The Best Muzzle Options for XL Bully Breeds: A Comprehensive Guide
The Best Muzzle Options for XL Bully Types: A Comprehensive Guide
At the Muzzle Movement we adore all bull breeds. In fact, Atlas, an honourable member of our MM team is an 11 month old large bull breed cross, and if you follow us on instagram, you'll know he is quite a cheeky chap!
This ban is devastating for many dog guardians all over the UK, us included, as although Atlas isn't an XL bully, he may still fall under the broad type the government have defined.
We are heart-broken for anyone who loves or cares for an XL bully type in any capacity, and want to help guide you through appropriate muzzle options so you can make an informed decision. However, we would like to remind you that many dogs have and do wear muzzles full time, and still love happy, fulfilled, joyful lives.
All XL bully types will be required to wear a muzzle when out in public after the 31st of December 2023.
This means that you need to introduce the concept of a muzzle to your dog way in advance of the date they are required to wear one. Muzzle training takes time, some dogs become quickly accustomed and comfortable wearing them for long periods relatively quickly. Whereas others who are particularly sensitive to novel objects and sounds, have had an aversive history with muzzles or have sensitivity around the face or neck, may need longer to feel comfortable enough to wear a muzzle outside of the home.
We have an inexpensive muzzle training guide available here, so you can get started from home. And we can recommend local trainers to help you should you need more in-person support.
In this blog post, we will explore the various muzzle options available for XL Bullies, highlighting their benefits and emphasising why it is essential to start muzzle training your XL Bully type as soon as possible.
We believe the best way to combat the association that Xl bully types, or any other muzzled dogs, are 'scary' or 'threatening' is to pick the most playful, fun, non-threatening muzzles.
When gentle, loving dogs are forced to wear muzzles by law, the best form of protest is pink, floral, fun muzzles.
The Muzzle Movement Muzzles
The Muzzle Movement doesn't make custom sized muzzles, instead we have standard sizes and determine which muzzle is suitable by measuring your dog's head and comparing it to our pre-existing range.
We are a small start up, that is always introducing new sizes and designs, however we do have one size that may be suitable for XL bully types, called 'Harry'. Atlas is wearing a prototype of this new size in the image above.
Harry was designed with bully breeds in mind, and ensures they are provided with adequate pant room, easy treat delivery, the ability to drink as normal and we help to combat this silly ban, by providing you with lots of fun and playful colours, to help minimise the 'scary-ness' of muzzled dogs.
However, this size won't be suitable for ALL bull breeds. As we all know, there is huge variations between different bully types.
We have some Xl bully guardians using the size 'Sunny' to train with, since Size Harry didn't begin shipping until December. This size is however going to be too long to use outside of training sessions for most XL bully types. We also have new sizes coming in 2024 that may be more suitable - so sign up to our mailing list to be notified!
Take our muzzle measurement quiz here to see what size muzzle you need for your XL Bully Type.
In the meantime, here are some more brands to consider!
Please note, not all brands mentioned below align with our commitment to kind, ethical training methods. We would prefer to only recommend other force free brands, but we also want you to get the best muzzle for your dog so will mention other brands that promote aversive tools, methods and practices and let you make an informed decision.
Custom fit muzzles
For XL Bully types with unique head shapes, custom-fit muzzles are worth considering. These muzzles are specifically tailored to your dog's measurements, so should fit those extra large heads.
The muzzle in this image is a custom Vinyl muzzle, there are many custom Vinyl makers but here are a few you might want to check out, if your pup falls outside of our size Harrys recommended range.
Another custom option is Biothane muzzles, which are fun, colourful and flexible, making them a nice alternative particularly for dogs that are required to wear a muzzle due to BSL and don't need muzzles to help mitigate risk or reduce the likelihood of a bite.
Here are a few you might want to check out, if your pup falls outside of our size Harrys recommended range.
However, custom muzzles can be expensive due to them being hand-made to measure, so here are some other pre-made alternatives!
Wire baskets
Although perhaps further perpetuating the myth that muzzled dogs look (or are) scary, wire basket muzzles can be affordable and still have a large size range.
Please note though, most wire basket brands don't account for pant room when recommending muzzle sizes - you need to make sure you include pant room when selecting a muzzle, and don't base your selections on the breeds the muzzles are named after - this is not an accurate way to know if a muzzle is right for your dog!
Get more info on how to select a well fitting muzzle for your dog here.
Lightweight plastic
Please remember - if your budget is small, there is no need to rush and invest in your perfect muzzle straight away. We can all only do what we can with the resources available. If you need to get a temporary muzzle for now, you can always upgrade your muzzle again after the 31st of December.
This type of muzzle is not suitable for long term wear.
Soft muzzles, made from materials like nylon or mesh, are designed to be used for short periods. They are not suitable for any dog to wear for longer than 5 minuets, due to restricting the dogs ability to open their mouths and pant comfortably.
We would not recommend even training with a muzzle like in the image above.
Thank you for taking the time to read through, the upcoming XL Bully muzzle ban in the UK is upsetting for everyone, but we hope that in amongst this terrible situation a light can be shone on all muzzled dogs and their responsible humans. Showing everyone that a muzzle is not a 'life sentence'. Many dogs can and do live happy, fulfilling lives wearing muzzles.
