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  1. #1
    Puppy jeanped's Avatar
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    Gentle Leader...

    What do you think of the gentle leader?
    My 4 month old puppy, Jade, pulls the leash like you would not believe. It was not so bad when she was small, but as she grows... The choke collar does not help, she just pulls that and grasps along the way... I have tried doing "loose leash walking training" with the clicker and the treat... she respond pretty well inside the house, but the minute we go outside, out goes all the training.
    My vet suggested the gentle leader, she claims that all lab owners have it...
    Thanks for any suggestions you can give.
    JeanPed
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  2. #2
    Senior Dog WhoopsaDaisy's Avatar
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    I use a Halti - on the recommendation of my trainer. It is like a gentle leader but it has more cushion on the bridge of the nose. It is amazing. You do have to learn how to use it appropriately and it is not a substitute for training- you need to enroll in classes (yes it will take more than one!!) to work on walking on a loose leash. Amazon.com : Halti Headcollar, Black, Size 3 : Pet Headcollars : Pet Supplies
    Katie and Aric (7/1/17) Hidden Content
    Whoops-a-Daisy B. 1-26-13 Gotcha 8-25-13
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  4. #3
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I see some old dogs plodding around our neighborhood wearing them. Those dogs could probably be walked on dental floss. I tried a Gentle Leader with my older dog when he was young, 4-6 months old. He despised it with a passion. He'd flop on the ground trying to get it off, dig at his face, refuse to walk. He scratched his face up so badly that I had to stop using it. I have read they can damage a dog's neck if the owner/handler jerks the leash and torques the dog's neck wrong. I am not an expert on getting my dogs to walk nicely on a loose lead by any means, but I found the Gentle leader the least helpful device because the dog wouldn't tolerate it. Have you started any obedience classes yet? The trainer might be helpful in finding a collar and technique that works for you.
    Sue

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    “Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?”

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  6. #4
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    I used it quite successfully with Hemi to stop the pulling. I tried a few things but remember the ultimate goal is to get rid of it.

    First when you get it. Don't just put it on and start walking. Treats, and lots of treats. Like anything new, backpacks, harnesses, muzzles and so on. Let the dog sniff it, yes, and be all happy and treat. Pretty soon they are like wow this thing is pretty cool I get treats for touching it. Then put it on for a second take it off. Yay, happy voice lots of praise and treats. That's enough for the day. Next day repeat but less time sniffing, put it on and off a couple times. The next day start out same thing less time but this time put it on and walk around inside the house. Treating and praise. Pretty soon your ready to go for a walk. This helps prevent the "Help me get this thing off me behavior" You will probably still see it at times but they do get used to it and it is better if they associate it with good things.

    Ok then to start getting rid of it. This will not be instant it may take a while. However, I used 2 leashes, one on the collar, one on the gentle leader. Then the leash on the collar would come tight first. So when he would start to pull he would first feel the pressure on his neck then he would pass that threshold then the gentle leader would then pull on the muzzle and stop the pulling. Pretty soon he learned if he didn't like the pulling on his nose then stop pulling when he felt pressure on the collar. This took several months, but eventually the pulling quit. Then I could carry the gentle leader in my pocket. If he ever pulled then the gentle leader came out and was put on for 5-10 minutes. Then he was happy to get it off. This went on for a few more months. It really takes time to stop the pulling and have them walk properly but it can be done. Always constantly work on the no pulling. It takes time to sink in.

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  8. #5
    Senior Dog WhoopsaDaisy's Avatar
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    The key is to follow the directions- put it on the nose (don't fasten), give the dog a treat, take it off. Repeat 5-10 times. Then begin putting on on at meal times. NEVeR let the dog try to scratch it off. Build tolerance with food but I agree that not all dogs tolerate them. It's best to start young.
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    Whoops-a-Daisy B. 1-26-13 Gotcha 8-25-13
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  10. #6
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    We used it on Maddy. It was a disaster on Grace.

    This thing is these are all tools, and without training, they are all junk. You can't put a choke collar on and expect the dog to walk nice. It doesn't work like that.

    I find the quickest tool for training is the prong collar. They self correct a few times and then they usually know to walk nice.

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  12. #7
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    I just want you to know that, NO, not all lab owners have a gentle leader. LOL

    What worked best for Oban was frequent changes of direction. I've read advice to change direction when the dog starts to pull but the correct way is to change direction BEFORE he starts to pull. The goal is to keep him guessing where you are going. Dramatic changes like reverse and about turn and gentle ones like veering from side to side of the road.

    At four months he wore a flat collar. At six months we went to the collar advocated by the trainers I went to with my first Lab, the Volhard collar. The Volhard is like a choker but it won't fit over the dog's head, you must do it up under his ears, where it sits. At 8 months I bought a prong for nothing more than control in exciting situations like getting in and out of classes, in the class I took it off. By about age 2 I put the prong away and I honestly am not sure where it is now.

    My neighbour across the street used the gentle leader on her GRs. And now she has finally got a tough GR who did not respond and is going to classes (which she did not do with the previous two) and now I see her walking that dog on a flat collar, no gentle leader, and he's doing well. One thing I think is key with her success now is she is walking much more quickly and learning how to get the dog to focus on her. Her first two dogs were content to just drag along at a slow pace, not this one. Training is key. Good luck.

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  14. #8
    Senior Dog dxboon's Avatar
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    All Lab owners do NOT own or use Gentle Leaders or head harnesses for their dogs. Laughable! Like everything, the head harness is a training tool. I use slip leads with a stopper cinched up right behind the ears for training one on one, and other times a prong collar (Although at this point there's no need to use a prong on my guys). The key IMO is to get them to pay attention to you during walks. If they start to forge ahead, turn around and walk the other way; if they lag then speed up. Turn left or right unexpectedly at different parts of your walk. A puppy soon learns to pay attention to what you are doing. I probably wouldn't use these techniques with a head halter though. I also don't allow sniffing and marking on walks unless the dogs have been given the release command "go potty."

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  16. #9
    Senior Dog BaconsMom's Avatar
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    We had very good success with the prong. Learn how to use it correctly and it is the last collar you will ever buy!
    Julie & Jake, Bacon's Humans

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  18. #10
    Senior Dog ZoeysMommy's Avatar
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    Personally I wouldn't put any kind of training device on a 4 month old pup. I would work harder training him how to walk on a leash. Relying on a training device is a nuisance in my opinion, id rather train properly from the start

    If you are still having issues later down the road, consider a properly fitted prong collar. I have nothing against gentle leaders either, they just don't work for some dogs, and they don't belong on a 4 month old puppy, neither do prong collars

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