This muzzle is so well made with high quality material. Something you are not used to getting in today's world. This muzzle allows your dog to pant, take treats, and drink while wearing it. While I can totally trust my dog not to bite me, I can also totally trust that she will bite a stranger. We got the muzzle only a few days ago and with the step by step directions she is wagging her tail when I get it out. She has worn it for the first time tonight all while I had about twenty pieces of bologna to give her while she was wearing it. She did not associate it at all with the nylon one she hates at the vets office. I just went over to pick it up and move it and she came right over wagging her tail and sat down. I am very excited about working with her and perhaps,one day, overcoming this fear aggression.
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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I got this for a rescue dog that chewed EVERYTHING! After a few times of being in the muzzle for 15 minutes after chewing on something he shouldn't he started doing it less and less. After long periods of not misbehaving, he gets put in it every now and again. It is so comfortable he doesn't even mind wearing it. He waits for me to put it on him and just lays down and goes to sleep!
The muzzle fits beautifully, I love the way it's made, top quality shows in the details. The top band, that you can take off is really good when they start rubbing up on furniture or trees trying to get it off when you first put it on them.
The basket is VERY heavy duty yet lightweight and doesn't cause irritation. I love how his regular dog collar fits the lower strap and keeps the muzzle secure. This is a very humane and comfortable way to adjust attitudes and behaviors!
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If you can get the size right and use it for brief periods, maybe it will be 5 stars for you. I gave it 2 stars for sturdiness, but took one off for sizing difficulty, one star off for the difficulty getting the hook on the top strap, and one star for all the rough edges. There's a low probability the dog can get this off if you put it on right. Perhaps it should be five stars for successfully halting the biting and for staying in place, but ease of use and comfort for the dog are important to me as well.
Sizing is a problem; I couldn't find a good chart on Amazon.com, but may have found a table that uses snout circumference and length on another web site. My dog weighs 35 pounds, yeah he's overweight, so the recommended size is a 3, but it's a 2 for the breed (Cocker) and a 3 based upon the measurements on the other site's table. I bought a 3 and the circumference seemed right. The dog could eat, drink and pant but couldn't bite. It was about a half inch too long though and the upper bar was almost in the dog's eyes. If you have to compromise, base the size you select on snout length, don't buy a size that's too long. It's possible no size fits a particular dog. I've posted a picture of my dog's nose where the muzzle rubbed the top of his nose raw.
While the muzzle is sturdy, there are small ribs around the inside edges and the nylon straps have rough edges that rubbed and collected tufts of the dog's hair. On the other hand, my dog hated the thing and constantly tried to get it off.
The dog has never cared for a muzzle and it was a struggle to get it on. The groomer and vet have had to use a muzzle the last few years. The hook on top is designed to penetrate nearly hidden holes cut into the top strap; they're impossible to see and difficult to align with a struggling dog. If you buy this, you'll want to study the instructions closely, it isn't entirely intuitive how this is muzzle goes on.
Haven't tried, but I'd guess you could throw this thing in the washing machine (no bleach) to clean.
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This is a good muzzle, but I had to return the size 3 and get the size 4 instead for my 40-pound pit/greyhound.
So I recommend the product, but consider basing your sizing on actual measurements (which some of the Baskerville descriptions include) rather than weight of your dog.
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Was excited to get this for my son's barking boxer. The only huge problem with this device is the battery dies very quickly.
