I have a black lab/basset hound 6 month old puppy who pulls when I walk her. I feel like I've walked 2 miles just going around the block with her. The dog trainer at PetCo recommended the Gentle Leader. Has anyone used this before and does it work as well as they say it does?
Yes, the Gentle Leader works! I bought the one that is halter style, not the one with the thing around his nose. After about a few months of that, my dog no longer needs it and walks wonderful on a leash. With the harness on, I praised him whenever he behaved properly and I would also give him treats on walk.
Best wishes.
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May 19th, 2009 at 6:14 am
I use a Halti on both my dogs, very similar, and it works great. Its self correcting and requires very little effort to use. Best of all they don't hurt the dogs.
Haltis and other head collars are effective training tools used in none harm training. Meaning you're training your dog but not hurting it in the process like with a choke or prong collar. Also dogs trained with a head collar can walk well on a leash without it once they're trained.
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May 19th, 2009 at 6:25 am
I've used the Gentle Leader Walking Harness, not the Halti Head Collar. I would never use one of those. But, the walking harness worked wonders for me and my dog. It was like night and day, when I put the harness on and walked him with it for the first time. I used it daily for a few months, and slowly transitioned him to walk without it, and I can now walk him without a harness with hardly any pulling.
Why do people have problems with a walking harness, especially when people (like me) have successfully transitioned their dog to walk without the harness on? I was using it as a training tool, and do not need to use it on my dog anymore, and it worked!!!!
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May 19th, 2009 at 6:41 am
I have used it and yes it works but my dogs HATE it. Plus I don't like the fact that they can't put their head down to sniff things. I use the Easy Walk Harness and it stops the pulling and the can be dogs and sniff things on the ground.
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May 19th, 2009 at 6:48 am
here's what you do.
DON'T buy one of those stupid head halters. they don't teach the dog how to walk on a leash…. take it off, and the dog's back to pulling again.
because your dog is a pup, this is EASY.
when she pulls, you STOP. do not move unless the leash is slack.
the pup will learn that pulling gets her nowhere.
you can also randomly turn around and start walking the other way, which will teach the pup to watch you.
training a pup to walk properly on a leash is not hard, just as long as you do these things EVERY time you walk.
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i have 6 pit bull terriers (and junkyard dogs) who have all learned to walk on a leash using this method. they walk with flat collars and NEVER pull. sometimes i walk up to 5 at once by myself.
May 19th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I also use the Halti which is similar with one of my dogs and like it slightly better than the Gentle Leader. The Halti has a safety latch on it that prevents the dog from pulling it off and I think it is easier to put on. You do need to be careful that you don't pull the dog's head around which can injure a dog's neck. But like any training tool, if used properly it can be very helpful. My dog tends to pull when he gets startled and he is quite large. It is very helpful for me to be able to get control in that situation. It does help greatly with dogs that pull when used safely and correctly and unlike what the above poster said, you can use it as a tool to transition to a regular collar if you use it correctly. The key is to use it correctly.
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May 19th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Get a prong collar, place it correctly on the dog's neck, high and tight, and walk her. The pulling will stop in 3 minutes, promise. Start training her using the same prong collar.
The "trainer" at Petco knows as much about dog training as I know about the space program.
Can you picture your dog, attached to a 6 foot leash by her face, run and hit the end of that leash?
Can you imagine the damage caused?
Why use ineffective tools and training methods when better options exist?
Hope I helped.
ADD: TJ…every answer that even remotely suggested a correction has gotten a shitload of TD…don't feel left out, the wanna-be trainers are out in force. As someone else suggested recently, they are educated beyond their level of intelligence and it shows!!!!
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Realist
May 19th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Yes, the Gentle Leader works! I bought the one that is halter style, not the one with the thing around his nose. After about a few months of that, my dog no longer needs it and walks wonderful on a leash. With the harness on, I praised him whenever he behaved properly and I would also give him treats on walk.
Best wishes.
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May 19th, 2009 at 8:04 am
With some dogs, yes. However remove it and the dog goes right back to pulling. Best bet would be some actual obedience training - people train dogs, not tools (though they can certainly help when all else has failed!)
Have you tried the "make like a tree" method - where you just STOP every time the leash becomes too taut and wait for the dog to return to you? How about spinning around and abruptly going in the other direction? Have you tried praising (occasional treat) for no pulling or using a treat to lure her along?
Tools should really only be used as a last resort or if you can't physically control the dog. I used all the tools i could find JUST to see how they worked with my dog (trainer okayed my "experimentation") along side of basic training techniques (like the ones described above.)
The harnesses do nothing (she pulled sideways on the front leader harness and on her back feet with the "no pull pinch" one.) The Gentle Leader frustrated her and made her behavior around other dogs/people WORSE. Slip collar choked her (even when used properly.) The only tool that worked (and actually helped cure her lunging/pulling) was the Prong collar.
That's just MY experience with MY dog. I personally feel that dogs are not horses and don't have the neck muscles or support to be led around like them - can't imagine what would happen if the dog actually lunged hard at something….
If you plan on trying any tool, have the trainer (a trainer) show you how to use it.
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Owned by Mutt
May 19th, 2009 at 8:29 am
It works wonders. I am a trainer for Canine Companions for Independence so I know a lot about them because we train our dogs with them. I've never had a dog pull while on one.
First of all, it is not a muzzle! People ask me this all the time. The dogs can still open their mouths and can do anything they could without it on, such as eating, drinking, licking, panting… anything.
Second, you're going to need to train your dog on it because it's a strange thing for them to get used to. First put it on over the snout at feeding time. This way the dog learns to associate it with something positive. Then slowly use it for walking, adding to the length of time you have it on.
It works this way: It is a collar that goes around the top of the neck, clipping right below the ears. The strap that goes over the snout is connected to the strap around the neck and then connected to the leash below that. When the dog pulls, the gentle leader gently pulls down on the snout, making the dog stop pulling.
It really is a wonderful invention. Give it a try.
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Professional training for CCI
May 19th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Halti are for people to lazy to train their dogs to walk with a collar! Please dont be this worthless and get a collar.
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