Controlling dog aggression by using a dog muzzle

which Type of Muzzle is best for my situation?

POTENTIALLY ANXIOUS OR AGGRESSIVE DOGS

SHORT Answer: Basket Muzzles are best for aggression

For the average dog owner who wants to exercise caution while training their dogs not to be aggressive or out for walks, the basket muzzle the most humane choice recommended by veterinary behaviorists.  Basket Muzzles allow your dog to pant and open their mouths. You need a good quality muzzle that will withstand potential fighting that will not rip or bend or otherwise fail. Ideally you need to be able to give treats through (food tubes are good for this).

• USES: Bite prevention during longer-term use such as training or going on walks

A basket muzzle is also the best muzzle to use because it minimizes anxiety and fear. (1) (2) Allowing dogs to pant and open their mouths which is extremely important. Dogs pants for any number of reasons including dogs that are panting to get more oxygen due to exercising, dogs that need to regular their temperature in warmer weather, or any dog who is panting because of stress.

Although there are many variations on the market you generally see either:

• Wire basket muzzles
• Plastic basket muzzles
• Softer variations usually made of some kind of fabric such as nylon.

Giving food rewards:

Giving food rewards is essential for behavior modifcation and communication. Cut a hole at the front of plastic or rubber muzzles to make a larger hole to give them treats through the muzzle. Alternatively, using a popsicle stick with peanut butter, spreadable cheese or meat, or using a food tube all can work as well.

Dangers and considerations with basket muzzles

• Some plastic muzzles tend to be cheaper, but they don’t tend to let in as much air flow so you need to consider what activity you are doing with your dog.
• Some dogs can get their lower jaw out and get teeth stuck.
• Dogs may be able to bite through a soft or cheap plastic muzzle.

The air flow is best with a wire basket muzzles. The ability to give your dog a treat through the muzzle is a little easier, too. However, the wire muzzles tend to be a little heavier and dogs can still hurt others with by hitting them with the muzzle.

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PROTECTION TRAINING

Protection Training

Short answer: Leather Police Style or Agitation Muzzles are best for protection training.

These dog muzzles are usually used for police or protection training where the dog is encouraged to bark and bite. They are usually made of leather, although plastic variations exist. The leather variations allow the handler or target of the aggression to experience less damage if they are hit hard with them. While leather agitation muzzles considered the safest from a bite perspective, they are also the most expensive. Your trainer will likely have recommendation for your dog.

Police style or “Agitation” dog muzzle

• USES: teaching dogs to bite for police or protection training

You can see different types and prices on Amazon for “agitation training” muzzles #ad.

Dangers and considerations associated with Agitation muzzles

• Ventilation is still a concern with these muzzles. Examine how well ventilated the muzzle is that you are looking at.
• Getting the right fit is also important since it is more difficult to see how well the dog fits inside of it.

If you decide on one of these muzzles for a dog you are working with to NOT be aggressive an important consideration is how easy you can feed treats through. Using a muzzle with behavior modification or training, the ability to give a teat to your dog is essential. Some muzzles will allow you to put a popsicle stick with peanut butter, spreadable cheese or puréed meat, and as with some pplastic or rubber basket muzzles, some muzzles can be cut through to make giving treats easier.

GROOMIING OR VET VISITS

Grooming or Vet Visits

Short answer: Basket Muzzles are best, Occulsion muzzles or Cute/Funny muzzles can still be used for situations.

Basket muzzles are the most humane, but for temporary uses, occusions are acceptable are relatively easy to put on.

Occlusion Muzzle

• USES: Use occlusion muzzles short-term use only for vet visits or grooming

“Occlusion” muzzles that shut the dog’s mouth completely. They are usually made of fabric. Using a muzzle may prevents the dog from opening their mouths widely can increase anxiety and fear (1). Never use an occlusion muzzles for long period of time. They may be fine for temporary use such as at the vet or grooming. The advantage is that they can usually be put on relatively quickly.

They should not be used for preventing barking. If your dog is barking excessively, it may be a result of boredom or there may be an anxiety issue that can be resolved. In this case you should consider getting a veterinary behaviorist consultation to diagnose the issue.

It is also possible that dogs can still nip if the can get their mouths at all open.

Dangers and considerations associated with occlusion muzzles

• Because dogs cool themselves when they are panting, these muzzles can pose a threat to the dogs wearing them. Avoid using Occlusion muzzles when especially warm or when they are stressed and need to pant. Panting is the only way a dog can cool down, so if worn too long in warmer weather, it can cause heat stroke resulting in serious harm or even death.
• Dogs can find occlusion muzzles extremely frustrating

“Cute” or “Funny” Muzzles

Duck muzzle (#ad) The idea is great, but sadly, they are only good for short-term situations where the dog is unlikely to pant which rules out using them for aggressive dogs when out for a walk or when you have visitors. Like the occlusion muzzles, they may be fine for temporary use such as at the vet or grooming. The advantage is that it may make others around them feel less threatened by the fact they are wearing a muzzle.

Dangers and considerations with cute/funny duckbill muzzles

• If the temperatures are warm, or a dog is likely to be anxious, they should be avoided. Do not use these muzzles for walking or any situation where a dog needs to pant.
• The cute concept may encourage kids to approach which may not be a good thing for an anxious dog.
• Many have reported that these muzzles are far too easy for the dog to pull off.

Dean & Tyler Muzzles

The Dean and Tyler brands have good fitting guides on their site, but you can usually find them for less on Amazon than buying direct (there have been complaints buying direct did not go smoothly, but that may have been a rare situation).

Jafco

Jafco Muzzles are high quality muzzles. Many Veterinary Universities such as PennVet Behavior Medicine Clinic uses Jafco muzzles at their hospital (1) as well as other training professionals. These are plastic muzzles that have some flexibility to them so if the dog hits you with one, it doesn’t hurt as much as the wire ones.

Jafco Muzzles have been the first choice of some veterinary behaviorists and many training professionals. (1). However these are no longer as easy to find as they once were. You might be able to get them through your veterinarian. Check where to find these on the Jafco site.

SEE ALSO: 6 other ways to keep others away from your dog

Treat suggestions to use with muzzles

• “Squeezy” cheese or Canned aerosol cheese
• baby food
• liverwurst
• Pretzels sticks
• Kibble
• “long” treats
• Peanut butter, spreadable cheese or meat on a stick
• Pureed dog food

You may want to use a reusable and refillable  food tube (#ad) like this one on Amazon and use a blender to puree your dog’s food to put into it.  Kong Stuff’n products (#ad) are another good alternative for those people who don’t have the time.

Working with non-food motivated dogs

Some dogs are picky. This is sometimes causes by stress. Other time, they are simply fed enough and lack the interest in eating more. Here are some tips:

• Feed your dog less at meals
• Use only high quality and desired food – kibble is rarely motivating for dogs
• Ensure their diet is not causing them to feel uncomfortable. Some prepared raw diets, for example, do not puree vegetables well enough and may cause digestive upset
• Talk to your vet about food allergies

FAQ: Does using a muzzle make dog aggression worse?

There are some situation where improperly using a muzzle can make aggression worse due to frustration. Any kind of frustration will make aggression worse. There are three concern areas where a muzzle can increase frustration.

• Feel strange or bothersome. The muzzle it can feel strange and bothersome until your dog gets used to it.  A dog may freel frustrated if they try and can’t remove the muzzle. This is one reason why desensitization, which is easy, is so important.
• Doesn’t fit properly. It is important the the muzzle is fit properly. Too loose risks rubbing and chaffing, as well as being a safety concern. To tight and the dog will be uncomfortable.
• Prevents the dog from panting. If a dog becomes over heated, their ability to tolerate anything dimishes greatly. A basket muzzle that allow your dog to pant is key.
• Precents the dog from drinking. Again, anything where a dog is uncomfortable will increase their frustration. Ensure your dog has access to water and can drink through the muzzle easily.
• It’s been on too long: Never leave a muzzle on a dog for long period of time. An hour is the longest.
• Getting caught on something. If sticks or other items get caught on the muzzle, or if the muzzle catches on something, your dog can understandly become frustrated. Ensure your dog is being supervised when wearing a muzzle.

If a dog can’t get a muzzle off and wants to, or it is bothers his or her face, you can increase frustration and frustration can make aggression worse.  This is why you should always desensitize a dog to wearing one.

10. Alternatives to Muzzles

Muzzles aren;t for everyone. It’s not always possible to find the right muzzle for some dogs. In other cases, some people might be concerned what people think if their dog is seen wearing a muzzle. What other alternatives are there to muzzles?

Avoidance

It may seem obvious, but it’s common for people to think they and their dog needs to endure uncomfortable situations. However, crates, fences, tethering (i.e. leashing a dog to yourself or to an anchor in the house), putting a dog in a room away from whatever triggers the undesirable beahvior and outright avoidance are all alternatives to using a muzzle as a way to control an aggressive dog. Care must be taken to ensure dogs don’t become frustrated or bored.

Strong tall indoor gates (#ad – see a variety on Amazon) can provide a great deal of peace of mind when children are around or people come to visit. They can also be a good way to separate dogs who are not getting along.

Fences can be a great help to separate your dog from others. We recommend a metal based gate for indoor use that is tall enough that your dog can’t jump it or get under.

Ensure that the other people or dogs that trigger your dog’s aggression can not come so close that your dog becomes anxious. Otherwise there is a distinct possibility that your dog will feel trapped and this can make his or her aggressive response worse.

Head halters

A head halter is another alternative for handling an aggressive or reactive dog. Head halters provide a lot of control over the head. While it’s possible for a dog to bite with a head halter, you can also gently pull up on the head halter causing the mouth to close. Head halters are also used by many dog owners who don’t have aggressive dogs and are not seen as signs that your dog is aggressive.  

You will need to desensitize your dog to wearing a head halter just as you would a muzzle.  It’s far easier to direct his or her attention away from the thing they’re concerned about: much easier than using a flat collar (do not use a choke, prong or e-collar on an aggressive dog – see 5 methods to avoid in dog training).  This prevents your dog from practicing the aggression.

In conclusion

Regardless of whether your dog is aggressive, we often put our dog into situations where they cannot escape and / or don’t feel safe. Dogs have few tools at their deposal to ward off threats if their warning systems, (such as barking, growling or lunging) fail. So training your dog to wear a muzzle is a good idea. They can also can be useful for situations where your dog might be experiencing pain or fearful situations and may be an excellent idea any time children are around.

A muzzle won’t prevent an aggressive dog from getting worse, and exposing them to situations that cause their anxiety to increase will make the situations worse. Whenever possible a treatment program that includes behavior modification, as well as other measures will be more humane for your dog in the long run.

Learn more about creating a dog aggression treatment plan in the ebook The Dog Aggression System Every Dog Owner Needs.