GENTLE LEAD

[RIDOODLES]

WE HAVE USED THE GENTLE LEAD WITH GREAT SUCCESS. IT COMES WITH A VIDEO TO SEE HOW TO PLACE IT ON "CORRECTLY" IT MUST BE PLACED ON TIGHT SO YOUR DOG CANNOT GET OUT OF IT. WE BROUGHT TREATS WITH US TO CORREC KELSEY AND LOZMO EVERYTIME WE WOULD WALK A FEW FEET WE WOULD GIVE THE COMMAND GOOD DOG AND GIVE THEM A TREAT. WHEN THEY TRIED TO PULL IT OFF WE WOULD SAY "NO!" , AND IMMEDIATLY TURN AROUND AND THEN TURN AROUND AGAIN AND START WALKING AGAIN.
AFTER 3 DAYS THEY WERE WALKING VERY NICELY "WITHOUT" " PULLING" AT ALL!

AFTER 2 MONTHS WE STARTED WALKING WITHOUT IT AND IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, AND DIDNT PULL ANY LONGER.
WHEN IT IS ON THEM IF THEY PULL OT HURTS THEM A BIT AROUND THE MUZZLE AREA.
GOOD LUCK..HOPE THIS HELPS YOU..
IF ANY ONE ELSE SUGGESTED THIS I APOLOGISE I DIDNT READ THROUGH ALL THE REPLIES.

[Susan]

When I adopted Marlow, he was horrible on the leash. Always leaping and pulling! I immediately went and bought a gentle leader and he is like a different dog. I use this for my Dalmatian as well and have for 11 years. I like the control that it gives me over the dogs and it does not harm the dogs. One question I tend to get is "why do you have a muzzle on your dog?" when this looks nothing like a muzzle. It is just a strap over the nose and one that goes behind the head. If you are familar with horses, you will understand the concept. It does not hurt my dogs at all when they pull. They feel the pressure on the nose, which they do not like and they stop pulling! I highly endorse this if you are having leash issues.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I have heard great remarks from a lot of people who use gentle leaders to walk their dogs. I think the concept of anything going over a dogs mouth gives the impression of it being a muzzle type leash. My brother just thought the same thing and was going to purchase it for his dog Taco thinking it would stop him from chewing, till I told him it's not a muzzle, it's to bring the dogs head around and stop them from forging ahead when you walk them. I think they are great, but question some of the principals of it. If you obedience train, should your dog not be at your side? And, when the dog is older and you go to use a different type flat collar, will the dog stay with you, or forge ahead since it does not have that extra strap over its muzzle?

[Adina P]

I think the gentle leader is a great tool. I use something similar called the Halti when I have to take a dog on a walk that is not yet trained. This weekend I babysat a friend's eight-month-old doodle puppy who pulls on leash quite strongly when he wants to. I refuse to walk unless I have full permission to train them the way I would want to train them.

A lot of trainers recommend the gentle leader as a way to control an unruly dog during training. It is just endlessly frustrating otherwise with some dogs. Granted, I know of some dogs that will pull even with the gentle leader-- but they don't have nearly as much strength to pull as hard as they would if it was a flat collar. So that's a benefit. It does not replace training, but it can help so at least you're not trying to hang onto a bucking bronco :-)

as the dog progresses and training, one can move onto a flat collar more easily.

[RIDOODLES]

once it has been on this gentle lead it will remember and we have been walking our dogs now without the use of it and they "REMEMBER" not to PULL. But I guess it is trial and error with every dog, since all dogs are different.