IACUC Learning Module - Dogs

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Dog Restraint

A. Types of Restraint

1. Oral: Verbal Command
a. Sit b. Down
c. Stay
d. "NO"!!

2. Physical Restraint: Application of manual force for the purpose of safe and humane animal control.

3. Chemical Restraint: Application of tranquilizers or anesthetic agents, alone or in combination with physical restraint.


a. Ketamine
i. IV injection
ii. IM injection - extremely irritating, causes immediate. pain, take precautions in restraining
iii. Reduces blink reflex
iv. Apply ophthalmic ointment
b. Acepromazine
i. May be used alone or combined with Ketamine to reduce rigid effect
ii. May be given IM or subcutaneously

B. Lifting a Dog

1. Small and Medium size dogs
a. Squat beside animal
b. Place arm under neck and behind rear legs
c. Keeping your back straight, stand using your legs

2. Large dogs

a. Fork lifting - One person may be able to lift the dog by placing one arm in front of chest and the other under his abdomen
b. Two person method
i. One person controls the front half of the body
ii. Second person handles the back end of the body

C. Factors Determining Types of Restraint

1. Temperament
a. Submissiveness
i. You may be able to control animal with reassuring voice
ii. Be aware of possible fear biter
b. Aggressiveness
i. May be controlled with commands
ii. Muzzles may be required
2. Age
a. Old dog
i. May require gentler care
ii. May not be able to use chemical restraint because of underlying physical condition
b. Young dog
i. May require chemical restraint

3. Welfare and safety of animal; law of minimum restraint

4. Safety of handler and observers

D. Table Restraint 1. Standing canine a. Place arm under neck and the other arm behind the rear legs, or under abdomen b. Pull the head snugly to your shoulder
	Restraint of dog in standing position
2. Restraint of a sitting canine a. Place one arm under neck and the other arm around hindquarters or underneath abdomen b. Pull head snugly to your shoulder	Restraint of dog in sitting position
3. Restraint of a lying canine a. Sternal recumbency i. Place one arm under the neck and the other arm over the back with the hand along the side of the animal ii. Lean slightly over dog iii. Pull head to shoulder if more control is needed	Restraint for cephalic venipuncture
4. Lateral recumbency (unassisted) a. Place one arm around front of the animal holding the leg on the opposite side you are on b. Place the other arm around hind quarter also holding the opposite leg c. Pull dog snugly to body d. Lift animal up and gently lay dog on its side e. Maintaining a hold on the dog, move to the opposite side of table f. Hold legs closest to table placing your elbows across the dog's hips and neck	Restraint with dog in lateral recumbancy

5. Lateral recumbency (assisted)

a. Stand animal on table
b. One person on each side of table
c. Person #1 reaches in between legs closest to him, holding legs furthest away from him at a good leverage point
d. Insuring that person #2 is ready, person #1 then pulls the legs toward himself
e. Person #2 catches and lowers the dog gently to the table
f. Person #1 must continue to hold the dog until person #2 has taken complete control by using the same technique as the unassisted method

E. Restraint Aids

1. Muzzles a. Leather
b. Basket
c. Leash

2. Procedure a. Cut strip of gauze or cloth approximately 50 inches in length for a 40- to 50 lb. dog. Use of sturdy or double-thickness gauze is recommended for large dogs. A poorly made muzzle leads to a false sense of security and the possibility of one's being bitten by the dog.

b. Before approaching animal, make loop with one half of a square knot so that diameter of loop is about twice the diameter of dog's snout. Preparation of the muzzle in advance helps to ensure rapid placement and -minimizes the length of time the operator's hands must be near the dog's mouth.
	c. Slip loop over dog's nose and mouth with the half square knot on dorsal surface of dog's snout, and tighten quickly by pulling on ends. The hands should be kept as far away from the dog's mouth as possible while the muzzle is applied. Placing a muzzle on a fractious dog requires at least two people: one person holds the leash while the other applies the muzzle.

d. Cross (but do not tie) free ends of muzzle under dog's lower jaw. Each step of this procedure must be done quickly if the animal is fractious. If the ends are crossed but not tied under the mandible, the muzzle can be removed quickly in case of emergency.

e. Bring ends of muzzle up behind dog's ears and tie in a bow. The bow should be placed directly behind the dog's ears and tied tightly. The dog will be able to open its mouth if the muzzle is tied loosely.

f. To remove muzzle quickly from a fractious dog, untie bow and pull on one end of muzzle material. A muzzle prevents panting and must be used judiciously in heavy-coated animals or in warm environments. A muzzle should be removed immediately if an animal has difficulty breathing or starts to vomit.

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