Leather Basket Muzzle

* Well Ventilated leather basket muzzle

* Breathe freely: pant and drink water

* Suitable for exercise: walking, playing, running

* Leather will not stick to dog’s snout in cold climates

* Adjustable Leather Straps

* Natural, Heavy Felt Nose Pad

I’VE NEVER
BOUGHT A MUZZLE BEFORE, WHICH WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

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. Please be advised, the DT Freedom Winter
and Royal Leather Basket models are made to order with a standard lead time of
2 – 4 weeks.

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.

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.