Gentle leader for dogs

hutchsl

Our 11 month old golden retriever pulls when walking on a leash. I just got a gentle leader and used it in our training class last week. Wondering if others have had experiences with these and your thoughts.

LuckyAngel07

Many other ladies who aren't really around anymore have used them with great results. It still takes training from you and consistency in redirecting the dog if they do try to pull against it, but it can be a big help.

I used the Easy Walk Harness for my Boxer, and while it's helpful on regular walks, she'll still pull pretty hard against it in really exciting situations (when she knows we're heading to the dog park, or a couple of times when I've had her at big open fields with a lot of other people and lots going on [like for organized events]).

chrisnjay05212010

i don't have one but my brother uses a gentle leader for his american bulldog and it has worked wonders for them.  Lucky is right that it still requires training on your part.  They were introduced to the gentle in a training class as well.  It is to the point now that my brother just has to show his dog the leader and he changes his attitude.

aggiebug

I highly recommend them! You do have to make sure it is properly, most people put it on too loose (same goes with collars)

marleyjustine

Despite our best efforts from day 1, our golden was a handful on the leash. Now, when some people hear this they immediately start voicing their opinions (oh joy) about how we clearly did something wrong, and that we failed our dog. She isn't my first dog, she won't be my last and I have no regrets about how we trained her. The pulling started as soon as she got comfortable with the leash, and finally, when she was about four or five months old, I decided to try the Gentle Leader. There was a ten minute 'freak out' where she made several attempts to remove this thing from her face, but then, it stopped. Suddenly, I absolutely loved walking my dog, and as crazy as it may sound, she seemed to enjoy walking more - she walked with confidence. People have made comments - one of the more memorable incidents was a woman telling me that it is animal abuse... at the time she had her three dogs in a stroller. However, I have been using it for three and a half years now and since using it, I have been recommending it to as many people as possible.

Marley
www.marleyjustine.com

formerlyGDaisy09

The other one our trainer has suggested is the easy walk harness, sometimes dogs don't like the way the gentle leader hangs from their muzzle. the easy walk is the same concept, if the dog pulls, the pressure turns them around to face you, thwarting their efforts to be infront and pull you along faster. 

separately, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for harnesses that will allow my dog to pull, with out hurting her neck or her chest?  we're getting good at loose leash walking, but she's an athletic girl and with all this snow I took her out xCountry skiing with me (she loved it) but the situation is very encouraging of pulling (and I don't mind I don't have to work so hard ).  I'm thinking if she had a special harness to wear when we go out skiing she might better differentiate between when pulling is Okay and when it's not. 

ebch

I use a prong collar with my german shepherd but I have seen many people at the dog park with the gentle leaders and I have wanted to try one.