How does this affect the pack walk? Can you still maintain dominance when using a head collar like it? I personally don't think that using a collar like this is the best, and that you should use proper training of heel and a regular collar. So would you train heel before using the collar? I guess I'm just asking thoughts on gentle leader collars in general. I use one and it doesn't make my dog walk at my side, I have to tell her heel (which she knows and listens to). I'm also mostly asking about the gentle leader in use with a puppy who is about 5 months old. Thanks, and I can add more details if needed, but I'm really just asking your thoughts on the collar 
I just bought a gentle leader last week for our new dog. He is a 9 month old Newfoundland lab mix and had very little training when he came to us and as he is in the rebellious puppy stage training has been a struggle and he is always testing us to see if he can be pack leader. The gentle leader has made walking him possible! I am small and he is already about 80 lbs and growing everyday so dealing with him and his over zealous puppy excitement on a normal collar and leash is impossible for me! The gentle leader makes him so much easier to control and it actually reinforces to the dog that you are the pack leader. The part the goes over the muzzle on the face applies pressure when the dog pulls in this area. This is the same area that an alpha wolf will put his mouth around when he needs to remind a member of the pack of their position in the pack and assert his dominace. So whenever the dog is wearing the gentle leader he has a constant reminder that he his not the alpha dog. He learned to walk calmly on the gently leader in a matter of minuets and he does walk at my side. Using the gentle leader properly is a bit tricky, you have to know exactly when and how to apply pressure when your dog starts to get ahead of you and pull and exactly when to release the pressure. If this was not working you probably where not correcting the dog properly with the pressure. Its hard not to jerk the dog when he starts pulling but that's not how it works. You have to use slow steady pressure until the dog is at your side ant then immediately release pressure. He learns it is uncomfortable for him to walk anywhere but at your side. when wearing the head collar if the dog gets ahead of you and your holding the leach properly he has no choice but to turn and look at you because his head his pulled back to you. I also find that fitting the gentle leader properly is difficult especially if the dog has longer hair and/or is very wiggly and excited. If the collar is not fitted properly it will not work and will chaff the dogs nose! I think its a great way to pretty much instantly teach a dog to heel. It does not teach them the command heel on cue of course but it does make walking them possible without being dragged! Now I am working with my dog to learn the command heel and eventually to have him heel off leash. I don't know how well he would heel on a walk with out the gentle leader on now. I do recommend it especially for large dogs that are just starting out with training and for dominate dogs.
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June 1st, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I think the goal is to teach your dog to walk with a regular collar. Dominance and pack order have nothing to do with this. Many times you can train a dog without a Gentle Leader or other head halter, but in some cases it can be a useful tool (as can a prong collar) toward the goal of the dog walking properly on a leash. I have used a head halter and a prong collar on different dogs in different situations that did not respond well to training with just a regular collar. In both cases, they were useful tools and both dogs got a point where they would walk properly on a heel with a regular collar. They need to be used properly but they can be useful in certain situations.
A 5-month old puppy should start out with a regular collar but if the pup is a major puller and very large and not responding to conventional training and dragging the handler around, then a head collar or a prong collar may be appropriate along with working with a trainer in a basic obedience class.
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June 1st, 2009 at 9:09 pm
We have used a Gentle Leader on our English Setter ever since she was a pup. They really so help a lot. The dog can still pull slightly but they can't choke themselves. They really do help you get control over your dog. They are especially good for dogs (like my dog) who just wont respond to training!
x
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Experience
June 1st, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I have 3 dogs that I use the gentle leaders on and have had no trouble with them. One of my dogs is a 9 month old pit bull and the other two are labs one is 14 months and the other is 2 years. They love to walk with me not drag me down the street. I am more content with using the gentle leaders than I am with a regular collar when it comes to my dogs. I also use a traffic stop leash with the gentle leader to keep the dog more in control.
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June 1st, 2009 at 10:07 pm
i use a gentle leader with my 75# american bulldog mix. he is working on learning heel but until then we will be using the gentle leader to stop his pulling. the gentle leader itself does not teach the dog to heal, that is the handlers job, but it is a good tool to use while in the process of training to discourage pulling and give the handler more control of a dog who is a strong puller.
i do not feel the gentle leader should be used instead of training, just that it's a good tool to use during training
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dog trainer
June 1st, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I love the gentle leader head halter. if used properly your dog can and will walk by your side. it should be used in conjunction with proper training. it actually makes training easier because you aren't having to fight with the dog to stop them from pulling. they listen and are more focused.
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June 1st, 2009 at 11:39 pm
It works pretty well with SOME dogs. But not with others - my dog never fully submitted to it. Yes it helped with her pulling (pairing it with proper obedience training), but she gets very excited when she sees other people and dogs. The head collar merely increased that excitement and caused some pretty serious melt downs.
My trainer said it's because the head collar put too much pressure on her snout and caused a panic reaction. It also didn't provide ANY kind of correct for her aggressive behavior around birds/squirrels. Sure it shut her up and i could more easily turn her, but again… "panic attack."
I switches to a Prong collar at my trainers advice to give an extra "oomph" to her corrections and to help snap her out of the excitement when she saw other dogs/people. Within a month i no longer had to use it and no walk her on a regular collar. She still gets excited but i just have to snap my fingers and she settles down (i paired the leash corrections with the finger snap so they basically meant the same thing.)
Note: I used loads of positive re-enforcement with training in addition to the corrections and warnings. If she didn't go berserk she not only got to greet people and other dogs, she got a treat as well. If she turned away from a bird without fuss or correction, she got a treat.
Personally, i would start all training on a regular collar with a puppy. See what the puppy does with people and other dogs/animals. See how he/she reacts. Is he/she responsive to treats or vocal corrections? Does he/she get overly excited? Does he/she get scared? Try different techniques (such as removing the dog from the situation if the dog gets excited) before resorting to training tools and more firm corrections.
Each dog reacts differently - it's a matter of trial and error to see what works and what doesn't.
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Owned by Mutt
June 1st, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I just bought a gentle leader last week for our new dog. He is a 9 month old Newfoundland lab mix and had very little training when he came to us and as he is in the rebellious puppy stage training has been a struggle and he is always testing us to see if he can be pack leader. The gentle leader has made walking him possible! I am small and he is already about 80 lbs and growing everyday so dealing with him and his over zealous puppy excitement on a normal collar and leash is impossible for me! The gentle leader makes him so much easier to control and it actually reinforces to the dog that you are the pack leader. The part the goes over the muzzle on the face applies pressure when the dog pulls in this area. This is the same area that an alpha wolf will put his mouth around when he needs to remind a member of the pack of their position in the pack and assert his dominace. So whenever the dog is wearing the gentle leader he has a constant reminder that he his not the alpha dog. He learned to walk calmly on the gently leader in a matter of minuets and he does walk at my side. Using the gentle leader properly is a bit tricky, you have to know exactly when and how to apply pressure when your dog starts to get ahead of you and pull and exactly when to release the pressure. If this was not working you probably where not correcting the dog properly with the pressure. Its hard not to jerk the dog when he starts pulling but that's not how it works. You have to use slow steady pressure until the dog is at your side ant then immediately release pressure. He learns it is uncomfortable for him to walk anywhere but at your side. when wearing the head collar if the dog gets ahead of you and your holding the leach properly he has no choice but to turn and look at you because his head his pulled back to you. I also find that fitting the gentle leader properly is difficult especially if the dog has longer hair and/or is very wiggly and excited. If the collar is not fitted properly it will not work and will chaff the dogs nose! I think its a great way to pretty much instantly teach a dog to heel. It does not teach them the command heel on cue of course but it does make walking them possible without being dragged! Now I am working with my dog to learn the command heel and eventually to have him heel off leash. I don't know how well he would heel on a walk with out the gentle leader on now. I do recommend it especially for large dogs that are just starting out with training and for dominate dogs.
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June 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 am
I have never used a gentle leader type of head harness.
My dogs have always been trained from puppyhood with a regular collar or choke chain to walk at my side.
I can see that for some people, under certain circumstances, a head halter would be beneficial.
Unfortunately, I believe in most instances they are a crutch simply to manage a dog rather than taking time to actually properly train a dog.
I don't like them…poor dogs with straps all over their faces….dogs are starting to look like draft horses with harnesses and bridles….
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