I have tried to train my dog how to appropriately walk on his leash without pulling. I have tried several things that have been suggested to me by dog trainers. No matter what I tried, he would drag me to every single fire hydrant, electric pole, tree and bush that he saw to pee on it. I tried these methods for 4 months before I got frustrated and talked to another dog trainer. She suggested I buy a Gentle Leader collar. I would post a link, but I'm not sure if that's allowed here? This collar goes around the dogs neck. Then it has another loop which loops over the dogs nose. The collar has a metal ring on the back of the neck part to attach the leash. The trainer explained that the nose piece works the same way it would with a horse. When the dog pulls, it pushes on the nose a bit and they don't like it so they stop. It does not hurt them.
The trainer told me to use treats as I am putting this on him for the first few times. She said to put the treat by the nose loop so he would stick his nose in there on his own. This helps the dog feel like they are in control of the situation and makes it easier for him to get used to it. She warned me that he may not like it the first few times we use it. She was right. He kept trying to rub his nose on the ground and batting at it with his paw to get it off. After he got used to it, walks with him were so nice. He rarely ever tries to pull anymore. It was the best $20 I have spent on anything for him so far. Anyone here use a Gentle Leader? Do you have any positive stories like this to share?
I am familiar with the Gentle Leader. My friend uses them with her Bassets and they are very effective for novice dog owners and pullers.
There's actually two types of Gentle Leader, the harness and the collar. I like the harness for bigger dogs because once they start pulling, the clip on halts them from going forward by having their chest turn towards the owner's direction thereby discouraging the pulling behavior.
I'm glad that you're now enjoying walks with your dog.
I had no idea there was a harness version of the Gentle Leader. I'll have to look for that and do some comparing. Before we got the Gentle Leader, we used a harness. I bought the harness after he learned how to pull, then back up a bit and get out of his collar. After chasing him a few times to get him back into the collar, I was done with that! Now that we've had him awhile, I don't think he would take off running like that if he got out of his collar. We've trained him to come since then. But, I also like a harness because the leash gets hooked in back of his neck and I never have an issue with him getting tangled in it. With the leash being hooked in front of his neck, if there's any slack in the leash, he's always getting the leash hooked under his leg. Drives me crazy.
We've got a 60lb Shep mix and an 11lb Maltipoo and we use the "snout-puller" on both of them. The Gentle Leader is undoubtedly the most effective tool we've ever had for nice, enjoyable walks. Now if they would just incorporate a good bark control mechanism in with the Gentle Leader, we'd really have something to talk about!!!
I've used the Gentle Leader with two dogs now. One is a big guy, a Bernese Mountain dog. Frankly, he loves his Gentle Leader. If we even pick it up, it's just like if we picked up his leash. He sticks in nose right in and waits for us to do up the clips no problem. Although, we did train him to use the command "nose" to stick his nose in the hole when we first started using it. Say "nose," and hold the Gentle Leader open. When your dog puts his nose through, give him a treat or praise with his nose still in the Gentle Leader. It worked great for the Berner.
My dog Nix is still getting used to his Gentle Leader. He knows he needs to put it on to go out, but still won't offer up his nose. Sometimes he curls his lip back when I'm putting it on. No sounds. Just showing his dislike. I'm going to have to keep up with the treats and nose command until he gets it like our Berner.
