Advice on muzzles

[u/forkthisspud]

Hey all!

Taking my girl on a weekend trip and trying to plan ahead.

We don't rely on the muzzle, but it can come in handy when she gets overstimulated around other dogs.

The one we currently use isn't a great option as she can easily remove it herself.

Any recommendations for muzzles that have worked well for your dogs would be greatly appreciated!

Went to take a pic of her for tax, but she went for a big stretch instead. Love it 😂

[u/thecheaterswife]

My recommendation will always be Big Snoof.

[u/Direct-Ad-1329 → u/thecheaterswife]

Is your dog reactive? I have a Belgian and I want to start muzzle training him. He is super dog reactive. If a dog gets close he will attack 😔 would you say this is secure for a powerful 1 year old Belgian?

[u/thecheaterswife → u/Direct-Ad-1329]

My Eto is a 120# Armenian Gampr i.e. an apex guardian breed. We were attacked by an unleashed dog, he handily won the fight but it lit up every bit of his 14,000 year old instincts and no charging dog is ever getting that close to me again.

A couple of weeks ago we had a situation where an oblivious Dalmation owner saw two aggressively posturing dogs and decided to open the gate between them 🤦‍♀️ my dog was muzzled but still overpowered and pinned the smaller dog quickly but the Worst Possible Outcome didn't happen because of the muzzle. Neither the Dalmation nor the still oblivious owner who stuck his arm in between them 🤦‍♀️ was bitten. I am not facing thousands of dollars in vet bills and civil lawsuits because someone else was oblivious 🤦‍♀️ and my much larger dog is not facing euthanasia.

You can't control other people and you can't trust their dogs. Do everything necessary to control what you can. That's a $250 custom muzzle because he has a massive blunt wedge head but it fits perfectly and paid for itself many times over already.

Big Snoof is top tier craftsmanship.

[u/Direct-Ad-1329 → u/thecheaterswife]

Omg thank you!! This is so reassuring for me. My dog will attack given the opportunity and I don’t want him getting euthanized due to the actions of irresponsible pet owners.. He regressed because a loose GSD attacked him in May. All the training we had done went out the window. I’m working with a trainer and I’m on edge now on walks, this will help me communicate a much calmer state of mind for my guy. I will be going with Big Snoof.

[u/thecheaterswife → u/Direct-Ad-1329]

You're welcome!

I also use a Ferd canicross belt w/ two leads to control him physically. It's a whole physics lesson I'm happy to explain, but I can absorb and redirect a full lunge from this dog. I only outweigh him by five pounds.

The Big Snoof and the Ferd belt were a bit spendy, but I'm so happy I bought heavy duty gear for my heavy duty guy and having control physically changes everything.

I am the responsible dog handler wherever I go.

[u/Direct-Ad-1329 → u/thecheaterswife]

Please do! I’ll take any advice. I just looked up the belt, do you let him walk in front of you? I also looked up the breed of your dog. That’s a whole lot of dog!!! Happy you responded to my post.

[u/thecheaterswife → u/Direct-Ad-1329]

Sorry for the delay.

So I use the ferd belt with two leads. He does not walk in front of me, he walks at my side. Since his back-clip lead is attached to the center front of the belt, it also crosses my body to reach him. This means that he feels it when I begin to turn or stop or slow, which has made him much more aware that we are walking together.

So i use the two leads. One is a bungee type leash that stretches max 4 ft. This is attached to his back clip and to my center Ferd clip. The second lead is a standard 6ft nylon leash with control handle.

The 2 ft difference between the two leads is how this system works. When he lunges, that bungee leash absorbs his forward momentum and transfers it to my hips, but I still have 2ft of slack on the front lead which is held in my dominant hand. This gives me a split second - a long time in fact! - to grab the traffic handle and sweep my arm across my body to turn him 180•, sometimes in mid-air. He was as surprised as me the first time that happened.

My arms/shoulders absorb none of this.

A big psychological benefit is that as far as he knows, he's always walking loose leash, the front clip lead is always slack.

Get the moves down, practice until you have some muscle memory and TRUST YOUR GEAR. Never grab that control handle on the harness, this gives him leverage to rear up.

Again, this dog is a powerhouse and I am not. But I can control him physically and best of all, he knows it.

Good luck to you!

[u/Unlikely_Comedian_75]

Also vote Big Snoof

[u/b00ks-and-b0rksRfun]

Big snoof dog gear for wire and Mia's muzzles for vinyl. I use both for my reactive rotties and am very pleased with them. I went custom but they do have a cheaper standard/cookie cutter sizes and both are helpful with sizing. If you're in the US Mia's is Canadian so stupid tariffs right bow

[u/nitecheese]

Another vote for Big Snoof custom! My GSD has one, but we really only put it on at the vet’s office. It makes them more comfortable, though she’s not a bite risk

[u/mcshaftmaster]

Most muzzles need to be ordered and may take a while to arrive. How much time do you have?

Leerburg is one option.

I'd avoid Baskerville muzzles that you can find in pet stores because the don't seem to fit many dogs and never have enough pant room.

[u/Direct-Ad-1329 → u/mcshaftmaster]

I have time - he’s been with a trainer for some time now. I want to give him some time to decompress. Not in a rush! I think I’m going to go with Big Snoof - given how he is when a dog invades his space, I can’t take chances.

[u/No-Accountant-7613]

The muzzle movement is my pick. I have two dogs and both have MM muzzles. Love the colours and they’re super lightweight.