# Gentle leader



## pangborn83 (Mar 22, 2013)

Hi newer member here, I have a 11 week old blf that seems to be doing fairly well with basic obedience (sits, comes most times when there is not distractions less when there is distractions) when on a leash she is pulling and refuses to heal when there is any distractions. I am sure it will come with time but asked my vet when it would be ok to start her on a choker vet said that we should try one of these instead. Anyone have any opinions on these compared to a choker? Thanks for any input


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## mwk56 (May 12, 2009)

I use a prong collar. Safer than a choke chain, takes very little pressure/pull to get a response.

Meredith


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## Amy Gooch (Mar 17, 2012)

Welcome to RTF. At 11 wks I would not use either a choke chain or a pinch collar, this is a baby puppy. I have not used a gentle leader but have used the Halti and Halt headcollars and really like them. It gives you control without jerking on the dog and helps them learn self control. At this age treats go a long way to teaching the desired behavior. Perhaps your expectations are a bit high for your puppy's age but she will get it with time and training. You might also look for a good puppy obedience class in your area so you can practice with distractions and get some input on ways to teach your puppy to behave. Good luck and have fun.


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## pangborn83 (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks to all that replied including pm wise (I would reply but I don't have enough posts to do so). I know my expectations are a lil high at the moment but I just don't want to not do my part and procrastinate. I guess that was the main reason I decided to post the question. If this was something I should look into further it would give me time to find one, get it adjusted and let her wear it a lil while. As their instructions say to let the dog wear it for short intervals several times then to do short walks basically just conditioning before really expecting to make a go at it. The idea for the obedience class sounds great. Thanks again, James


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## SpinRetriever (Dec 25, 2012)

pangborn83 said:


> Thanks to all that replied including pm wise (I would reply but I don't have enough posts to do so). I know my expectations are a lil high at the moment but I just don't want to not do my part and procrastinate. I guess that was the main reason I decided to post the question. If this was something I should look into further it would give me time to find one, get it adjusted and let her wear it a lil while. As their instructions say to let the dog wear it for short intervals several times then to do short walks basically just conditioning before really expecting to make a go at it. The idea for the obedience class sounds great. Thanks again, James


Gentle Leader is a good product and does what it says. I would caution you though that at first you use it in a fenced area until the dog submits and is relaxed with it. You don't wanna be fighting a puppy on a busy street with just that device attached. It really does work though. The most unruly dogs really submit to that device without much in the way of a negative experience.


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## pangborn83 (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks for the reviews, I will definatly look into it further, and will probably give it a try. Thanks, Jim


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## Pat Puwal (Dec 22, 2004)

I would not use a Gentle Leader head collar on a very young puppy. They also make a Gentle Leader body harness which is a better fit for a youngster. We used a pinch collar that was made of plastic - very gentle - comes 15" and you can add 3 links as they grow. It worked well. You have to be careful about the pulling when they are little pups as it can injure them. As with the Gentle Leader head collar, use for short intervals, etc. When the pup was 6 mos. old we switched to the metal prong collar. Here is the plastic version: http://www.entirelypets.com/tcsc.html and the links
http://www.entirelypets.com/addalinksm.html


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## SpinRetriever (Dec 25, 2012)

Pat Puwal said:


> I would not use a Gentle Leader head collar on a very young puppy. They also make a Gentle Leader body harness which is a better fit for a youngster. We used a pinch collar that was made of plastic - very gentle - comes 15" and you can add 3 links as they grow. It worked well. You have to be careful about the pulling when they are little pups as it can injure them. As with the Gentle Leader head collar, use for short intervals, etc. When the pup was 6 mos. old we switched to the metal prong collar. Here is the plastic version: http://www.entirelypets.com/tcsc.html and the linkshttp://www.entirelypets.com/addalinksm.html


I don't agree with this at all. The Gentle Leader is much less stressful on the body than any collar. You must not have used one in the past. There is very little tussling even at first with the GL.


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## Pat Puwal (Dec 22, 2004)

I agree to disagree. I tend to be very careful with puppies and collars. The Gentle Leader or any training collar must fit absolutely correctly and the technique of the trainer should be smooth
. I have no problem with the Gentle Leader when the dog is a bit older. I have used them. See article attached. http://dogsintraining.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/not-so-gentle-leader/


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## pangborn83 (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks again for all the reviews. The link Pat posted was one that came up when I was originally looking for more information and that is what scares me, I don't want to hurt my pup but I want her to be a well mannered retrieving machine. I deffinatly am gonna look into the harness and plastic choker. Her manners on leash are getting better without the use of any training device this far. We have been using a regular harness so that she didnt hurt herself with a regular collar as she would pull so bad at the time i posted this that she would choke herself if i wouldnt run with her. Now she will walk on a leash with minimal pulls ocassionally and watches me for dirrection, So maybe I was just setting expectations to high considering all the distractions of the great big new world she was discovering. Thanks again all, James


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## Amy Gooch (Mar 17, 2012)

There is a big difference between using a head halter to take the dog for a walk and leaving it on all day. I would never leave any training device on a dog when not in use, much less all day. That goes for a head halter, choke chain, pinch collar or even a harness. Do what you feel comfortable with but each type of tool has it's place and time for use. Just remember that you have a baby puppy and the less force the better. Good luck!


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## Henryk (Feb 26, 2013)

pangborn83 said:


> We have been using a regular harness so that she didnt hurt herself with a regular collar as she would pull so bad at the time i posted this that she would choke herself if i wouldnt run with her.


You are doing right, She is little care her gently.


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