We have been very successfully using the “snout harness” as a training tool, walking harness, or even as a safety device.

The snout harness is like a safety for the mouth. In normal use it is a loosely fitting strap that goes around the snout. They can pant, eat, drink, and even play with toys while they are wearing it. But when needed, just pulling up on the leash and it is an instant muzzle with even a lock if needed for longer use.

You can purchase on Amazon.

A note about the elastic leash. When used with the snout harness, as your shepherd leaps forward at a potential target, the elastic leash starts closing the snout harness. So when your shepherd reaches her target, her mouth is already closed with the snout harness. All you have needed to do was have the leash attached to you and you holding the leash shorter but not tight. It is almost like an airbag going off just before the accident occurs rather than at impact.

The confidence it allows you to build from controlling your Shepherd, will be seen by your Shepherd. He will respect that confidence, and happily follow you as a pack leader.

Shepherds only try to replace pack handlers that lack confidence, not the strong ones.

There are two types of behavior that a shepherd can show….

1) Behavior that needs correcting and

2) behavior that does not.

The quicker the behavior is corrected with consistent back up corrections, the quicker the shepherd gets it.

With the snout harness, it allows correction right on the spot with mild snout restraining and eye to eye contact, you can correct calmly.

The Snout Harness

First understand anytime you are working with an aggressive dog, or are attempting to change the behavior of a dog, you can get bit. What we do at Misfit Shepherds may not be suitable to you or may cause the dog to seriously injure you.

We have been very successfully using the “snout harness”. The snout harness is like a safety for the mouth. In normal use it is a loosely fitting strap that goes around the snout. They can pant, eat, drink, and even play with toys while they are wearing it. But when needed, just pull the leash and it is an instant muzzle with even a lock if needed for longer use. I will send you the videos and the lesson plans for it’s use. You can purchase on Amazon. The photo is the one we use here.

A note about the elastic leash. When used with the snout harness, as your shepherd leaps forward at a potential target, the elastic leash starts closing the snout harness. So when your shepherd reaches her target, her mouth is already closed with the snout harness. All you have needed to do was have the leash attached to you and you holding the leash shorter but not tight. It is almost like an airbag going off just before the accident occurs rather than at impact.

There are two types of behavior that a shepherd can show….

Behavior that needs correcting and behavior that does not. The quicker the behavior is corrected with consistent back up corrections, the quicker the shepherd gets it.

With the snout harness, it allows correction right on the spot with mild snout restraining and eye to eye contact, you can correct calmly.

If you have other shepherds in the home, they will show the new shepherd how to act.

Now training is about patience. If you are training a shepherd acting with high energy or aggression, adding more energy will not fix the problem, it will actually make it worse. Key here is calm, low volume, but firm. From time to time I must remind myself, sometimes we have days we should not train. You will know this the second you get angry as I do. I guarantee you my shepherds know it.

So we use the snout harness for indoor training as well as outdoors for aggression issues, high energy issues, or just to teach focus. While in your home, under supervision, you can leave the snout harness on your shepherd with a leash attached all day long. The snout harness allows your shepherd to drink, pant, and even play with toys but is a safety for your shepherds mouth at the ready. Note: We highly recommend a tight fit to the harness so it doesn’t slip off during high energy or aggressive training. You may also want to ensure that it is not so tight that the shepherd can’t open his mouth enough to do all I stated.

The snout harness is an awesome tool for those puppy biters. We keep the harness on the shepherd all day long with a leash attached. If the puppy goes for a bite, you grab the leash, lift it over the head of the shepherd to close his mouth. Then you put the stop sign hand up and wait for eye to eye contact, then say “NO”. Count to five and look for a swallow by your puppy. ( A swallow is an acknowledgement of the command. Funny, it’s not that they are necessarily going to follow the command either.

See our “Snout Harness For Puppies” video on YouTube

The snout harness is also an awesome tool for outside while walking your shepherd. It can help control the puller. It can help with aggression toward dogs or other people. If necessary, the snout harness we use can also turn into a muzzle for the rest of your walk home.

Taking your dog to the vet can also be a challenge. The snout harness can also help with that. If your shepherd becomes aggressive or high energy, it can shut your shepherd’s mouth until you can apply a proper muzzle.

NOTE: You want to practice at home where you can control things if your shepherd slips out of the harness. You may need to tighten it or even sew it tighter in spots. You do not want your shepherd to be able to slip it off their nose.