Muzzling: Why, What and How?
- Feb 18
- 5 min read
Muzzling is often a useful skill to have under a dog’s belt, but sadly it has a stigma about it. So many people wrongly associate muzzling with malpractice, but a properly fitting muzzle and correct conditioning and training to wear the muzzle is a great skill to train!
Why Muzzle?
There are so many reasons to train dogs to wear a muzzle comfortably! Most people associate a muzzle with dogs who are a bite risk, but there are many other uses too! Ever met a scavenging dog? You know, those dogs who run off into the scrubland and come back with a gift for you – usually a piece of litter or a dirty tissue! Those dogs who like to snack on rabbit, horse, dog or cat poop? Muzzling is a great way to stop the dog eating things he/she shouldn’t!
The other reason training your dog to wear a muzzle comfortably, is in-case of emergency! Imagine your dog is caught up in a freak accident and is seriously harmed. This will be a stressful time for all involved… it’s just not worth thinking about, is it?! Even the friendliest dogs can become snappy when in severe pain, meaning the vet is likely to muzzle the dog for safety purposes. If your dog is not conditioned to wearing a muzzle, they may be even more stressed.
How to size a muzzle
How do we know if a muzzle is the correct size or shape for your dog? A properly fitting muzzle will not restrict breathing in any way, shape, or form! We need to choose a big enough muzzle to allow enough room for a full pant – the widest your dog’s mouth is likely to open, say when running… but not so big that the dog can remove it. The muzzle should sit just below (but not block) the eyes and should not touch the nose at the end. Not all shapes, suit all dogs! You may need to return some muzzles in a trial-and-error type process – be prepared to have to try a few!
Types of muzzle
So, what type of muzzle is the right type of muzzle? There are a number of types of muzzle.
1. Mesh muzzles – not for use for more than 10 mins, in a calm environment, and not for use during or after exercise! These muzzles hold the dogs mouth shut and don’t allow any panting. They’re not bite proof. The only time I would consider a mesh muzzle, would be at short vet appointments where the dog is likely to nip.
2. Plastic/Biothane basket muzzle – for example, the popular Baskerville found in most pet shops. The Baskerville is plastic. Biothane muzzles are made using plastic covered webbing. These are great for scavengers, however…. They’re not bite proof! Determined biters have regularly been known to bite through these muzzles/bend them.
3. Metal basket muzzle – My preferred muzzle for ultra-protection! People often worry these muzzles will be too heavy, but actually, they’re usually really light! These are suitable for bite risks, and often offer the most pant-room!
4. Brachycephalic muzzle – our brachycephalic owning members may have regularly seen the Hannibal Lecter style full face mesh muzzles with eye and nose holes. Although these can be used for short periods like vet visits, I wouldn’t recommend using them during or after exercise. They don’t allow pant-room! Instead, I would recommend a brachycephalic basket muzzle. These can be leather or metal. For a French Bulldog, I would opt for this product:
Their site has lots of options for various shaped snouts and is worth checking out!
Muzzle training
Conditioning
Instead of just ‘plonking’ (for want of a better phrase) a muzzle on our dogs and expecting them to cope, we need to condition them to wear a muzzle comfortably. We want to create positive associations with the muzzle! Always have tasty treats on hand – you can use almond butter or a little cream cheese (if the dog in question isn’t dairy intolerant of course. Use fat free cheese or other fat free spreadable item for dogs with pancreatitis) and JR Pet Products Pate or other small, high value treat which fits through the holes in the muzzle. We will explore muzzle conditioning games below!
Positive reinforcement
Being a member of No Bull, you should have read our rules, and noticed we only allow positive reinforcement training techniques. So why is positive reinforcement so important in muzzle training? Let’s look at the flipside (negative reinforcement/fear based training), from a dog’s point of view. In aversive training the handler would force the dog to wear the muzzle from the outset with no conditioning. The dog would become highly stressed, suddenly having to wear a muzzle when he/she has never had to before. The dog feeling distressed with the muzzle on would be a negative experience. Every time the muzzle was forced onto the dog, when it’s such a negative for the dog, would cause the dog to try to get away from having the muzzle put on. In turn, the handler would chase after the dog and attempt to put the muzzle on again. If the dog’s ‘stress bucket’ became full, it's likely to result in the handler being bitten.
How does positive reinforcement stop this? Making a positive association with the muzzle will mean the dog will not be stressed wearing it. No stress, means no bite potential! Many dogs learn to associate the muzzle with a walk and will be at your feet as soon as they hear the muzzle or see it being picked up! This is what we are aiming for!
Games to condition
My favourite game has to be the ‘cone game’! If you can get your hands on a small wide based plastic cone (you know, the ones used for ball dribbling practice at kids football training!), and a thinner based cone (see pics for the two cones) or similar, such as a paper party hat, they’re great muzzle training tools!
1. Start with the wide based cone. Show your dog (smallest opening towards yourself) the cone. Show them a treat through the small opening to encourage them to approach and take the treat.
2. Once the dog is comfortable taking treats through the hole, start smoothing some almond butter on the rim of the smaller hole, encouraging the dog to spend more time with his/her head in the cone whilst licking the almond butter off.
3. Swap out the cone for the thinner, taller cone – more muzzle-like. Repeat the same steps. TAKE THIS STEP SLOWLY. DO NOT FORCE YOUR DOG.
4. Once the dog is comfortable popping his/her snout in this cone, introduce the muzzle in the same format. Lickable-yumminess at the end, and pop treats through the end. Keep practicing this until the dog is comfortable with the muzzle on his/her nose.
5. Now start strapping it up round the back of the head. Ensure you have put plenty of yummy stuff on the inside of the end, and post plenty of treats through the end – remember this needs to be a positive experience! Only leave it on for short periods for now. Gradually build up the time wearing the muzzle.
The other method of conditioning, particularly with nervous dogs, is ‘touch’.
• First teach ‘touch’. Hold you hand out to the side and wait for the dog to touch it with his/her nose. Immediately reward with a treat.
• Once this behaviour is solid, repeat, using the muzzle as a target. If the dog touches the muzzle, treat!
• Once this is solid, introduce treats into the end of the muzzle, and continue as with the previous method.
• Take this method super slowly!
Hope this has helped you understand muzzles, why we use them, how to use them, and how to train a dog to use them!
Written by Bethany Calhoum, No Bull Just Natural Health for Dogs
