Do muzzles make dogs aggressive?

Muzzles are useful preventative tools to keep dogs from engaging in dangerous behavior with their mouths — and that doesn’t mean just biting. Many of our perceptions about muzzles are based in simple misunderstandings — and in some cases they’re rooted in downright myth. Just because a dog is wearing a muzzle doesn’t necessarily mean he’s bitten someone in the past. In fact, many caretakers use muzzles as a preventive measure to ensure their dog and the people around him stay safe. Dogs use a number of cues to let their caregivers know when they’re stressed or scared, when continually pushed in this place of discomfort, they can resort to biting. You can do your part to limit the stress on your dog by keeping him out of situations that make him uncomfortable. When used properly, a well-fitting muzzle should never cause your dog any pain or discomfort. Dogs are able to pant, drink water, and even take treats with ease once they’re used to their properly fitting basket muzzle.

The muzzle itself will not fix a dog’s reactivity or dog-dog aggression. While The Muzzle Up! Project promotes muzzles as an excellent tool to keep dogs and humans safe in a variety of situations, it’s important to remember that a muzzle isn’t a green light to lead a dog into a situation that will cause him to react. Even though he may not be able to put teeth on skin, it’s still dangerous and will only serve to strengthen a dog’s reactivity. Incorporating the muzzle into a force-free training plan to help keep you and your dog safe will get you closer to your behavior change goals. Stress increases reactivity. When working with reactivity and aggression, it’s important to avoid adding further stress to a dog’s environment. Desensitization and counterconditioning your dog to a muzzle using a gradual training plan will prevent adding stress during training and ensure your dog is comfortable at each step of the process. Don’t take the muzzle into the training session until your dog has a strong positive association to wearing it, and can comfortably wear it throughout all the parameters of a training session.