I walk a dog at a local shelter who wears a muzzle on walks and when playing because he has bitten people 5 times. I am contemplating removing his muzzle to try and correct/stop his biting. Is this a reasonable thing to do? And if so, should I use a verbal/physical correction or should I ignore the biting to show him it doesn't work?

Hi Ed & Cindy,

I'm currently dog-walking a 65 pound, 5.5 month old neutered Mastiff/Labrador from a local shelter. He's been in residence a month. He's currently wearing a wire muzzle when walking or playing in the yard. He has bitten people 5 times - 3 times on the same person when she's been removing his muzzle. He had no prior (known) behavioral concerns after living his first rescue months with a woman and her young child along with some other animals.

The other dogs at the shelter really stir him up and I've started walking him daily for about 1.5 hours alongside a local river and his behavior has improved hugely just from getting some exercise. He is very responsive to treats. I am contemplating removing his muzzle to try and correct/stop his biting. Is this a reasonable thing to do? And if so, should I use a verbal/physical correction or should I ignore the biting to show him it doesn't work? I'd like to nip this in the bud if it's possible.

Thanks so much!