Seeing a dog wearing a muzzle can cause a flood of emotions for many folks. I believe this is partially because muzzles are a very misunderstood piece of equipment, and we have learned to associate muzzles with a certain (usually negative) narrative.

“That dog is aggressive.”
“Caution: that dog will bite.”
“That dog is dangerous - move away!”

Because of these misconceptions, muzzled dogs are often unfairly judged before we even have a chance to learn why they’re wearing a muzzle in the first place. You might be surprised that the reason is none of those listed above.

What is a muzzle?

A muzzle is a piece of equipment that goes around your dog’s nose and mouth and is strapped behind their ears. The main goal of all muzzles is to prevent the dog from being able to grab onto something and bite down.

There are different types of muzzles: nylon or mesh grooming muzzles, and basket muzzles, made from either hard rubber, plastic, or metal. For safety purposes, the grooming style muzzles should only ever be used for short durations of time, as they do not allow the dog to open their mouth to pant, which is important for temperature regulation, so in this blog I will be speaking specifically about the use of basket muzzles.

When might you need to use a muzzle?

Contrary to popular belief, muzzles are not just used by dogs we might consider ‘aggressive.’ While muzzles do prevent a dog from grabbing something and biting it, there are other situations that might warrant their use, such as:

preventing a dog from ‘scavenging’ and eating something unhealthy or unsafe while out on a walk,
if a dog is fearful or nervous,
when introducing a dog to a new dog, animal, or person,
because of breed or location specific laws.

Why is muzzle training important?

Whether your dog falls into one of the categories listed above or not, I strongly believe in training all dogs to be comfortable wearing a muzzle.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this rings true when it comes to proactive muzzle training.

Conditioning our dog to be comfortable wearing a muzzle for a period of time is a good idea in the case of an emergency where you dog might suddenly need to be muzzled for a veterinary procedure.
Teaching our dog to be comfortable with something on their face can translate nicely into other handling and husbandry care, and can make introductions to other pieces of equipment easier.
Muzzle training, when done properly, is a fun activity and a great way to improve your communication and bond with your dog.

Improper uses of a muzzle.

A properly fitted basket muzzle should allow your dog to eat, drink, bark, and otherwise behave normally, besides being able to bit onto things. A muzzle should never be:

left on for extended periods of time,
left on when your dog unsupervised,
used to stop barking (this should not be possible if the muzzle fits correctly),
used as a punishment,
used so you are able to put your dog in a situation they are not comfortable with and might bite (unless this is unavoidable, such as emergency veterinary care),
or used in place of training - muzzles don’t teach our dogs anything, they simply keep them and others in the environment safe from a bite.

A basket muzzle at a vet visit.

This dog is wearing a properly fitting basket muzzle that allows them to open their mouth to pant, eat, and drink. You can see that the muzzle offers lots of room for the dog’s nose, and does not interfere with their eyes.

Conditioning your dog to wear a muzzle.

It’s important to thoughtfully introduce the muzzle to your dog; simply putting the muzzle on and buckling it up is generally not advised, as this can be scary for your dog and can result in a negative association with the muzzle in the future.

I want the muzzle to predict good things for my dog the majority of the time - cookies, walks, petting, and adventures - and only be associated with something ‘negative’ - vaccines at the vet - a small percentage of the time.

I released a 4 part muzzle training video series this year on my Instagram page to show a glimpse into my training process when introducing a dog to a muzzle for the first time. You can find part one here.

Keep it fun - training in between real life use.

In order to keep the muzzle fun and enjoyable for your pup, make sure that you’re not only using the muzzle for scary things, like the vet, or when scary triggers are present during training. Be sure to do lots of easy training sessions in between ‘real life’ uses to protect all your hard work and training, and maintain your dog’s positive association with their muzzle.

I hope you all take this opportunity to try some muzzle training with your dog, even if they never end up having to wear one in their life time.

Have fun, and let me know if you have any questions muzzles or muzzle training.

Stay awesome,

Vanessa

Vanessa Charbonneau, is the author of Dog Care for Puppies: A guide to Feeding, Playing, Grooming and Behavior. She owns Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, employing force-free training techniques to work with companion dogs and their owners. Charbonneau lives in Prince George, BC with her husband, two daughters, and one dog.

Follow Vanessa on Instagram for more dog training education, training, and other content!

To muzzle or not to muzzle? That is the question.