! Project will be launching and accepting participants in the Shelter Partners Program. The program is open to staff of all rescues and shelters.
Muzzle training is a critical element to many dogs’ quality of life. If dogs have muzzle training in their repertoire, their adoptability increases and their chances of being returned decrease. Learning how to effectively use force-free training techniques to muzzle train dogs will also reduce stress among dogs in the shelter and reduce risk of bites among staff and other dogs.
The goal of the Shelter Partners Program is to give rescues and shelters guidance on how to provide this service to dogs in the shelter, foster dogs, and potential adopters. At the end of the program, staff will receive a booklet and certification from The Muzzle Up! Project so they can continue to train new staff and enhance the services they provide the community.
During the four-week interactive course, participants will learn:
- the basics of executing muzzle training plans
- how to troubleshoot muzzle training problems
- how to address shelter-specific challenges for implementing muzzle training protocols
- how to continue implementing muzzle training program as part of shelter services
Each week will allow the shelter to interact 1:1 with The Muzzle Up! Project’s founder, Maureen Backman, MS CTC PCT-A, with a total of 8 hours of video conferencing time. The program is designed to guide participants through progressively more challenging training cases, allotting time after each session for Q&A and troubleshooting.
Enrollment begins April 1, 2015. Trainer CEUs will be available.
The Muzzle Up! Project has established itself as comprehensive, evidence-based resource on muzzle training and husbandry for dog guardians, dog behavior professionals, and veterinarians. Maureen, its director, has produced two training DVDs for Tawzer Dog, and presented on The Muzzle Up! Project at the Pet Professional Guild’s inaugural educational summit in 2015. In 2017, she will be representing the project at Woof!2017, listed as one of the world’s top dog training conferences by The Modern Dog Trainer.
To stay informed of the program’s launch, subscribe to this blog and stay tuned for additional information on muzzleupproject.com. For questions, contact the Muzzle Up! Project’s founder, Maureen Backman, at muzzleupproject@gmail.com.
– Maureen Backman, MS, CTC, PCT-A is the owner of Mutt About Town dog training in San Francisco. She is also the founder of The Muzzle Up! Project and Muzzle Up! Online. To get in touch, email her at muttabouttownsf@gmail.com. To purchase her training DVDs, visit Tawzer Dog.
