# Muzzle recommendations?



## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

I highly recommend these wire basket muzzles. They come in every dimension. They have secure fit, leather pads to protect the snouth, and a plastic grid to protect a dog's tongue from cold metal in cold weather. They do not interfere with a dog's line of vision and are well tolerated compared to other muzzles.

A dog can pant, drink water (in a deep dish). I like these because the dogs cannot bite while wearing one and you can pop treats through the wire so that positive training can continue even when the muzzles are worn.

I have owned several of these muzzles in a variety of sizes. They last for years - for as long as you care for the leather. I have tried many, many muzzles on the market. This is the only one I recommend now.

Leerburg | Wire Basket Muzzles


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

tortoise said:


> I highly recommend these wire basket muzzles. They come in every dimension. They have secure fit, leather pads to protect the snouth, and a plastic grid to protect a dog's tongue from cold metal in cold weather. They do not interfere with a dog's line of vision and are well tolerated compared to other muzzles.
> 
> A dog can pant, drink water (in a deep dish). I like these because the dogs cannot bite while wearing one and you can pop treats through the wire so that positive training can continue even when the muzzles are worn.
> 
> ...


I'm so glad someone has experience with the Leerburg muzzles. I was looking at them online, but I didn't know if they were as good as hyped. They are over the price point where I feel comfortable buying a few as an experiment and throwing them out if they don't work.


----------



## bookwormjane (Dec 18, 2011)

I have used these with success:
Birdwell Enterprises Muzzles


----------



## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

Sounds like a dangerous situation. If it were me, I would not allow those dogs around my dog. What if something terrible happened?


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

PaddleAddict said:


> Sounds like a dangerous situation. If it were me, I would not allow those dogs around my dog. What if something terrible happened?


You make a point I've already been thinking about. Unfortunately, the other dogs' owner and I have both a friendship and a business relationship. We, and our dogs, spend hours together every week. We'd pretty much have to end our relationship to keep the dogs apart. This would affect more people than just the two of us. I feel a bit like a parent contemplating homeschooling or moving to another school district in response to a bullying situation at school. No, I don't want to put my kids at risk. At the same time, I'd want to try working with the school before I disrupt my work, my family, and my kids' friendships.


----------



## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

cowpony said:


> You make a point I've already been thinking about. Unfortunately, the other dogs' owner and I have both a friendship and a business relationship. We, and our dogs, spend hours together every week. We'd pretty much have to end our relationship to keep the dogs apart. This would affect more people than just the two of us. I feel a bit like a parent contemplating homeschooling or moving to another school district in response to a bullying situation at school. No, I don't want to put my kids at risk. At the same time, I'd want to try working with the school before I disrupt my work, my family, and my kids' friendships.


Bring a crate for your dog. Problem solved.


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I thought people might want an update about the dog fight situation.

I called up the Leerburg folks as recommended by Tortoise, and they were quite helpful on wire basket muzzle fitting advice. The cur dog ended up with a C type muzzle. The poodles got H types. The dogs are able to pant, bark, and drink with no trouble at all.

I kept my guys home for a week after the incident. They were absolutely miserable. Two 30 minute leash walks per day and the occasional game of fetch in our fenced yard is just not enough exercise and mental stimulation for them. Usually on the drive over to my friend's house the dogs go to sleep in the back seat. After the hiatus they stood the entire ride, looking out the window and whining in excitement. They really wanted their outing.

We looked over the situation at my friend's house. We realized the dog fights usually happen in one section of the property next to a road and fence. What happens is the dogs run along the fence barking at things they see on the other side. Eventually one of the dogs gets over excited, nips at one of the other dogs, and a fight breaks out. It's a classic setup for barrier frustration escalating into redirected aggression. Luckily, we do have the ability to lock the dogs out of this section of the property. We are doing that now unless we need to be down there.

We make the dogs wear muzzles when we need to work down near the road. Since the dogs now regard access to the road fence as a treat, we had very little trouble getting them used to wearing the muzzles. They associate the muzzles with doing fun things in a section of the property normally off limits. The C type muzzle has a strap running down between the dogs eyes and works very well for the cur. It stays firmly in place no matter what the dog does. The H type fits the poodles fairly well, but I don't like the design as much. The spacing of the wire is wide enough that my dog got his toe caught a couple of times pawing at the muzzle during the introduction period. He was also able to paw it off his face once when I hadn't tightened the straps quite enough. I now double check the straps and make sure the dog is kept distracted enough that he's not pawing the muzzle while he's wearing it.

So, at this point I think the situation is manageable if not perfect. The other option for exercising my dogs the way they need is to take them to a dog park. I'm not convinced a dog park would be a safer or better solution. At least in the current situation I know the personalities of the other dogs, I know their triggers, and I know they've had their shots.


----------

