I've found myself in many conversations about muzzles lately, and it’s striking how their perception has evolved. Once seen as tools for only “dangerous” dogs, muzzles now sometimes appear as a possible ethical blind spot in their acceptance . While I love that muzzled dogs are no longer stigmatised as much, and the movement to support understanding the various reasons for using muzzles has been essential in changing the perceptions, has it meant that we have started to over use them? Are we using them without really questioning the ethics of using them?

Usually, a muzzled dog signifies that the guardian is both responsible and empathetic to their dog’s and others' needs. But as with many things, are we going too far? I often hear that any dog can wear a muzzle if conditioned enough or that their dog is happy in a muzzle. This brings me back to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a human with a large frontal cortex, I can rationalise and understand complex subjects. I knew why I needed to wear a mask, had ways to work around it, and knew it wouldn't be forever—yet it still caused me significant anxiety. When masks were no longer required, I realised how much stress they had caused.

Communication is very important to me—I enjoy chatting, banter, and connecting with people. While wearing a mask, I felt that people were avoiding each other more, making communication harder and often misinterpreted. This is no different for our dogs. And not only do dogs use their mouths as important communication tools they are also essential processing tools. They use their mouths to navigate the world, much like we use our hands. Not only are we reducing their communication, but we are also hindering many normal behaviours.

Dogs pick things up with their mouths to learn about them, which helps with confidence, choice, and autonomy. When my dogs sniff, they often put their nose or tongue on the object they are investigating. With a muzzle, this ability is reduced or even impossible. They defend themselves with their mouths, much like we would push someone away if threatened. Although we don’t want dogs biting, taking that option away can increase their stress and make dogs more likely to bite. Many dogs hold things for comfort, like a baby with a dummy or us with a stress ball. They show subtle communications with their faces that others can’t pick up on when muzzled. Muzzles can also make dogs seem scarier to other dogs.

I'm not saying we shouldn't use muzzles—they save lives. But we need to be careful not to make them something they are not. No matter how well-conditioned, any dog would choose not to wear a muzzle if given a choice. A dog appearing comfortable in a muzzle doesn’t mean they wouldn't feel more relaxed without it. Muzzles can lead us to put dogs in difficult situations they aren't ready for. Many dogs who growl, snap, lunge, and snarl never bite. Professional support is imperative to determine if a dog is an actual bite risk.

For dogs who guard, have pica, or eat strange things, muzzles can sometimes make the situation worse, making those items even more valuable. When working with people with severe pica, we never used muzzles. It’s harder with dogs due to their natural behaviours, and sometimes muzzles are necessary, but we should work on removing them as quickly as possible. To support dogs in feeling more confident, we need to support as many freedoms as we can. Safety is important, but let’s make sure our risk assessments are sound and not just feeding off our own fears.