Is my dog allergic to his muzzle?

Hi!
I am trying to break my 10 month old puppy from his chewing and nipping habit. I bought a mesh muzzle for him to wear outside and when he is alone at home. The muzzle fits correctly, but after wearing it, on and off, for a couple days his snout is bumpy. The areas where his whiskers poke from the skin are raised. It is itchy for him and I feel bad.

Has anyone else had this happen to their dogs?
Is there anything I can do to alleviate the itching for him?
Is there any other option I can use to stop him from chewing on things and nipping people?


Thanks!

I am not sure what you mean by mesh, do you mean a basket muzzle made out of plastic eg baskerville (google) or do you mean one made from material?

To begin with you should NEVER leave a dog alone unsupervised with a muzzle on, they could vomit and then inhale it and then die.

Secondly fabric type muzzles should only be worn for very short periods of time eg at vets because they prevent panting ie cooling or drinking much.

A fabric one may irritate the skin either because of the finish on the fabric (did you wash it first in non bio powder) or because it makes the dogs muzzle very hot and it develops heat bumps.

Crates
Rubbing doors etc with bitter apple, vicks vapo rub

As for nipping people, you need to elaborate. When and where does this happen.

My mum used to rehome ex Greyhound racers back in the eighties and quite a few would have lumps, bumps and a lot of scarring from wearing mesh/ metal muzzles so if this is the sort you are using you need to get a more suitable one before it does long term damage.

You are right. I did not think about the vomiting concern.

Mesh is like the material that lines men's bathing trunks. It's a soft clothe but has breathable holes in it.

I don't really leave him alone because he has major separation anxiety. I mostly leave him alone when I have to take the trash out to the dumpster or if I have a lot of groceries in my truck to bring in. I keep him in a crate when I do those things.

By nipping I mean he will bite people. Short, hard bites. Not a wide open bite. It is unprompted. He will just go up to a person, even me, and just bite. It will usually leave a bruise. He has broken my skin several times doing this.

For chewing, I do use the bitter apple stuff on the furniture and non-staining things, but he loves to chew blankets, pillows, cushions, the carpet, clothes, walls, and he even tries to chew the windows.

My main reason for the muzzle was because he likes to chew on his nails. He chews on them until they are mangled and bloody. The vet recommended the muzzle. He really does love to chew on things!

Please don't leave him muzzled and unsupervised, it really isn't safe. The fabric muzzles that hold the mouth closed aren't suitable for exercising as they don't allow the dog to pant properly. And if this is the type you have it's very close up to the skin and the bumps could be heat related. A crate would be a much better option if you're trying to prevent him destroying your house.

My dog wears a baskerville muzzle while out as he's aggressive towards other animals and we've had no problems with it. He can drink with it on, he can eat grass if he angles his head right and gets the grass to poke through the slats and he can pant with it on. I also crate him when we're out as he's horribly destructive when bored.

Apparently you posted while I was typing. I'd change vets if all my vet could do about the issue was advise me to muzzle the dog! Have any tests been done to find out whether there's a problem with his nails or feet? Or an allergy? Foot chewing is common with allergies but I've not really heard of nail chewing.

A muzzle won't teach your dog not to chew or nip, you need to train him not to do so. And as Smokeybear says, we need to know more info to help you with that.

Get rid of the mesh muzzle - it should only be used for emergencies and short periods - vet consultations for example.
The only muzzles that can be used for longer periods are the basket muzzles that allow the dog to pant and to drink. Plastic Baskerville muzzles and the metal Greyhound ones are suitable, for example.
Which begs the question of your dog`s behaviour. A 10 month old should not be teething, so this sounds like learned behaviour. Have you begun to train him? Have you taught bite inhibition? Do you provide chews and toys so he can satisfy his urge to chew on appropriate items?
Have you got a good (Not Cesar!) puppy book?
If thev answer is no to any of these, I think you need to get to work on teaching your pup asap.
For chewing: provide toys and swap these for things he shouldn`t chew. (You must also learn to put away items you don`t want him to play with).
For nipping - if he gets over-excited and starts to nip, stop the game immediately.
You`ll be surprised how quickly he will learn to channel his play into acceptable channels.

Dogs do go through a secondary teething period at around 10 months old, if you want to call it that, when the lower jaw finishes developing hence why they go off chewing again.

Have you ever taught your dog bite inhibition, because it does not sound like it, otherwise he would not be doing this.

I imagine this is a small breed as nobody would tolerate this with a GSD for example.

Your dog sounds as though it may be underexercised both mentally and physically, do you have an APDT member near you in Florida where you could get some help?

Poor little dog. He sounds dreadfully stressed and afraid.
I agree with the advice to change your vet btw! .
I`m sorry, but I assumed you`d had him from a pup.
It takes a long time to turn round a dog who has issues like this, but it is possible, and you will do a wonderful thing if you take on the challenge.
For now - I wouldn`t take the dog out or introduce him to new experiences. He needs to re-learn all he knows, and he can`t learn if he is in panic mode.
You can do a lot to calm him. The major thing is to back off and allow him his own space. So try to ignore him and be quiet round him. Let him make the first move, and when he does, don`t react. You need to build up trust.
Look at his feeding - eliminate any food with additives or colourings / sugars as these can make a dog hyper.
Use a DAP diffuser and provide him with his own safe place where he can hide. I expect there is somewhere he runs to? Use that - put a blanket down and make that his den.
When he begins ti be calm, then you can start to work with him. It will take a while though.
Sorry this is so long.

I probably should have mentioned I have only had him for about 5 weeks now. He was not house broken. He did not know any commands or even his name. I have no idea what his previous owners did or didn't do to him.

He is house broken now. he knows his name and I taught him to lie down, so far.

I wanted to mention that this muzzle is from PetCo. It does allow him to drink and pant and even eat small things off the floor.

What are some training books that you can recommend?

The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson, brilliant, and may help you. Can you find a trainer near you?