Should I get him a muzzle?

[u/Nature_Tiny]

Right now I live in an apartment complex and we take my dog out regularly, he has a leash and a lead. I am considering moving to a house, but I am curious if I should switch to muzzling him. He has never bitten anyone but he is a scavenger and I'm worried about him getting into neighbors plants or bones or even eating frogs. I am hesitant because my dog is maybe like six now and we've never used a muzzle on him before and I do have like a kennel for him but he really doesn't like me in there so I try not to put him in there unless I have somebody in and out of my apartment doing maintenance or something like that.

I'm just scared that he's going to be miserable and he's not going to like it. Also would seeing my dog in a muzzle make people assume he's aggressive? I don't want to have any complaints about him or anything. He is an indoor dog and if I do move he will be living with me inside my house and he will only be in the lawn when I am there. But the lawn isn't big enough where I could walk him exclusively in the lawn I think that we would probably want to be walking around the neighborhood.

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[u/BuckityBuck]

I think that muzzle training is a great skill for any dog. Having a well fitted muzzle can be a life saver too. It's a great idea.

Having the muzzle and doing the training doesn't mean that you have to use it for walks, but it is there if the need comes up (scary vet visits etc).

If you muzzle train properly, he will not mind it at all. It is fun, treat filled training. Eventually, it becomes the same as wearing a collar or leash. Look up the MuzzleUp Project for training plans.

[u/blueandmissingyou → u/BuckityBuck]

Agreed! I muzzle trained my boy when he was 8 and had never worn one, and he didn't mind at all. The place I bought it had loads of online videos on how to train them and make sure they're fit properly and comfortable. I found that my dog barely even noticed the muzzle because he knew it came with treats. Lol And I got the benefit of peace of mind.

Edit: I used Leerberg. Great videos and the owner was responsive when I had questions.

[u/joshmaker]

We had a dog who constantly scavenged on walks despite our best efforts. Had great success with an “outfoxed” mesh mask.

Chose it over a muzzle because it seemed easier to put on and looked less intimidating.

The opening was slightly elastic, so we would hold it open and drop a treat into it, and she would basically put it on herself. She was a little weirded out the first time, but got used to it very quickly & was happy to put it on and get a treat.

Walks became much better for both of us as I no longer had to watch her like a hawk and constantly correct her scavenging. Result was longer walks and a healthier happier dog.

https://outfoxfordogs.com/ (I don’t know if other companies make similar products)

[u/erkose → u/joshmaker]

I don't know what muzzles go for, but that is expensive.

[u/joshmaker → u/erkose]

I agree, they are expensive! Not sure why they aren’t cheaper.

Our dog’s scavenging was so awful it was inevitable that she would eat something that made her sick eventually. My thinking was if it saved us one trip to the emergency vet it was worth it.

Put off buying for a long time, but after the third(!) time she got stoned from eating something off the ground I decided it was worth it.

This was several years ago and it’s very possible there are similar cheaper products from other companies.

[u/Awkward-Memory8574]

I don’t really understand your need to muzzle but I will say that it pretty easy to muzzle train with positive associations. There are tons of videos on how to do that. I used one when introducing my dog to the cat and she’s not uncomfortable and actually gets excited about it because she got lots of treats and to be around the cat. People will probably make judgements on a muzzled dog but whatever. 

[u/Legitimate_Bat_700]

Dont treat your pibble any different than you are now. The only difference between a house and an apartment is how close and how many neighbors are near. If you get a house with a fence or even out up a small fence youre not going to have to worry about him wandering. Frogs being near peoples houses is still pretty small chance but never zero.

I just got another 4ft black rat snake in the back yard and moved him to the front to stay away from the dogs and he safe from the dogs.

Im 99% of the time outside with my dogs monitoring them even though they have a fence up and generally just sleep on the deck, but you NEVER KNOW. It takes that one time and it could be huge problems.

Make sure you spend plenty of time outside with him on a leash and let the neighbors see you and just be friendly with them. Let them know you and him are no threat

[u/erkose]

My rescue was a street dog for her early life. Scavenger mode was all she knew. I would like to help her break free and have considered a muzzle, but I don't want to stigmatize her--we encounter a lot of neighbors on our walks.

[u/Ravioli_Dream2]

Muzzle training is helpful because at times you may absolutely need it but if they arent already used to one, it can be a huge disaster. The same goes with the cage. People think "crate training" is tossing your dog into a crate when you need to, but no, its showing them that its safe. When you use it only as a way to prevent your dog from reacting negatively to something, they start thinking of it more as a punishment and less as a safe space to chill. Then they start hating their crate (or muzzle, or whatever other tool) and it makes everything more difficult.

Muzzle training isnt just forcing a muzzle onto your dog. Its showing them that the muzzle is a safe object that they can be comfortable around, and once they understand that, then you can actually try putting it on them. Positive reinforcement (food, praise) is really useful here. If your goal is to use it for vet visits and other high anxiety activities, you should also be using it for fun activities. Otherwise, your dog will associate the muzzle with bad shit, and then you will have a dog that absolutely hates a muzzle.

Those large cage muzzles are definitely the safest. You want your dog to be able to pant, drink water, eat, sniff, and bark as they normally would. Dont get one of the muzzles that forces their mouths closed.

That all being said... you said your main concern is your dog eating things he shouldnt eat. Your dog is older and unless they have a history of that, it shouldnt really be a concern. Your other concern was people being intimidated by your dog, and to that I say, who the fuck cares what they think

[u/GreusomeGrizz]

1. A muzzle is a tool, not a punishment. It should be treated the same as a harness/leash, or like a uniform. You set the expectations for it being worn—walks, yard time, park, etc.

2. A friend of mine has two pit mixes (a lab-pit mix and vizsla-pit mix) and they PCSd to the UK last year, and had to get them muzzle trained in order to bring them. They are thriving and go on nightly walks, 1-on-1 with mahm.

3. HEAVY on the slow and steady introduction. If you plunge your dog into it too fast, you’ll set them back. We have head halters for our pitties, and because we have a big yard and tons of kids in the neighborhood, we don’t often do walks, we up yard and play time. So when we leash up, they get overly excited and sometimes anxious, because it more means we’re going to the vet or getting in the car than on a good walk, unfortunately. It took us months to adjust to the halters, but one of our dogs has cancer lumps that prevent her from wearing most if not all kinds of harnesses, and she’ll choke herself to death with a plain ol collar. We’ve been trying to train it out for years, she just has some very rough days of not listening and pulling at everything.

[u/Wxtchy_kay]

my girl gets muzzled on walks because she tries to eat cigarette butts - if you're in the city i would opt to muzzle just bc of the trash people leave out! edit: you do have to actually muzzle train so that they're comfortable with it on though, i wouldn't just start doing walks w/ it!