Straight Talk on Muzzles

Whenever I see a certain dog at a local dog park, he’s wearing a muzzle. I’ll call him Darren. Dog guardians call their dogs away from Darren as he approaches. People walking by cut a wide berth around Darren. No one asks to pet him, approaches him or comments on how cute he is – and Darren is awfully cute!

I suspect I know why folks avoid Darren like the plague. The poor fellow is suffering from a bad case of “muzzle stigma.” Many people assume that a dog wearing a muzzle is a menace to people, dogs or both.

Some dogs do wear muzzles in public to prevent them from engaging in serious physical conflict with other dogs or from biting people. However, dogs may sport muzzles for reasons that have nothing to do with protecting other dogs or people, and everything to do with protecting the dog himself.



For example, Darren might be wearing a muzzle to prevent him from eating stones, sticks, poisonous mushrooms, chicken bones or other no-nos. He might have a penchant for ingesting poop -- a condition called “coprophagia” -- and the muzzle may be the only thing thwarting that behavior. Darren might be an anxious or obsessive-compulsive dog wearing a muzzle to avoid self-mutilation through excessive licking or scratching. If he suffers from skin conditions such as allergies or recurring hot spots, he may be wearing the muzzle to stop him from licking or scratching existing skin lesions.

Many trainers recommend training all dogs to wear muzzles. Wearing a muzzle doesn’t have to be an unpleasant experience. Positive training can teach dogs to like or at least be comfortable wearing a muzzle. Once a dog has learned to be comfortable in a muzzle, if he’s ever in a situation where he needs to wear one, his guardian won’t have the added considerable challenge of trying to wrestle it onto him – a stressful upsetting experience for both guardian and dog. Some emergency rescuers won’t try to assist an injured dog unless he’s muzzled. Vets and groomers may require a dog to be muzzled if the dog is particularly intolerant of grooming or veterinary procedures.

If you do ever need to muzzle your dog, be aware that those made of nylon, mesh or fabric don’t allow a dog to pant, drink water or eat. Due to these limitations, dogs should only wear nylon or mesh muzzles for very short periods of time, and shouldn’t wear them when engaged in physical exercise. If a dog needs to be muzzled for an extended period of time, basket-style muzzles are the way to go. They allow dogs to pant, drink and eat small treats through the openings in the cage. Basket muzzles are typically made of metal or plastic. Plastic types are generally much more comfortable for and easier on the dog.

My current preferred muzzle and that of many other trainers I know is the Italian Basket muzzle made from a lightweight strong plastic. For instructions on how to measure your dog for an Italian Basket muzzle, and how to train your dog to wear a muzzle, go to: http://www.morrco.com/itpoldogmuz.html.

Flickr Photo Credit: Dangeri & Coronis 3

Lisa-Anne Manolius is the multi- talented owner/trainer of Oh Behave! in San Francisco. A graduate of the S.F. SPCA's Academy for Dog Trainers and U.C. Berkeley's Boalt School of Law, she's available for dog behavior consultations, private training sessions, and to teach a variety of group classes. She can be reached at lisaohbehave@gmail.com.