Dog Breeds With Black Muzzles : (7 Interesting Breeds)

Dogs that happen to have black muzzles are very popular in certain circles. In this article, you will find information on specific breeds of dogs with black muzzles. You will also find information on why the dogs have black muzzles, and how you can acquire one of these dogs.

Dog breeds with black muzzles include the German Shepherd, Bullmastiff, Keeshond and Leonberger. Others are the Pekingese dog, the Black Mouth Cur and the Pug.

Some dog breeds with black muzzle are fairly big, like the German Shepherd and the Leonberger. But you can also find quite a small dog with black muzzle, as in the case of a pug.

Contrary to the widely held misconception, the dog breeds with black muzzles don’t have any exceptional aggressiveness.

They just happen to have what we refer to as the melanistic mask gene allele, which results in them having black muzzles.

Some people may frown upon the idea of using muzzles on dogs selection (selecting dogs on the basis that they have black muzzles). But different people find different things appealing in dogs.

And there are people for whom the dog breeds with black muzzles are simply the best.

Why Do Some Dogs Have Black Muzzle?

Before proceeding to look at the specific dog breeds with black muzzles, we first need to know why some dogs have black muzzles.

So, indeed, why do some dogs have muzzles that are black? The simple answer is that some dogs have muzzles that are black due to their genes.

In dogs, there is a gene known as the melanistic mask allele. If a dog happens to have it, it may end up with the black muzzle.

In some breeds (like the German Shepherd) all members have black muzzles.

But in some other breeds (like the Pekingese dog) some members have black muzzles, while others don’t.

Either way, whenever you find a dog with a black muzzle, it is due to the presence of the melanistic mask allele.

The whole thing is akin to asking, what does it mean when a dog has a black roof mouth? And the answer is simply that the dog has the gene responsible for such pigmentation.

In a similar manner, a dog having a black muzzle is simply due to the presence of the melanistic mask gene allele.

What Dogs Have A Black Muzzle?

There are several dogs with black muzzles.

Those include the German Shepherd, the Bullmastiff, the Keeshond dog and the Leonberger. Others are the Pekingese dog, as well as the Pug and the Black Mouth Cur.

So those are 7 dog breeds with black muzzles.

We will now proceed to look at each of these dog breeds with black muzzles in turn.

German Shepherd

This is arguably one of the most popular of all the dog breeds with black muzzles.

In a German Shepherd, the black mask covers not only the mouth, but also the nose and the eyes.

The most beautiful thing about a German Shepherd is his great intelligence. It helps too that the German Shepherd is one of those dogs that have a propensity for doing everything to please their masters.

The upshot is that the German Shepherd has a very high level of trainability.

You can get a German Shepherd dog to learn to do fairly complex things with ease. And once the German Shepherd masters something, it doesn’t forget easily.

The only thing you may find challenging about the German Shepherd is his need for lots of exercise. But that is to be expected in this sort of a high energy dog.

Because the German Shepherd dog is so popular and widespread, getting one shouldn’t be hard at all. Lots of breeders sell them.

It helps too that the German Shepherd comes in elegant, beautiful colors.

For instance, it is one of the dog breeds that are tan with black muzzle. Such dog breeds tan with black muzzles tend to be very highly regarded in certain circles.

The tan coat color usually blends so well with the black muzzle, resulting in a truly outstanding dog.

Even German Shepherds that are not tan in color still look nice, complete with their black muzzles.

Bullmastiff

This is another of the more popular dog breeds with black muzzles.

If you want a truly courageous guard dog with a black muzzle, then you may find it in the Bullmastiff.

Like the German Shepherds, Bullmastiffs are quite popular and widespread. Therefore getting one for yourself should be easy.

This is not one of those dogs that you may have to import (due to lack of local supply).

What you may find tricky in the Bullmastiff is the certain level of stubbornness he has.

But if you take the trouble to socialize your Bullmastiff well right from an early age, there should really be no major issues.

And this is one dog that can earn its keep by guarding your stuff.

Keeshond Dog

If you want a dog with a truly unique appearance, then the Keeshond dog may be most ideal for you.

It is definitely one of the dog breeds with black muzzles that have very exotic looks.

This is also one of the few dog breeds with black muzzles that don’t require too much exercise.

Thus if you are unable to keep up with the exercise needs of, say, a German Shepherd, yet you still want a dog with a black muzzle, the Keeshond dog may be most ideal for you.

Incidentally, this is also one of those dog breeds with black muzzles and curley tail.

This is an intelligent dog that doesn’t require too much effort to train.

Yet if you are a patient teacher, you can get your Keeshond dog to do fairly complex things.

Then again, Keeshond dogs may not be as widespread as the Bullmastiffs and German Shepherds. Therefore you may find that you have to search far and wide, to eventually get one.

Once you manage to get one though, you will have an intelligent fox-like dog that will be drawing admiration from all over.

Leonberger

If you want an impressively big dog with a black muzzle, then you will find it in the Leonberger.

This is also one of those dog breeds with black muzzles that cover their entire face.

And the melanistic mask in this dog looks so real that you may find people asking you whether you painted your dog’s face black!

The only challenge you may face with the Leonberger is with regard to stubbornness. This dog has a strong stubborn streak, which can prove almost too much if you don’t get your training right.

But if you take your trouble to train your Leonberger well, then he can be a real darling.

There may not be many breeders with Leonbergers in stock. Therefore you may need to search far and wide, before eventually finding one.

Once you manage to get one though, you will have an impressively big dog, with the most distinguished of looks.

Another challenge you may face with the Leonberger is in terms of space. If you are in a place with space limitations, this dog may not work well for you. Being a truly big dog, he requires quite a bit of space.

Thus if, for instance, you have a country property, it can work very well for your Leonberger.

Pekingese Dog

This is one of those dog breeds with black muzzles and which also have truly royal personalities.

Everything about the Pekingese dog – from its appearance to its gait and all its mannerisms – oozes of royal elegance.

It is not a guarantee that every Pekingese dog that is born will have a black muzzle. But a good number of them do truly turn out to be dogs with black muzzles.

In the Pekingese dog, you may find the melanistic mask covering half the face. Or you may find it covering the eye region only: meaning that the muzzle is not exactly black then.

The Pekingese dog is one of the rarer breeds, and you may need to get a specialty breeder to sell you one.

But once you get yourself a Pekingese dog, it will be a pup that oozes royalty and elegance through and through.

Black Mouth Cur

This is a dog in which the black muzzle is so conspicuous that it has come to be part of the dog’s breed name!

It is an elegant and highly intelligent dog, with a black muzzle that is truly outstanding.

If you research on what dog breeds make a Black Mouth Cur, you will find that one of those is the Belgian Malinoises. This means that it is a dog descended from dogs that have lots of elegance and grace.

If what you want is a brown dog with black face breed, you may find it in the Black Mouth Cur.

But it is important to note that in the Black Mouth Cur dog breed, the black muzzle goes only up to the eyes region.

The upper part of the dog’s face may retain whatever coat color is present in the rest of the dog.

This Black Mouth Cur dog breed may not be as easy to find as the German Shepherd or Bullmastiff. But neither is it as rare as, say, the Keeshond or Leonberger.

If you put some effort into your search, you should be able to find a Black Mouth Cur with ease.

But you need to beware of the fact that this is a high-energy dog, for which lots of daily exercise is essential.

Thus you should only take it up if you can spare some time for its intense exercise needs.

The Pug

If you prefer a small dog with a black muzzle, then you may find it in the pug.

The pug is definitely one of the few truly small dog breeds with black muzzles.

This is also a dog with a funny demeanor, and one that is suitable even for families with small kids.

It helps too that pugs are very popular and widespread. Therefore finding a breeder from whom you can buy a pug should be a walk in the park.

The pug is quite easy to train and socialize, and its care needs are not too intense.

How To Acquire A Dog With A Black Muzzle?

Having gone through the list of dog breeds with black muzzles, the question that arises is on how one can acquires these dogs.

The first step is to have awareness on which dogs have black muzzles. So just have some knowledge of the dog breeds with black muzzles.

The second step is to select the best dog for you, from the list of the breeds with black muzzles.

After settling for one breed, you need to find a reputable breeder from whom you can buy one such dog.

Alternatively, you can opt to adopt the dog with black muzzle from a rescue shelter.

If you are buying the dog with black muzzle from a breeder, you will need to pay a market price for it.

But if you are adopting the dog from a shelter, all that may be required of you is a guarantee that you can take good care of it. And perhaps a small donation to the dog rescue shelter charity.

Final Verdict – Dog Breeds With Black Muzzles

A dog breed with a black muzzle is one in which the melanistic mask gene allele is present. This results in dogs having black muzzles.

In some dogs, only the lower part of the face (the chin and mouth region) is black. But in others, the entire face is black – right up to and beyond the eyes region.

Examples of breeds of dogs with black muzzles include the German Shepherd, the Bullmastiff, the Keeshond dog and the Pug. Others include the Black Mouth Cur, Pekingese dog, Leonberger and Keeshond dog.

Some breeds of dogs with black muzzles are widespread, and therefore easy to acquire from breeders. Those are the likes of the German Shepherd, Bullmastiffs and the Pug.

Some other breeds of dogs with black muzzles are rarer, and finding breeders with them can be quite a challenge. This may be the case with the likes of The Keeshond Dog, Pekingese Dog and the Leonberger.

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Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️