“Wait, You Want Me to What?”
“How do you feel about the idea of muzzle training?”
This is a question I ask my clients a lot. And as you can imagine, because of the dog muzzle stigma that plagues us, the responses I get can vary a lot.
Some families:
- feel that good ol’ pet parent guilt, you know the one I’m talking about, about the fact that their dog needs a muzzle.
- are worried that people will think that their dog is “aggressive.”
- struggle with the idea that muzzles don’t address why he feels the need to bite, so why bother?
- are STOKED about the idea of it. They have wanted to do it for a long time, but didn’t know where to start.
- are worried that it is a punishment for their dog.
- know their dog already has a hard history with muzzles, and are scared that we can never make progress.
- think my dog will never let me put a muzzle on them.
Whether we’re working with a dog that is a known bite risk, a dog that is working toward cooperative care, a dog that picks everything up on walks, a dog with a history of eating everything in sight (food or not), or we’re looking to build general life skills, training dogs to wear a muzzle can be an incredible addition to the plan. Because muzzles are beneficial for a number of reasons, not just for dogs who are a known bite risk.
Why Muzzles Get a Bad Rap
Socially, at least in the United States, muzzles carry a lot of stigma. Whether these influences are through unintentional imagery and language, intentional systematic institutions, or salacious rage bait for the masses, at the end of the day, we need to look at impact over intent, and the impact of all of these things has been huge.
The associations that folx have with muzzles and their meaning have taken on this big nightmare shadow lurking over them and their pets, and it’s whispering things like,
“Muzzles are only for bad dogs.”
“You’re failing as a pet parent.”
“Your dog is beyond help.”
In an effort to improve everyone’s welfare and well-being, pet parents take on slaying this shadow nightmare monster and everything else to keep everyone happy, healthy and safe.
The good news is, none of that is true. So, let’s talk about what muzzles really are about.
What Muzzles Really Are: Tools for Safety and Comfort
For me, muzzles are up there with crates, baby gates, car seats, leashes, harnesses… the rest of the gear that we use to keep both ourselves, our dogs, and the community safe.
So, instead of thinking of muzzles as a Hannibal Lecter mask, think of them as a party hat. I know, that’s a big mindset shift, but believe me, muzzles can be FUN. They can be a tool to create a mobile safe space for our pet. A thing that tells them, “Hey, I promise, to the best of my ability, nothing terrible is going to happen to you. It is all going to be okay.” A thing that indicates our intentions and predicts expectations for them. Under some contexts, it may function like the medical cue that Lisa Clifton-Bumpass talked about in her podcast episode.
While we often think that muzzles are all about restriction, and start rolling through the things our dogs “can’t” do, a properly fitted muzzle, used correctly, under the right conditions, can open the world up in entirely new ways. It may allow for safe exploration in the world. It may allow for more choice, control, and agency in veterinary procedures. It may allow for everyone to breathe easier. It may even allow for less restriction, as a proper muzzle helps increase safety.
*Please note, I’m not saying that a muzzle gives you freedom to put your dog in situations where they feel the need to bite.*
In general, a properly fitted muzzle should:
- Allow for a full pant
- Allow for eating
- Allow for drinking
- Avoid excess rubbing
- Prevent biting
The specific criteria for what each family needs from their muzzle will change with each situation. For example, I need Griffey to be able to find and collect treats off the ground while wearing his muzzle. But when I’m looking for a muzzle for a dog that chronically finds and swallows rocks, I’m going to look for a muzzle that impedes collecting things off the ground.
Along with the basic fitting criteria, I have another set of criteria that I’m working toward to make sure that the muzzle brings joy, rather than the nightmare shadow monster. We want the muzzle to be a party hat. We want the dog to hear the cupboard open, or the jingle of the buckle, and come running with a big ol’ smile on their face. I want the dog to be so insistent that the person almost struggles to put the muzzle away.
Here are some of our rules for engagement:
- We go at the pace of the least comfortable being in the room. Both the human and the dog need to be comfortable.
- The dog does the work, they put the muzzle on, we don’t put it on them.
- The muzzle = WONDERFUL things.
- The muzzle is a cue for us to pause and think twice before doing anything the dog doesn’t like, not a cue to do whatever we want.
- We get creative to find ways for the dog to do their favorite things while wearing the muzzle.
- We are going to work on both our dog being safe in hard situations, AND build a plan to help them feel more comfortable. At the end of the day, we don’t want to put our dogs in a situation where they feel the need to bite.
When we take the time to do an intentional, positive introduction to muzzles, we can see joy and excitement in our dog’s body language. We can see that their eyes light up, they get wiggly, they smile, and they push their way into the hat. We can see that it lays a beautiful foundation for a bunch of other skills.
For Griffey, his extensive muzzle training made teaching him to get laser therapy a breeze.
Kindness, Not Control
Muzzles are for all dogs. Not “bad” dogs, or “aggressive” dogs, or because of “bad” pet parents.
Muzzles are a way to increase safety. Muzzles are a way to help everyone in the room breathe.
Muzzles let some dogs go on walks.
Muzzles let some dogs participate in their veterinary care rather than have things done to them.
Muzzles let some dogs get the space they need while in the world.
Muzzles let some dogs enjoy hikes without the risk of eating sticks.
If we aren’t seeing the muzzle increase feelings of safety and security for everyone, that someone is still holding their breath, then we have more work to do. We’re asking ourselves and our pets to be in situations we aren’t ready for yet. And that is okay! We don’t know what we don’t know until we get the opportunity to learn.
At the end of the day, remember, our goals for muzzles are to increase safety and security, to enable our dogs to do things that fill their cup and meet their needs, and to empower them and us.
FAQs About Muzzle Training
How do I introduce a muzzle without stressing my dog out?
That’s a great question! The answer is slowly, thoughtfully, and gradually. We want the muzzle to be paired with lots of wonderful things. We want to go at the pace of the dog, so some dogs are going to need to start with playing “find it” in the room with the muzzle on the counter, other dogs are going to be ready to shove their face right into the thing as long as the straps are out of the way.
For some great resources, check out The Muzzle Up Project.
What does cooperative care look like when muzzle training?
Muzzle training is a FANTASTIC first step into cooperative care. When we’re talking about “cooperative care” or “care with consent,”, we’re looking for our pets to be an active participant in their care.
We can teach our pets to say, “Yes, silly human, you may now clip my toenails.”
We can also teach our pets to say, “Hey, whoa, that’s too much,” without the need for them to use their teeth.
Teaching our pets a “Go ahead” and “Whoa, Nelly” are important to build that communication, and we can start that with muzzles.
By ensuring that our dog is the one moving toward the muzzle, putting their own face in, giving them a chance to say “no, please don’t do the straps,” or “yeah, you can proceed,” we’re building that two-way communication between us.
Our goal is for our pets to have all the choice, control, and agency we can safely provide.
Can my dog really learn to like their muzzle?
Yes, yes, yes, yes! I know it may be hard thing to imagine, but yes! Dogs can learn to LOVE their muzzle. Sara McLoudrey nicknamed Griffey, “The Muzzle Monster” while working on his training. We took the time to pair the muzzle with WONDERFUL things, to give him the option to take it off when he needs, to put it on when he wants, and to practice all sorts of behaviors while in it, and he adores his muzzle.
What are some common mistakes to avoid in muzzle training?
Mistake #1: Going too fast.
Slow down. Seriously. Your expectations should be lower than what your dog is currently capable of. If your dog isn’t ready to take a step toward the muzzle, your expectation should be that your dog can rest or play in the same room as a muzzle, not that they are going to put their face in it.
Mistake #2: Waiting until safety is on the line.
Most folx don’t start muzzle training until we already have a safety risk on the line, a bite has occurred, the dog has already had to have foreign object surgery. Start now. You never know what life will throw and you, and in the event your dog needs a really, really hard vet visit, having a well-trained and very loved muzzle can make the experience so much smoother.
Mistake #3: Only using the muzzle when the icky thing is happening.
Once we teach our pet to love the muzzle, we HAVE to keep practicing. If we only pull the muzzle out for icky things, the muzzle is going to become icky. If you already have a dog that is comfortable in their muzzle, make an effort to practice wearing it at least once a week to maintain the trust account in the muzzle.
Mistake #4: The muzzle isn’t fitting quite right.
Remember, your dog should be able to take treats, drink water, and fully open their mouth in a full pant in their muzzle. Depending on your needs, you may or may not need to make additional adjustments or invest in a custom-fit muzzle to increase comfort. We don’t want the muzzle to rub on the bridge of the nose, around the cheeks, or in the throat. If your muzzle is used, at most, for 5 minutes at a time, rubbing will be much less of a concern than for pups who need the muzzle for longer excursions in the woods or will be wearing a muzzle during high-demand activity, like dog sports.
Mistake #5: Making it all about food.
Yes, food is powerful. Yes, we can use food to help pair the muzzle with wonderful things. But at the end of the day, I haven’t worked with a single family where the only goal for the dog is to stay in one place and eat treats while wearing the muzzle. Make an effort to have your dog practice other things they love while in the muzzle. Have them practice moving their body, have them practice lying down, wearing the muzzle on walks, while wresting, etc.
Isn’t putting a muzzle on my dog taking away their choice?
Yeah, sometimes. But not all choices are choices that we should be allowing or making. Our pets aren’t able to see the long, long, long chain of events a singular choice may mean for them.
For example, a pup with a history of eating foreign objects should not be left to eat anything and everything in the name of “choice.” That can result in incredibly invasive veterinary procedures that aren’t fun for literally anyone. A pup with clinical challenges with eating foreign objects also shouldn’t be relegated to a barren room, with nothing to do other than wait for their person to come spend time with them.
With the facilitation of the muzzle, they can’t eat the rocks, sticks, or poisonous plants on a hike, but they can go out, sniff things, watch critters, be with their family, and enjoy so many other opportunities.
I spoke with a family a couple of days ago that uses a muzzle for lure coursing with their pet. Their dog has a history of biting the lure, and that can be really, really dangerous. Instead of saying, “No lure coursing for you until you stop biting the lure”, they opted to teach the pup to lure course while wearing a muzzle. Now the pup gets to do one of their favorite activities, and do it safely.
As I have said before, the point of the muzzle isn’t to take away the dog’s choice and then do whatever we want or put the dog in uncomfortable, aversive, or dangerous situations. If you’re thinking, “But doesn’t the muzzle impede the dog’s ability to protect themselves?”
My question to you is, “How do we adjust things so that your dog isn’t in a situation where they feel the need to protect themselves?” And you don’t need to have an answer; that’s why behavior consultants are here. To help you get creative!
Can I use treats when my dog is wearing a muzzle?
Yes! Any muzzle you choose should enable your dog to eat, and with some skill building, allow you to deliver treats safely. I’ve used squeeze tubes, longer treats, and practiced different eating skills with my clients.
In Closing
If the different situations and contexts for which muzzles are used is surprising to you, you’re not alone! We’re all out here working against the stigma, and the more ways we integrate and normalize their use, the more useful they become.
Now What?
Muzzle training can, and should be, fun, compassionate, empathetic, and effective. It isn’t something you need to try to tackle alone if the idea of muzzle training sends a pit in your stomach. We love integrating the needs of everyone involved in a dog’s muzzle training, so reach out if you need help!