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Does your dog nip, growl, snarl, snap or bite? Lunge and bark at other animals or people? Do you think your dog might injure someone or another dog? Does he eat rocks or other inedible things? If you answer yes to any of these questions, your dog needs a muzzle. Don’t wait for a bite or foreign body surgery before getting your dog muzzle trained.

What is a dog muzzle?

Dog muzzles are similar to masks but with holes, designed to prevent a dog from engaging in dangerous behaviors like biting. They’re a tool to keep everyone safe and help with training. Dog muzzles are mainly for short-term use (i.e., while undergoing a training or behavior modification) or for specific purposes like vet visits or on walks.

Why do dogs need a dog muzzle?

Dogs can benefit from muzzle training since sometimes vet visits, nail trims or even new environments or introductions to new species (like your new backyard chickens) can be challenging and your dog can be provoked to bite or lunge. But let’s face it: we don’t see many dogs wearing what seems like some sort of medieval torture device. And if we do, we might stereotype muzzle-wearing dogs as aggressive, and wonder what the heck the owner was doing to the dog that he needs a cage on his face. But dogs who wear muzzles aren’t “bad dogs,” they just need space.

Dogs who wear muzzles could be struggling with any number of issues like:

• fear
• anxiety
• stress
• medical issues

Melissa Hatfield, certified behavior consultant and trial consultant for bite cases, says muzzles provide an extra level of safety during the training process. But for some dogs, wearing a muzzle may be a lifelong commitment in certain situations like going for a walk, when the small children come over or even visits to the vet or groomer. As much as training can reduce the potential for risk, there are some dogs who will never be reliable enough to go without this safety net, says Melissa.

Do not use dog muzzles for barking or chewing

Muzzles are not for barking, chewing or other troublesome behaviors. Oftentimes these behaviors are the result of lack of stimulation and exercise or other needs not being met. Certified dog trainer Cindy Martin says a muzzle is not a substitute for addressing the physical and emotional needs of the dog. And without behavior modification and affirmative training, a muzzle can stress the dog and make things worse, says Cindy.

How to find the right muzzle for your dog

Before training your dog to a muzzle, be sure you get the proper type and fit. Muzzles should fit securely yet comfortably. A properly fitted muzzle should feel to the dog like wearing a pair of glasses feels to us — like it’s not even there.

Basket muzzles are popular since they allow for dogs to pant, receive treats and drink. They’re also light-weight, flexible and inexpensive. A popular choice is the thermoplastic rubber Baskerville dog muzzle, which is also adjustable by submerging it in hot water.  

My dog Apache’s muzzle is custom made of biothane by BUMAS.

Pricey, but since he wears it every time he leaves the house, and it’s made especially for him, it was worth it. It accommodates his full pant, drinking and treats. I was also able to select the colors and added security features. A similar less expensive option is made by Trust Your Dog.

If you have an extra-large dog or one with a slim, long snout, the vinyl Jafco dog muzzle is a great option.

And for brachycephalic dogs, check out the Canine Friendly Short Snout dog muzzle. Dogs can’t drink with this muzzle but can eat and pant.

For dogs who are a bite risk, wire basket muzzles, such as the Leerburg dog muzzle, can be a safe choice.

Avoid cloth and Velcro muzzles that force a dog’s mouth shut and restrict necessary functions.

How to get your dog to wear a muzzle

Take the time to train your dog to enjoy wearing his muzzle. If your training is blah your dog will be blah about the muzzle; you need your dog to feel like he’s at a rave or a rock concert when he sees the muzzle, not a black-tie affair.

If trained properly, your dog will voluntarily place his snout into the muzzle. Don’t force it onto your dog’s face! Muzzle training done right should take a few weeks. Cindy’s favorite tip is to first acclimate the dog to the sensation of putting his muzzle into a closed space using a cottage cheese or one quart yogurt container with the bottom cut out. Feed awesome treats from the cutout end, building duration.

Muzzle training isn’t as easy as teaching sit or rollover but should be just as fun and well reinforced. Take your time with each step.

Here is our step-by-step guide to dog muzzle training:

1. Start by showing your dog the muzzle. Any positive attention gets a million-dollar treat or two (or five). Don’t skimp here — treat well.
   

   

2. Put food inside the muzzle and set it up in a box/bowl and let him eat. Any hesitation, stop and go back to the previous step. Up your pay game if you have to: chicken, liver, tripe, cheese, steak, whatever. You want the muzzle to have wow factor! Do this for at least a week ideally at least a couple times per day. If your dog’s totally cool (not just kind of cool, but super-pumped cool) when he sees the muzzle, you’re ready for the next step; if not, stay here. Keep at it until you see a happy dance from your dog when you bust out the muzzle. 
3. Next, invite your dog to place his snout inside the muzzle and feed from the outside. DON’T force it — if he’s not putting his snout in voluntarily, back up a step.
4. Then hold the straps in place for a second or two and release. Treat some more. If your dog is giving the green light, increase the duration slowly each day.
   

   

5. At the end of the second week, you should be able to attach the straps for a second or two, then release.
6. By the end of the third week, you’ve worked up to longer periods of wear: some yard time, a short walk, or while you return a few emails. Whatever, just so he gets used to having it on for longer periods.
7. Generalize to other situations and environments.

Dog muzzle training tips:

• DON’T rush this. Your dog dictates the pace.
• If your dog’s not happy-dancing, back it up a step, break out the million-dollar treats and work to get the rockstar reaction you need to get the all-in from your dog.
• Muzzled dogs should always be supervised.
• Take the muzzle off before signs of frustration or annoyance (i.e., reluctance to putting his face in voluntarily, pawing, etc.).
• If he paws at the muzzle once it’s on, back up to the previous step of success and work there. But don’t remove the muzzle while he’s pawing at it- you don’t want to reward the pawing behavior.

Here are two good muzzle training videos by Chirag Patel and Michael Shikashio

While muzzles are a great management tool, they’re not a substitute for training. If your dog is displaying troublesome behaviors first address the underlying emotions causing these behaviors. Rewards-based trainers, behavior consultants and even veterinary behaviorists can help.

Muzzles keep everyone safe and help dogs (and humans in many cases) enjoy a greater quality of life. Melissa says having the option of wearing a muzzle can give dogs freedom to experience a variety of situations they normally wouldn’t be able to while adding an extra layer of safety for all concerned.

Truth be told, long before I became a trainer, I was one of those open-mouthed gawkers when I saw a muzzled dog. But several years ago, I adopted Apache, a long termer at a rural shelter who will always wear his muzzle in public. And that’s okay. Muzzles keep everyone safe. And at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing.

Imagine being picked up by a stranger and transported to a completely new world, where everything is new to you. Everything you see, hear, touch and smell is scary. That’s what happens when you bring a new puppy home. Your world is foreign and maybe even a bit scary to her. This is why puppy playtime is important: to socialize your dog! During puppy development, your dog is learning what the world is, either full of fun things or scary things. It’s up to you to do everything you can to properly socialize your dog to a wide variety of people, dogs and anything else she may encounter during her life so that she sees the world as a wonderful place to be and can relax within your home.

What is puppy playtime?

Puppy Playtime is really a training session where you are working with your puppy to socialize her with other dogs, people and things. Puppies have a critical socialization period from birth to about 12 to 16 weeks, explains Dr. Carley Faughn, a certified applied animal behaviorist with a PhD in Cognitive Science focusing on animal behavior and cognition, who works as a senior strategist at Best Friends Animal Society.

During that time, it is essential that your dog be exposed to as many things as possible. The key, however, is to have those exposures be positive, says Amanda Cornell, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed and owner of Accomplished Canines.

Both Accomplished Canines and Best Friends Animals Society offer robust puppy playtime programs to help socialize young dogs and get them started on the right paw in life. At Best Friends, littermates are brought into a sanitized room each day. During their playtime, volunteers come in to act as friendly strangers. Some with sunglasses. Some with hats. Some tall, some short. Puppies are also introduced to things they may encounter in their everyday life, such as the vacuum, umbrellas, bikes, etc.

The key is to make these interactions positive, so your puppy learns to like meeting new people or can sleep through the vacuum cleaner. To do this, pair something the puppy likes with these new experiences. Reward your puppy with a food reward when she goes toward a stranger or checks out the vacuum (turned off at first) or hears the microwave door open and shut, Dr. Faughn says. Some puppies may also like petting as a reward. Others may need higher rewards, like chopped-up hot dog or cheese, if they are more nervous or stressed, she adds.

A positive association with handling is another key to puppy playtime. Dr. Faughn says to introduce your puppy to collars, leashes and harnesses, as well as being touched everywhere and being picked up. For some puppies, these things are no big deal. For others, you will have to go slow and offer high rewards. For example, you may have to reward your puppy for just looking at the collar at first, working up to her being OK with it going around her neck.

We do a lot of strange things with our dogs that we expect them to be OK with — from taking car rides and wearing clothes to getting vet checkups and chilling out on the couch to a loud movie. Puppy playtime is important in order to create that well-adjusted, laid-back dog everyone wants, Amanda says.

Steps to socialize your dog with puppy playtime

All this puppy socialization may seem overwhelming to you. But really, it’s just taking a few minutes each day to expose your puppy to something new. Here are some steps to socializing your dog with puppy playtime:

• Have puppy playtime daily.
• Make sure all interactions are positive for your puppy. Reward her and pay attention to her body language so you know if you have to change the situation if she is getting stressed or anxious.
• Have a checklist so you can keep track of what and who you have exposed your puppy to, Dr. Faughn suggests. This is also a good place to keep notes if you need to remember what your puppy had a hard time with so you know to work more on that.
• Don’t stop socializing at 16 weeks of age, when the critical period is over. This training should continue into adult and, for some dogs, longer.
• Don’t overwhelm your puppy. Things like “puppy parties,” where you invite everyone over to meet your new dog, can actually overwhelm them Dr. Faughn says. It’s better to just have a short visit with one or two people, or one friendly dog.
• Keep playtime short. Puppies have short attention spans and do best with short, positive sessions.
• Focus on just a couple things at a time. Rather than try to expose your puppy to everything at once, pick two or three things each day to work on.

Why is socializing with dogs important?

Finally, don’t forget that your puppy also needs to be socialized to other dogs. Usually, puppies get socialization from their mom and littermates for the first eight weeks of their lives, Dr. Faughn explains. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need continued interaction with other dogs.

Socializing with other dogs teaches them social skills, like how to navigate different dog personalities and play styles, Amanda explains. These are vital lessons so your dog can be a good canine citizen around other dogs. When dogs interact, the adults will correct puppies, teaching them the lessons they need to socialize properly throughout their lives.

Whether you are socializing your dog with people, things or other dogs, it’s important to learn dog body language (check out this poster of dog body language that you can buy) so you can tell when your puppy is stressed or nervous at any time. If she is, put space between her and whatever is making her nervous and/or up the reward so you can help her overcome her fear. Otherwise, those fears will stay with your dog throughout her life and may even get worse.

When can puppies start socializing with other dogs?

Because the critical socialization period ends between 12 and 16 weeks, start socializing puppies with other dogs immediately, Amanda says.

But what about vaccines? Recent findings from the veterinary field shows that puppies typically are fully vaccinated at 16 weeks, when they get their last round of shots, Dr. Faughn says. She adds that it’s best to talk to your vet about any concerns you may have.

So, what do you do until 16 weeks so you can still socialize your puppy with other dogs? The best thing to do, if they cannot interact with their littermates, is to find puppies on the same vaccination schedule — or close to — or fully vaccinated, dog-friendly adult dogs, Dr. Faughn says.

Setting up playdates for your puppy

Puppy playdates for dog socialization must be done safely. This means making sure all dogs are vaccinated and that any dog you are introducing your puppy to is known to be dog-friendly. If you are not sure if a dog is good with puppies, put your puppy in an X-pen (an enclosed exercise pen) at first, Amanda suggests. This way, both dogs can be off leash, but there is a barrier to protect your puppy until you are sure the other dog is well-behaved around puppies.

Are dog parks good for socializing puppies?

Socializing dogs is a tricky business. You do not want your puppy attacked or frightened. Meeting one friendly dog at a time is best. This is one of the reasons why dog parks are not a good idea for puppies. They can become quickly overwhelmed if a rush of adult dogs comes at them. Dr. Faughn also points out that dog parks are full of disease and germs that your puppy is not vaccinated for yet. Pet parents often do not watch their dogs very closely at dog parks either, which can lead to trouble if a dog decides to play rough or gets aggressive with your puppy.

Is puppy playtime important?

Puppy playtime is a necessary and crucial part of puppy raising. All pet parents need to make sure they are doing everything they can to help their puppy grow into a well-socialized adult dog. Of course, you can do all the right things and still end up with a dog who is nervous about some things or becomes reactive. This is due to the fact that their genetics, including temperament and instincts, play a role in their personality, as does whatever they experienced before they came into your home, Dr. Faughn explains. The best thing you can do if you encounter something you are not sure about is to remain calm yourself — if you get anxious, your puppy will just be more stressed — and get in touch with a certified dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques. To find a certified trainer in your area, check out the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.