5 Reasons You Should Muzzle Train Your Dog
FTC Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you purchase products using these links, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely love!
First and foremost, muzzled dogs are not bad dogs.
Muzzled dogs may be scared and are comforted by the muzzle. They might be dogs who have been abused and whose behavior is unpredictable. Muzzled dogs may have a penchant for eating garbage or not like having their nails done. They might fear other dogs. Maybe a muzzled dog has bitten before and its owners are protecting others from letting that happen again. Maybe a muzzled dog hasn’t ever bitten, but its owner is practicing muzzle work for emergencies. A muzzled dog might be a rescue mutt or a well bred purebred dog.
Muzzled dogs are normal dogs.
I’m not one for judgment or condescension, so far be it from me to tell someone what they should do with their dog. But I do generally believe that all dogs should be muzzle trained – Starsky is, Kiki was, and Ginsburg and every dog I have in the future will be.
1. It isn’t cruel.
Muzzles look scary to many people: whether it’s from the stigma surrounding them or just lack of knowledge of their various uses, there’s no doubt that many people see a frightening and perhaps cruel device when they see a muzzled dog. Those people may assume that the “poor” dog has been trained to wear a muzzle using cruel or compulsive methods. But this is rarely the case.
I use balanced training methods with my dogs* but there are numerous positive reinforcement and force free trainers who also muzzle train their dogs. In fact, I have only ever seen dogs trained to wear a muzzle through the processes of counter conditioning and creating positive associations around the muzzle.
It’s also how I trained both Starsky and Kiki to wear the muzzle. At first, the dog is rewarded for showing interest in the muzzle. Over time, the dog is gradually taught to wear the muzzle, all while being showered with treats. Eventually, the treats are no longer needed – we can teach dogs that the muzzle is no big deal by giving them relaxation time in the muzzle or wearing it during training sessions. (My sweet Kiki loved her muzzle because we started training in it. Training was her favorite activity, so the muzzle was fun.)
Even dogs who have previously had bad experiences in the muzzle can learn to associate the muzzle with positivity and develop a positive emotional response to the muzzle using these methods. While I’m sure it’s possible to humanely train a dog to wear a muzzle using balanced or compulsive training methods, I have only seen positive based muzzle training, even from balanced trainers. I’m not a trainer or a statistician, but anecdotally, this leads me to believe that the vast majority of dogs have been trained to wear a muzzle positively.
*I recognize that some dogs’ “balance” is completely positive. I personally believe that the foundation to good balanced training is positive reinforcement.
2. It doesn’t bother the dog.
This of course comes down to the individual dog – but if a muzzle has been trained positively as described above, it’s at most an annoyance to a dog. Without associations of cruelty, the dog has no reason to feel that the muzzle is dangerous or scary or means bad things.
It’s sort of like wearing a necklace – you can feel it, and for some people it’s a little annoying and slightly uncomfortable, but for most people, it’s completely tolerable.
Take my dog Starsky. I trained the muzzle totally positively, and progressed pretty slowly, especially in the beginning, so I would ensure that he had as much positive association with the muzzle as possible. When it was time to put it on, he still didn’t love it. It was an annoying thing on his face, and while it didn’t stop him from sniffing everything he could, it did stop him from eating garbage on the streets of New York City (my primary reason for muzzle training him). Starsky isn’t ever going to love wearing a muzzle. He will always paw at it a few times each walk. But it’s never traumatizing for him and it keeps him safe from rotting chicken wings that could puncture his intestines or make him sick.
3. There are many reasons to muzzle train.
As I mentioned above, Starsky is muzzle trained because he’s a street snacker. The streets of Brooklyn were a fun place for a him, but not so much for his tummy! Now that we live in an apartment complex in Colorado, he doesn’t wear his muzzle much anymore. But if we were to return to a more urban area, I know that the muzzle would be there to help us out with his street snacking tendencies.
Another benefit: without being able to constantly search for street snacks, Starsky’s mindset improved. Rather than obsess about finding trash, Starsky was able to walk calmly and enjoy the city scents. We could go for more productive and focused walks that were more relaxing for both of us.
Other reasons to muzzle train a dog: they have a bite history, they default to their teeth when scared, they are nervous and unpredictable at the vet’s office, they are fine with humans but don’t like other dogs, they are fine with other dogs but don’t like humans, they are reactive and the muzzle calms them down, they are perfectly stable but their owner doesn’t want to take any chances or incur any liability, they are perfectly stable and don’t always wear a muzzle but their owner is conditioning them to it in case of emergency.
4. Emergencies may require muzzle use.
I’ve mentioned a few times now that many dogs are muzzle trained in case of emergency. But what sort of emergency would even require a muzzle? My usual example is a dog in pain. Even the most temperamentally stable dog, when in pain, might lash out with its teeth. Imagine if your dog broke his leg and was taken into the vet – perhaps he might snap at the vet for poking and prodding? Even for stable dogs, that is not outside the realm of possibility.
What if you are in a car accident and your dog gets out, or you aren’t able to handle your dog? Strangers might need to muzzle your dog for their safety – even if he isn’t a bite risk, strangers don’t know that and so may take precautionary measures like a muzzle.
You don’t want these already traumatizing experiences to be the first time your dog wears a muzzle that restricts his ability to bite. While I certainly hope these never happen, certainly in this case, I believe it is best to prepare for the worst.
5. It looks cool.
My first thought when writing this was “well this is a funny reason, not a real reason.” That’s true to some extent – looking “cool” isn’t necessarily a reason to wear a muzzle.
But as a young woman, I’ve had my share of terrifying experiences on the street. Know what doesn’t happen when you’re walking a big dog who looks aggressive because he’s wearing a muzzle? Those same scary experiences.
While part of me wants to end stigma around muzzles, I am also sort of glad for that stigma because it means people are more likely to give you distance and less likely to catcall or harass you. When I used to walk Starsky and Kiki together, they were both muzzled (Starsky for street snacking and Kiki for reactivity and redirecting at dogs). No one ever bothered me while I was walking two big muzzled dogs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Muzzle Training Your Dog
How long does it take to muzzle train a dog?
It is different for every dog. Muzzle training Starsky took many months because he didn’t take to it immediately and I wasn’t very consistent in training. Muzzle training Kiki didn’t take more than two months or so because she was so eager to learn. Ginsburg isn’t fully muzzle trained yet, but she is somewhere in between Starsky and Kiki.
How do you positively train a dog to wear a muzzle?
Believe it or not, muzzle training is all about positive reinforcement and positive associations! I use food, treats, trick training, and the TBTE intermediate bridge to train my dogs to wear the muzzle. I don’t push them too quickly and ensure it remains a positive, or at least tolerable, experience for them. Check out this post to learn more about how I muzzle trained my dogs.
Do muzzles stress out dogs?
Not if they are properly conditioned! If you just shove a muzzle on your dog without doing any desensitizing or counter conditioning first, the muzzle will almost certainly stress your dog out, just like any new piece of training equipment. If properly conditioned, the muzzle should be a positive thing for a dog, or at worst, merely a tolerable annoyance.
Does muzzle training stop barking?
No. A muzzle does not train a dog to calm down or be quiet. A properly fitted muzzle should allow a dog to vocalize, pant, and drink. Grooming muzzles will prevent dogs from barking but are dangerous if worn for a long period of time. These should not be used outside of short applications like a vet checkup or a grooming appointment.
What kind of muzzle should I get?
If your dog will be wearing a muzzle for any longer than a few minutes, they should be wearing a basket muzzle. The Baskerville muzzle is my personal favorite, but is not fully bite-proof. If your dog is a bite risk, I recommend a wire basket muzzle like this one.
GET TO KNOW CHARLOTTE
Charlotte Lehman is a passionate dog mom, a dog sports photographer, and enjoys sharing her experience from a decade of dog ownership through her blog.
Based in Geneva, New York.
