Muzzle training and tolerance is a skill every dog should have in their toolbox. Any dog has the capacity to bite, and in an emergency situation things can go sideways fast. Dogs are often muzzled in emergency situations to keep them and the people around them safe. Muzzle training takes the panic out of those situations and makes them that much more manageable.
Muzzle training for brief periods and muzzle training for long periods follows a similar trajectory. Your dog needs to learn to:
- Look at the muzzle
- Target the muzzle
- Hold still while you secure the muzzle
- Ignore the muzzle
Before you start, grab some treats, your muzzle (and training muzzle!), your dog, and head to a quiet location to train. Hold the muzzle in such a way that the straps are not in your dog’s way when they try to put their nose in the muzzle.
1. & 2. Look at and target the muzzle
Holding your muzzle in one hand and some treats in the other, show your dog the muzzle. The moment your dog shows any interest in the muzzle, mark and reward.
You can toss a treat to your dog, put it on the ground, or feed it from your hand – but don’t lure them into the muzzle yet!
As your dog is eating the reward, put the muzzle behind your back or out of sight. Once your dog is ready for another rep, pull the muzzle out and show them. Mark and reward for any look, sniff, etc towards the muzzle.
Repeat this at least 5 times, or until your dog is quickly looking at the muzzle when you show them.
Once your dog is reliably looking, offer the muzzle a little closer to them. Now, mark and reward for any sniffing of the muzzle.
Once they’re reliably sniffing, continue offering the muzzle at that proximity. If they aren’t putting their nose in, try luring them in with a treat. Poke the treat through the front of the muzzle. You may need to mark and reward for baby steps – putting their nose halfway in is a good start!
Do not chase your dog with the muzzle. Encourage them to push their face into it – do not force it on their face! That is a quick way to create aversion and teach your dog to escape from the muzzle.
As your dog puts their nose in the muzzle, reward them through the front several times in a row. Build duration of them keeping their nose in this way.
Once your dog can keep their face in the muzzle happily for several seconds, you can move on to securing the muzzle!
3. Securing the muzzle
This is sometimes easier done with two people!
While feeding your dog treats through the front of the muzzle, start to mess with the straps between treats. Go at your dog’s pace – if they whip their head out of the muzzle at the slightest movement, go slow!
Start by fiddling with the straps, then feeding a treat, then fiddling with the straps, etc. Increase the amount of time you fuss with the straps until your dog is patiently waiting for a few seconds while you futz around behind his head. The first time you successfully clip the muzzle, immediately release it! Many dogs can feel “caught” or “trapped” when they realize the muzzle is strapped on. Avoid this by removing it immediately.
If you’re having trouble building time, some dogs do well with some scattered treats to slurp up while you fiddle with the straps. Other dogs do well with some sticky treats added to the front of their muzzle, like peanut butter or squeeze cheese. Take your time here, and try different methods until you find one that works for you and your dog.
4. Ignore the muzzle
Now that you’ve got the muzzle on, it’s time to add duration. Muzzles are frustrating, so this is a great time to use a training muzzle or conditioning muzzle. For some dogs, this step can be achieved by just putting their training muzzle on (without the front) and playing fetch, tug, treat chase, etc with them.
As long as your dog has the muzzle on, keep them distracted and entertained. Muzzles should be a gateway to super fun activities, not boring stuff! Do some tricks with your dog, feed them lots of treats for not pawing at the muzzle, and prevent them from successfully removing it.
Use treats that are easy to slip through the gaps of the muzzle – long, stick-like treats do well here! Dehydrated hot dog quarters, cut lengthwise, are a favorite in our house.
Start off with just a few seconds of muzzle time, and work your way up to a minute, then several minutes, and so on. Many dogs will never need to wear a muzzle for longer than 15-20 minutes. Once you get past the several minute mark, many dogs tend to get used to it more quickly.
After a muzzle training session, do something fun with your dog. This helps them form positive associations with the muzzle, which can keep their training strong.
As soon as your dog is relatively comfortable in their muzzle, you can use it for short situations like nail trims, baths, vet visits, etc. As long as your dog is tolerating their muzzle well, make sure to pay them for their tolerance.
