Puppy training with a muzzle for biting

[ZinaHelm]

What is your recommendation on using a muzzle or the pronged choke collar on a puppy??

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

Prong collars (and even choke collars) are something I do not personally recommend. The reasons for this are several, here are a few:

- A prong collar is a corrective device. In other words, it's meant to work by creating an unpleasant sensation around the dog's neck (the prongs "dig" into the skin). There are two mechanisms of action: active correction (directly from the owner) or passive correction (indirectly). Active correction takes place when the owner deliberately delivers a correction by yanking the leash when the dog is showing signs of "misbehaving." The yank is given contingent upon the dog performing an undesirable behavior.

Passive correction takes place when the dog pulls on the leash, in other words, the dog receives an "auto-correction" since upon pulling, the strain on the leash causes the prong collar to tighten around the neck. When a dog therefore lunges towards other dogs, one may deliver a correction, or the dog may get an "auto-correction".

-Potential fallouts. In the case of a dog pulling and getting an autocorrection or a deliberate correction from the owner, one would think that the dog associates lunging with the pain and therefore, should stop lunging. But there's more into that.

First of all, depending on the dog's pain threshold/situation (when dogs go through adrenaline surges as it happens during fight or flight) they may have reduced perception of pain/discomfort), this may or may not result in reduced pulling behavior. Secondly, lunging is simply an outward manifestation of internal turmoil. Correction after correction, the dog risks learning to associate the presence of other dogs with the pain of the collar, with the potential for further increasing reactivity. Fixing pulling and lunging behaviors with corrective tools therefore risks increasing anxiety and aggression. 

Board-certified veterinary behaviorists Dr. Soraya V. Juarbe-Diaz  explains, “I can stop any behavior, but I am more interested in teaching my students, animal or human, to choose the behavior I want them to perform because they can trust me, because I do not hurt them and they are safe with me, and because the outcome is something they enjoy. Mistakes are inherent in any type of learning — if I continually frighten or hurt my students when they get something wrong, eventually they will be afraid to try anything new and will not want to learn from me any longer."

-Physical results. The negative repercussions explains why Austria and Switzerland have banned the use of prongs and why many dog trainers, behaviorists and veterinarians are concerned about their use. Veterinarian and thyroid expert Dr. Jean Dodds claims that prong collars can easily injure a dog's thyroid as well as the salivary glands and salivary lymph nodes. In developing puppies, these structures are even more vulnerable. 

So what tools do I recommend for dogs who pull and large dogs?  In general,  I prefer front-attachment harnesses. Lately,  the Perfect Fit harness has received rave reviews among dog trainers along with the Balance Harness and the Ruffwear Front Range harness. Another option that may work for some dogs are head halters, although these need an adjustment period (to get the dog used to wearing it). 

And of course, it should never be forgotten that training is the ultimate answer for training dogs to walk nicely. Only training, along with gentle guidance, patience and time is what ultimately stops pulling. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

In regards, to the muzzle, I think muzzle training is always a good practice, even with dogs who do not bite. This training can start early with puppies. I am using a nylon muzzle in my video, which I use for vet visits (when there are chances the dog may be pain) but basket muzzles are a better option for management purposes.  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/

Generally, in the case of puppies, muzzles are mostly temporarily used for cases of them ingesting things in the yard. They are not typically used for young puppies who bite out of play or just normal puppy nipping. This because it may interfere with the acquisition of bite inhibition and it can lead to frustration since puppies are naturally prone to play bite/explore with their mouths and they may be teething. If there are more serious forms of biting though (like resource guarding), then its use can vary on a case by case basis. 

Of course, muzzles are just management tools. They are not meant to expose dogs to overwhelming situations that puts them in the position of wanting to bite. It's important to therefore work on behavior modification while having the dog wear the muzzle, which in aggression cases, should be done under the in-person guidance of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation.