Baskerville 6-1/2-Inch Rubber Ultra Muzzle, Size-3, Black

These have been life savers, September 26, 2012

After 3 1/2 years of getting along beautifully, my two girls, a Siberian Husky and a GSD/Boxer mix, decided it was time to renegotiate the role of Alpha dog. They had never fought before and when they went at each other with no warning (well, I’m sure there were signs that I, as a stupid human missed) I was absolutely terrified. There is no doubt in my mind that they were prepared to fight to the death. Both dogs had to be sewn up and my hand ended up in someone’s mouth when I tried to separate them and was pretty severely injured. I was in tears for two days, wondering how I was going to make it work long-term with three dogs, two of whom could have absolutely no contact with each other. They were still total lovebugs and as sweet as ever with me and with my other dog. But they wanted to kill each other. After doing some research and contacting a behaviorist, the idea of muzzles came up. I hadn’t thought of muzzles, since I guess I had bought into the idea that they were for “bad” dogs. That’s not the case. Muzzles can be an incredible tool. They provide a safe, fail-proof environment and allow us to work on the real issues. They let us be a happy family again.

I bought the Baskerville muzzles, as they seemed like the best choice for active dogs since the dogs can pant, drink, take treats and the ventilation is excellent. It honestly only took about 10 minutes each to get the girls comfortable with letting me put them on. As recommended, I held the muzzle cupped in my hand with plenty of choice treats at the bottom. Each dog put their face in on their own to retrieve the treats. Once the muzzle was seen as a treat dispenser, it was no problem to get it buckled around the dog’s head. It is a bit of a pain to find the holes in the strap, but when I found the best fit for each dog, I marked that hole with a dab of paint so I could locate it quickly. I used the over the head straps at first, but they were always flopping in the dogs’ eyes. I took them off and neither dog has ever pulled their muzzle off. Truthfully, they’re so used to them that they don’t try to pull them off.

These muzzles have just become a part of life and neither of my girls has any problem wearing one. When they see the muzzles, they sit nicely and are more than happy to put their face in as I hold the muzzle out. They seem to know it means family time. When wearing their muzzles, they get along great and play together without any aggression. They’re very active, athletic dogs and wearing these particular muzzles has allowed them to remain so. Neither their vision nor their breathing is hindered in the least. They both realized right away that they could drink with no difficulty. They even snuggle together for naps, just like they used to. I think it puts them on equal footing, and since they know they can’t fight, they don’t even bother. I know it’s the muzzles that make the difference because when they’re not wearing them, hackles are raised and they still snarl at each other through a gate.

I don’t ever leave the dogs unattended with the muzzles on. I have this great fear of someone getting caught on something or somehow getting them off and fighting. During those times, they’re in separate rooms. I also take the muzzles off and put up a baby gate every few hours and at meal times, just to give them a break. However, given the choice, my 3 dogs want to be together, so they do wear their muzzles for many hours at a time.

The one problem we had was with rubbing on the tops of the dogs’ snouts. Like I said, my dogs do wear these a lot, but the rubbing was enough to cause discomfort and rub fur off. I added some neoprene padding and that took care of the issue, but I’d like to see more padding in the design.

I’m so happy that someone recommended muzzles and this brand specifically. I was so afraid of the logistics of keeping my dogs separated while still providing plenty of love and attention and exercise to each of them. I was scared of what would happen if I made a mistake and forgot to close a door. How would we go hiking? How would we take road trips? With the Baskerville Ultra Muzzles, I can have my loves together and we can do all of the things we’ve always done. These have simply become part of our daily routine and everyone is safe and happy and loved. I hope we can work through the aggression to the point that we won’t need the muzzles. But, if not I know we’ll be okay and I can’t explain how much that means.

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