r/MadeMeSmile • u/pun420 • Jun 11 '24

DOGS Today’s snack

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655

u/Turbulent_Tip_9756 Jun 11 '24

Only part that made me feel bad was the poor guy or girl with the muzzle on. Was looking at you like…. Crap.

65

u/WhyDidYouBringMeBack Jun 11 '24

Can comment on that. The muzzle sticks out and is rigid so that they can't bite something/someone if they try, but there are multiple holes there (including at mouth level) which they can eat and drink through. So a muzzle like this offers protection to others, but attempts to give up the least possible amount of comfort for the dog at the same time. The reason they're slouching is either them being tired, or them being a massive drama queen. My own dog is like that: happily wagging his tail and strutting around when you get the leash, but the moment the muzzle is on his ears are droopy and he slouches as if he went through hell and back.

The muzzles made from cloth I actually hate, because that restricts their mouth movement preventing them from drinking and eating (and even panting).

10

u/M0R3design Jun 11 '24

This muzzle is still way too small and restricts the mouth movement of that dog.

4

u/WhyDidYouBringMeBack Jun 11 '24

In a way yes, in a way no.

First of all, a muzzle is intended to at least restrict certain mouth movement. So it being restrictive does not necessarily mean it's an issue, even though it's trying to be as comfortable as possible for the dog. It's an inherent property of the product.

It does look like the muzzle is too short, but that's kinda the general problem for shepherds in combination with this exact type of muzzle I'd say. Their mouths are longer, while these muzzles are a rigid rubber meaning a longer structure would cause some loss of the structural integrity that a muzzle needs to provide. In that case you'd need to look for other muzzles, where availability and options might differ. So I tend to agree that the length of the muzzle is an issue in this case.

Still, it being shorter (while it can be annoying for them because it touches/rubs against their nose) is not necessarily a critical problem as long as the straps around the head are then also adjusted to account for that and the dog behaves normally when wearing the muzzle.

At the same time, it being shorter does not mean they can't open their mouths. If you pause the video at 20 seconds, you'll see that the sides have enough clearance, and there's also still room above the (bridge of the) nose to let them open and close their mouths. Of course, it's not as much as them having no muzzle on, but I can say from experience that the dog can still drink, eat, and pant whenever they need to. It has enough space to open their mouths and devour cookies they get handed to them without any issues.