# Gentle Leader



## exile (Dec 15, 2013)

Okay, so I went out yesterday and bought a Gentle Leader for my sled dog....er, I mean my spoo. After seeing some folks using it and talking with them about it, I thought I would give it a try. Let me tell you, the difference in Gina on the lead for a walk is like night and day. She does great except for the occasional test to see if she can run ahead, takes two steps and boom, she's back by my side. This is the greatest apparatus invented since sliced bread.
So I have a question. For those of you that have used one, does the day ever come when she will be trained not to pull when on a regular lead or is this a forever thing? Will she "learn" from this or is it just a patch?
In any case I'm loving it. Now I can try walking her around other people and other dogs without her going crazy. Mind you, she's very sweet with everyone, these leaps she dose are not aggression driven, she just want's to go and socialize.
Thank you all for all the kind advice I have gleaned from this forum and look forward to many more years of poodledom here......Tom


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Yes; I used the gentle leader when our dogs were in their super-enthusiastic phase. Just reinforce it with positive reinforcement for not pulling and not lunging (or whatever), and after she's older you'll notice she carries those good manners over even when she's not wearing the gentle leader.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I have not used it but heard my obedience instructor telling someone how to phase it out. Put on both and go back and forth gradually increasing time on the buckle collar until you just use the buckle collar.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Ya ct girl that's what I did without knowing its a real thing.. It works


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## lperez625 (Mar 9, 2014)

I've always been a huge fan of the gentle leader. It will teach good manners she will likely keep even when she isn't wearing it. You have a beautiful dog!


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

We used it with both our Corgi and Golden when they were younger and really, really bad pullers (my Corgi would pull so hard he would be walking on his hind legs as a pup). Every time they would slightly pull we'd make a correcting sound like "Eh! Heel" and they caught on very, very fast...after we went on many walks with no corrections, we eventually switched back over to their regular collars/leashes and would use the same corrective words if they started to get ahead or slightly pull and they responded very well...they have been angels since.

I always recommend the gentle leader to people but they dont like it because they think it looks like a muzzle and people think others will think their dog is vicious...but I honestly think it is the best training tool for leash manners. I'm not a fan of the "halti-harness" (I think thats what its called). I still see SO many dogs pulling through it and dragging their owners, but they REFUSE to try the gentle leader, which could possibly make things so much easier for the owner if they weren't so worried about what others think...thumbs up for gentle leaders!!


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

at pf the objections i have seen have not been generalized but based on individual cases in which a specific dog would not accept it or there was a possibility of harm given the dog's reaction.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

It really depends on the dog if a Holt/Halti, Gentle Leader, Infinity Lead or other head collar will work. I have seen dogs pull through Gentle Leaders but behave in a Holt or Infinity Lead and vice versa. It depends on a number of factors including which of the head halter fits that dogs head the best. And of course some dogs walk right out of their properly fitted head halters... 

The Gentle Leader is not magic, it is a training tool that seems to work magic if it is the right tool for you dog. Just be careful with ANY head collar not to make sudden hard yanks on the leash as they can lead to whiplash type injuries. As with any training tool it may or may not be the best tool for your dog but you need to find out how to use it and know when to give up and move on to another tool in the toolbox.


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## Markbthompson (May 24, 2012)

This SPOO was my first gentle leader dog and it made a world of difference. I use it now if I know I'll be navigating heavy crowds and other dogs usually but I'd think you could have both collars on and switch back and forth for a bit with the lead so they don't realize which one is in use then eventually remove the GL. If it starts pulling then go back to it until they realize pulling isn't allowed. My dog equates it to going in public so she gets excited when she sees it.


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## Joy (Apr 25, 2013)

I used the gentle leader with Sammy to slow his pace, and it worked beautifully. However, when I took him to training to get him ready to pass the therapy dog test I had to wean him off of it because they won't test your dog with a gentle leader, and is not acceptable to use on therapy visits. I think because some people think it is a muzzle and then become fearful of the dog. He is now weaned from it. He will pull sometimes if he is very excited, but I just shorten his leash to walk beside me, ask him to sit,and then proceed, and he adjusts accordingly. So yes, you can wean them off. Good luck. I think it made a huge difference using it.


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## Markbthompson (May 24, 2012)

I couldn't use it for the public access test but they allow a Martingale which gives better control than a standard collar, I just went to a 4 ft lead instead of 6. I still use GL with my service dog gear and a large do not pet/ do not distract on the lead. In my case I don't want her distracted or petted so it doesn't matter and I like the close walk and attention the GL causes, eliminating distractions.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

That is interesting as many SD teams use head halters for various different reasons. I would have assumed that a PAT would be done in the actual gear your dog will be working in be it a prong, flat collar, head harness, ect.


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## Markbthompson (May 24, 2012)

No, but Martingale is allowed. I thought it should be the dog's standard gear but the tester did it like a CGC and they don't allow it. The test was 90% of the CGC, removed escalator because I can't use them and added obstacles, distractions, and no remove owner from dog.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

so odd grin at least a few of the folks I know that use them are hard of hearing and use the halters to help them tell when their dog alerts to a sound. The dog is trained to turn its head towards the noise which tells the handler where to look. The handler can't get that cue with a neck collar... 

My kids refuse to work in head collars which is not a problem for me but knowing how others use them makes me interested in learning how to get a dog to work in one. My DH has inner ear problems that are slowly taking his hearing away. He has already lost over 50% in one ear and is close to that level in the other ear. If I could train Monster to work in a head halter and turn his head to alert to sounds it would make our lives so much easier.


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