"Gentle Leader" for leash pulling-and dog trainer warning received. Anyone else have similar results?

[Cathy w/Shiloh~Cody]

I enrolled my 5 1/2 month old doodle in obedience training at a large dog academy.

I kept him on the "Gentle Leader" that I had been using for two weeks.

Today, my dog threw several tantrums and went to the ground, was using his paws to try and pull it off,

and refused to move forward. He was "shutting down" as the instructor called it..

The top trainer/director came over and examined my dog and said it was put on "correctly" as the

DVD and instructions said, BUT..the Goldendoodle has a different neck structure than most dogs. 

She said that it was actually pushing on his Trachea. The back strap that is suppose to go very high

and tight in the back was loosened. Has anyone else ever heard of this adjustment for the Doodles?

Has anyone had good results for alleviating leash pulling they could share? I do change directions to

try and stop the pulling, he does not seem to mind what direction we go. Thanks!

 

 

 

[Karina]

I agree that labradoodle necks are too fragile for anything that pulls tight on their neck. I tried a few things that gave my Rosie an uncomfortable cough so I would agree with the trainer. I just bought the nose / face gentle leader that doesn't seem to effect her neck. I hope this helps us when she is extremely full of energy before the park.

[Adina P]

If it works for poodles and it works for labs and it works for golden retrievers, I can't think of why it would fit strangely for a doodle--at least NOT across the board.  My dogs all hated head halters but the halters never seemed tight around their trachea.  It's supposed to pull on their nose.  In any case I use a method that involves correction and praise and our tool of choice is the choke chain.  But I follow a very step-by-step method so the dog does not 'choke' nor is he allowed to pull on it at any time. 

 

Did your trainer have a different suggestion for a collar or method or technique besides just saying that the GL won't work for him?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I swear I have never had dogs that pull like my two do. On a regular collar, Fudge gags and chokes most of the walk. My trainer recommended a prong collar and I was reluctant at first, but it is the only thing that works for my dogs. There have been many discussions on this collar and how to get the right fit. Good luck!

[Karina]

Rosie and us went through 3 classes together and lots of puppy socials. In a classroom with good food I have a model student. Rosie still hates the face halter but it is only the second day and she should get used to it. between all the trainers, dog whisperer and my own research I noticed that my Rosie is dainty and her neck is thin and delicate so I am trying the nose thing because of her neck sensitivity. Prong colors can make the dog mad and medium / small doodles can be vonurable i think. We found that there is no step by step. I feel like I have different tools for different situations. I always carry food and am thinking of moving to chicken only due to Rosie's sensitive stomach. I admit my rosie is a bit of a diva, but i love her to pieces. She is currently having diarhia and she is walking like a perfect dog poor thing.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

If the treats are causing her upset stomach, you might want to try Zuke's Salmon mini-naturals. They have no corn, soy or wheat. Since these are semi-moist treats, you can easily break one into two or three pieces with your fingernail so she gets just a taste when she does well. :-)

[Karina]

thank you. i am curious to see if Zuke's have other flavors. we tend to stay away from fishie smelling treats and bully sticks. you know the extra bad smell in bully sticks is due to residual blood - horrible.

 

Rosie is not a big eater...it comes in waves more rarely now.

[Leslie J]

Another good treat is "ZiwiPeak" dog food.  It is actually pieces of air-dried meat (grain free).  It's packaged as dog food, not treats, but most dogs will do anything for it (it looks like pieces of beef jerky).  It is imported from New Zealand.

[Jaime and Barley Barker]

This sounds very strange. My trainer actually recommended the Gentle Leader for Barley. I got it about three weeks ago and it has been a miracle worker. I've never heard of it causing a problem with the trachea. My understanding from the DVD/instructions is that the backstrap needs to be high on the head to work properly. Is the nose strap too tight or too loose? It needs to be loose enough to be pulled down to the fleshy part of the nose, but not loose enough to go over the muzzle. We accidentally put the nose strap on too tight for our St. Bernard puppy and he behaved the way you are describing. If the bottom strap is resting on the trachea, maybe it's too loose. On Barley, the strap rests under his jaw but not quite back against trachea. Good luck! Please keep us updated.

[Kyoko]

I love Gentle Leader. I think each dogs' shapes are slightly different from one another. You would just have to adjust it correctly according to your dog....My trainer recommends it as well. Charlie used to try getting it off using her front paws as well until she got used to it. I don't think any of the parts of Gentle Leader should be pressuring the trachea if it is placed correctly. The nose part should not be too tight at the bottom of the chin, but tight enough that it can be only pulled down to the leather of its nose. And the back should sits up high and tight enough that you can barely put the fingers through....

[Jennifer and Jack]

I tried one for Jack but even the extra small was too big. I use a harness on him, I was told from day one because of his size I should not use a leash and collar around his neck. He has a propensity to trachea collapse that he gets from his father, a toy poodle.

 

He actually pulls less with the harness. I would imagine it would be really hard with a dog that weighs more then 11 pounds because my arm used to get tired with him!!!

[Harper]

I'm not sure if this is different, but our trainer recommended the Easy Walk harness.  It's been working great so far for us, and it isn't near Harper's neck to choke her at all.  It makes our walks MUCH easier.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Walk-Harness-Medium-Royal/dp/B000BHWMYO

[Camilla and Darwin]

I second this recommendation. We use the Easy Walk, as do many other members here. It doesn't bug Darwin at all, and it completely stops him from pulling.