Our most popular muzzle styles are our Wire & Leather Basket Muzzle options. These include the DT Freedom, DT Muzzle, Leather Basket Muzzle, Royal Leather Basket Muzzle & DT Freedom Winter & The Guardian models; all of which use leather straps to adjust for a secure fit and are fitted with full, natural felt padding to sit between the muzzle and the top of the snout, to prevent rubbing and offer maximum comfort. Our DT Freedom & DT Muzzle wire basket muzzles are our basic wire basket models, featuring nearly thirty sizes in each, a chrome-plated steel wire basket and leather straps to secure the muzzle in place. The DT Freedom Winter is materially the same as the DT Freedom, with the added feature of a durable, black rubber-coating on the wire basket. The Leather Basket, Royal Leather Basket and Guardian models have a leather basket construction reinforced with strong, hand-set rivets. The Royal Leather Basket is a premium version of the standard Leather Basket, featuring a Nappa leather lining. The Guardian is our most-robust model, offering a leather basket construction as well as a leather-covered, steel reinforcement bar for agitation work.

MY DOG IS SHOWING SIGNS OF AGGRESSION AND WE NEED A MUZZLE TO PREVENT POSSIBLE INJURY:

All of the above-mentioned basket muzzle models are ideal for dogs with aggression issues or who may be considered a bite risk.

MY DOG NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO PANT, TAKE TREATS AND DRINK WATER:

All basket muzzles will allow for dogs to pant, take treats and drink water to varying degrees, though there may be a learning curve for both dog and handler to navigate the basket. DT Freedom, DT Freedom Winter, Leather Basket Muzzle and Royal Leather Basket Muzzle are the easiest muzzles to treat with.

MY DOG EATS STUFF THEY SHOULDN’T (ROCKS, STICKS, TRASH, EXCREMENT, ETC.):

For dogs who tend to eat items and objects not meant for consumption, a Leather Basket Muzzle is recommended as it has a wide piece of leather that covers the front and makes ingestion more difficult. Similarly, our DT Muzzle has a second layer of wire grid in the front of the basket, which creates a bit more difficulty for pets to pick up foreign items. To be sure the stubbornest of dogs do not manage to get their way, Dean & Tyler recommends continuing supervision for dogs known to consume foreign items as our muzzles should slow them down but still have openings.

TEMPERATURES TEND TO DROP BELOW FREEZING WHERE WE LIVE. WHAT MODELS ARE BEST SUITED FOR OUR CLIMATE?

Our Leather Basket Muzzle, Royal Leather Basket Muzzle, DT Freedom Winter and The Guardian models are ideal for colder climates to prevent potential freezing that might otherwise occur with a wire basket.

I WANT A MUZZLE THAT ALLOWS MY DOG TO HAVE A FULL PANT. WHICH DO YOU RECOMMEND?

The DT Freedom, DT Freedom Winter, Leather Basket Muzzle, Royal Leather Basket Muzzle and The Guardian models are the roomiest options of basket muzzles we carry. That being said, we MUST clarify that these muzzles are intended to allow your dog to pant freely, NOT fully. A free pant is enough for comfort at both rest and play. Dean & Tyler has seen a trend of customers taking measurements with a ball or toy in their dog’s mouth in order to mimic a full pant and size accordingly. Sizing recommendations given based on these measurements will likely be much too large and may compromise the security of the muzzle by creating a situation in which it might be able to be removed. For this reason, we strongly advise against measuring your dog with any object in their mouth as it will result in inaccurate figures and possibly a hazardous size recommendation.

MY DT FREEDOM MUZZLE IS PINCHING MY DOG’S CHEEKS! DO I NEED A LARGER SIZE?

The DT Freedom & DT Freedom Winter models have arms which, in some cases, may be a tad narrow upon first arrival. Should the basket look like it might be a good fit, but the arms seem to be a little close for comfort, please feel free to gently pull them outward so as to ensure they are not pinching or causing any discomfort in the cheeks or jaw line.

THE DT FREEDOM ONLY HAS ONE STRAP - IS THIS A SECURE CHOICE?

Yes! All Dean & Tyler muzzles will be both secure and comfortable, provided they are a proper fit. To be sure your muzzle is fitted correctly, Dean & Tyler advises an observation period, in a controlled environment, of at least thirty minutes after determining the muzzle appears to be a good fit. If your dog is able to remove the muzzle, please adjust straps if necessary and repeat observation.

WHAT DOES A GOOD FIT LOOK LIKE?

The padded portion will rest flat along the length of the nose bridge. Should a gap appear between the padding and the nose bridge, please adjust the straps to allow for it to sit securely and flat, achieving maximum pant room. A properly fitted basket muzzle will sit below the eye base so that it does not come into contact with the tear-ducts or block the eyes. Squinting is an indicator of discomfort most commonly associated with the muzzle coming into contact with tear-ducts and oftentimes means the muzzle is too large. There should be space between the end of the nose and the wire of a basket muzzle to ensure contact is not made and potential abrasion does not occur. With leather basket muzzles, it is okay for the nose to come into contact with the inside so long as it is not being pressed or crowded. Some restriction is expected with the use of a muzzle; our basket muzzles are meant to provide optimal comfort with said restriction as is necessary. Being able to take treats, even if a little awkward, is indicative of a good fit. HELPFUL TIP - When attempting to treat your pup while they are wearing a basket muzzle, it is recommended to hold the treat through one of the front openings using your fingertips. Attempting to give a treat with an open palm or from a similar flat surface will oftentimes result in the basket being pushed upward and into their eyes, resulting in less than ideal positioning and potentially causing discomfort.

RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE

Wire basket muzzles are constructed with chrome-plated steel and full grain leather. To ensure you get the most out of your wire basket muzzle, Dean & Tyler recommends a Simichrome polish as needed to clean the metal components. This is especially recommended for muzzles that are used frequently in coastal or humid climates as the additional exposure to moisture may cause the metal to oxidize faster than it otherwise would. Similarly, Dean & Tyler highly recommends conditioning and cleaning leather basket muzzles and leather components as needed, to ensure they retain their original quality and perform as expected.

FITTING GUIDANCE

A properly adjusted muzzle will have the nose pad resting flat along the length of the snout. The eye-line strap features two loops, for optional neck strap positioning. The neck strap can be fed through either loop, per handler's preference. We DO NOT recommend using either loop to attach the muzzle to a separate collar as doing so WILL NOT be necessary to ensure a correctly sized and adjusted muzzle is properly secured.

If the eye-line strap is crooked where it falls between the basket and the neck strap, we'd recommend addressing this bit first. Slide the side and the underside strap loops along the neck strap, in order to recenter the eye-line between the ears. The loops can be a bit stiff, so this might be easier accomplished or begun with the muzzle off of the dog, and then final adjustments made with it on in order to confirm the strap is centered. It might also be better to remove the neck strap from the eye-line loop altogether and instead thread it through the second loop, which is slightly further back.

After the neck strap has been fed through the further back eye-line loop, if a gap is present between the nose pad and top of the snout, we would then recommend loosening the eye-line strap by either one or two holes, in order to allow the nose pad to rest flat along the top of the snout. The more surface area that is making contact, the more secure of a fit we'll be able to achieve. After we have the nose pad situated flat along the top of the snout, we then want to tighten any slack that might be present in the side straps, in order to bring the basket inward. Then, working from the underside, the neck strap should be able to be pulled first downward and then snug against the neck to secure it.

By snug, we mean the standard rule of thumb for collars -- you should be able to fit two fingers flat, against the neck, underneath the neck strap to ensure it is not too tight or otherwise choking. Any looser or tighter may pose a potential hazard as the fit might not be both comfortable and secure, as is intended.

Ideally, after all necessary adjustments have been performed, we should see the nose pad resting flat along the top of the snout and the underside of the basket coming a bit closer into the neck, so that any previously seen gap between the pup's neck and basket opening will have been lessened. This corrected placement will ensure the maximum pant room allowed by the basket is able to be utilized and we can then test if the pup is able to open their mouth to successfully accept a treat, in order to demonstrate adequate pant room. HELPFUL TIP - When attempting to treat your pup while they are wearing a basket muzzle, it is recommended to hold the treat through one of the front openings using your fingertips. Attempting to give a treat with an open palm or from a similar flat surface will oftentimes result in the basket being pushed upward and into their eyes, resulting in less than ideal positioning and potentially causing discomfort.