Why does Nala wear a purple muzzle in some pictures?

All dogs should be trained to wear a muzzle. Check out the video below for the reasons why:

Why does Nala, specifically, wear a, specifically purple, muzzle?

1. Nala struggles with dogs approaching her. The purple muzzle sends a clear, but friendly, message that she needs space. Rather than being treated as “aggressive”, she actually gets a lot of compliments on her muzzle in addition to getting the space she needs. People ask to pet her and put their dogs back on lead. I can’t control other people’s actions, but the muzzle often prompts them to interact with us more appropriately.
2. Adding a new pieces of equipment changes the learning picture for your dog. This new equipment allows Nala to utilize new skills more easily and struggle less around other dogs.
3. Eliminates financial and legal liability: If another dog does get too close and Nala defends herself, the muzzle prevents her from inflicting any serious injury to the other dog while defending herself. This protects me from financial and legal liability should another person accuse Nala of being responsible for any damage.
4. Control the controllable: I cannot control whether or not other people keep their dogs on lead (even if we are in an environment where leashes are required like we always are) or if a strange dog approaches her inappropriately. The muzzle protects us both from accusations and liability.

If you want to train your dog to love their muzzle, check out the videos below:

To start, you will need the right equipment:

Nala’s muzzle comes from The Muzzle Movement (themuzzlemovement.com). I added a padded foam noseband, quick release clip, and Chicago screws. I recommend all these upgrades. These are some of the more affordable customized muzzles on the market. Nala’s muzzle cost about $80 with all the upgrades.

Below are two other brands I recommend. Each serves a particular function or behavior struggle. They also both offer off the shelf muzzles and completely custom made muzzles (The Muzzle Movement only offers the sizes listed on their website). These muzzles are also a bit more expensive.

• Mia’s Muzzles (miasmuzzles.com): These muzzles are better for dogs that eat things they shouldn’t (rocks, sticks, poop). They also have name/phrase badges you can attach with your dog’s name or instructions like “Give Space”, “No Dogs”, or “Eats Poop”.
• Big Snoof Dog Gear (bigsnoofdoggear.com): These muzzles are more “bite proof”. Since they don’t have the big treat hole in the front and are made of metal wire instead of plastic, they are more effective at stopping bites.

No matter what muzzle you order, it will take a few weeks to arrive. This doesn’t mean you can’t start your training right away. In fact, you actually don’t want to use your new muzzle for the first stages of muzzle training. You are going to start with a different object (cup, cone, yogurt container, etc.) and play these games:

It is very important that you not move on to the next step unless your dog is enthusiastically engaging with the current step. If you dog is not enthusiastic, go back a step or take a break and come back at another time. We want muzzle work to always be fun, never forced. When ready, you can introduce their actual muzzle:

When they are happy to put their face in their new muzzle, you can start attaching the strap. This step can be slow. They have to get used to the straps coming around their head and it may take a bit for you to get the hang of fastening the muzzle (especially while trying to feed them to reward as you go). If you have a second person, this is a great time to utilize them. Have them give the rewards while you get the muzzle attached. As you and your dog practice, you will be able to put the straps on more easily and they will be more patient in receiving their reward until the muzzle is buckled. At this stage, you will take the muzzle off as soon as you get it strapped on, feeding the whole time.

The next step is to add some duration to wearing the muzzle. We will incorporate simple behaviors to get them moving so they aren’t focused on the muzzle. If they paw at or try to remove the muzzle, slow down and take it off sooner.

When you are ready, take your muzzle on the road:

This video shows why it is so important to use a larger custom muzzle for hiking and activities:

We hope you have as much fun muzzle training as we did and that you feel the same freedom and peace of mind using a muzzle out and about as we do. If you have questions on training this (or another behavior) or want help with your dog’s specific struggle, text my dog training number at 719-301-9097.