Acclimating your dog to a Gentle Leader (LONG) - Page 4

Cayenne's Mom · #31 08-25-2003, 12:47 PM

I use the GL on my Cayenne only for when we first get to somewhere. She is a wild women and wants to play with everyone and not listen. If I put the GL on her she calms down and then she is ready to work. Both Zane and Cayenne have been great on the leash and do not pull. Zane is a lot better than Cayenne and I have never had to use a GL on him. I have noticed that Cayenne will have a rub mark on her face after wearing the GL for a while. If I walk both of them I have to put the GL on Cayenne to keep her steady but so far I have not ever had a problem. FYI you cannot take the CGC test in the US with the GL they are working on changing the rules so you can. I actually asked if I could walk Cayenne through the test with it on the first time or during half of the test and it helped calm her. Then we retook the test without it and passed with flying colors.

Trish727 · #32 08-25-2003, 12:50 PM

I use the GL on Domino and it is one of the best things I have ever spent money on!

Tom B · #33 11-18-2003, 11:34 AM

We have a 4 month old fawn Boxer named Tonka who at thirty pounds could pull my fiancee down to the ground. We took extra time getting him used to the GL because he was very stuborn with just wearing a coller after a week of short wearing times we hooked up the leash to him and bingo he became a gent he walks with his head up will not pull at all... we love it. I have also noticed a big change in behavor with it on......I am going to look into the short snout GL for his next fitting.....TONKA is gaining 5 pounds or so a week so most collars are short term latley.....
Tonka'sPOP

k9mom24 · #34 11-20-2003, 12:16 PM

As a clicker trainer I *always* tell my clients about the Gentle Leader. From what I understand Premier (Gentle Leader manufacturor) is now only making the GL with a thin "snoot loop". My first experience with one of my dogs and a GL was with my then 1 to 2 year old beagle, Bandit. When we put one on him he immediately flipped on his back and kicked his legs! He is now fine with it and only needs to wear it in rare situations, especially when being walked with more than one other dog. The GL is meant to be a management tool so that the dog doesn't continue to be reinforced for pulling while he is being trained not to pull (by stopping the walk when the leash is tight and continuing when it is slack). I will often tell my female clients that the dog feels similar to the way that we felt the first time we wore a bra. Ladies, you remember! Ugh!! But now we're used to it, right? This is the same thing with your dog. If your dog ONLY gets to go for his walk if he's wearing his GL and happy things happen when he is wearing his GL then he will quickly acclimate. As for it being a muzzle, it is absolutely not! The dog should still be able to eat, drink, and bite (if he's going to). Also remember... what do sled dogs wear when the are pulling sleds? A harness! Be very careful that you are not simply giving your dog more leverage by having him wear a harness. The other reason I like the GL over a "no pull harness" is because the GL doesn't hurt the dog. Yes, it's a bit annoying at first but they'll adjust. The reason the "no pull harness" works is because if your dog pulls it pinches your dog, in turn hurting it. I personally would rather not use a device that hurts my dog. Thanks for letting me post my input

Good luck to you all! GLs really are a fabulous creation! OH! One more thing! I have had dogs (not necessarily boxers) slip out of a Halti on me. If your dog gets the GL nose loop off his nose the part that goes around his neck then simply becomes like a buckle collar so you don't lose the dog

jessi

k9mom24 · #35 11-20-2003, 12:19 PM

The Gentle Leader is not a collar meant to give corrections! Giving a correction with a GL can hurt the dogs neck! The GL is not meant to be a "training collar". It is meant to be a management tool for pulling. It has nothing to do with other behaviors.

jessi

k9mom24 · #36 11-20-2003, 12:25 PM

One of my dogs does this. It is just another way of trying to get the GL off. Think about how you respond to your dog when he does this. It's all about behavior/consequence and how dogs learn. If my dog rubs his muzzle on my leg while wearing his GL and I think "oh! poor dog doesn't want to wear it. so i'll take it off" and turn to the dog and take it off. The dog learns if I rub my nose on her long enough she will eventually give and take it off. Another good thing to try is distracting your dog with treats while he gets used to the GL. Note: I only said, "...while he gets used to the GL." This will keep his mind off of the annoyance and help him learn that it's not so bad.

jessi

Krikkit · #37 11-20-2003, 04:14 PM

If your dog is wearing a head halter, and you think that the strap over the nose may be irritating, fit some moleskin over the nose strap - nice and soft

Also, Boxerworld article on Head Halters & Boxers:
http://www.boxerworld.com/training/headhalter/

Pictures of halti to collar connectors (excellent items):
http://www.blackdog.net.au/Images/Pr...rConnector.gif

Pictures of double ended leads (goods for halti's to collars as well):
http://www.blackdog.net.au/leadsbody.html#double

Pictures of brace leads (can also be used to connect to halti and to collar - depending on make).
http://www.blackdog.net.au/Images/Products/BLSRed.gif

Sharon

Pacci · #38 02-15-2004, 04:29 PM

I just want to add that I LOVE our Gental Leader. We got it from our trainer and it was the best thing that ever happened to us! I promote it all the time now because people will actually stop me on the street to ask about it since Pacci is so well behaved.

Evie&Adam · #39 02-17-2004, 12:30 PM

I use the Halti because it doesnt have any metal that touches my pup! ( she has an allergy to the GL's metal) It has made the greatest difference in her behavior when we walk or go out in public!!! Neither pup pulls & it makes it so the kids( 12 and 6) can walk the dogs! Prior to using the Halti, both pups would pull so hard that they would choke themselves!! The very second I put it one- no more pulling!! The only unfortunate thing is that many people think that it is a muzzle. Regardless, I would HIGHLY recommend at GL or Halti!!!

Maxwellspet · #40 02-17-2004, 03:34 PM

I have also had people think that Sadie was wearing a muzzle when we are out of a walk. The GL is a little bit more difficult to get on her, but she is so easy to handle when we go for walks now. I would really like to put one on Max (my Boston Terrier), but he is such a little guy, that I can't see how it would work. There really isn't any room betwen his eyes and nose and of course the breed is "bug eyed". I would be afraid it would interfer with his vision. I noticed someone had posted that they were concerned with the dog being able to pant. The strap must be lose enough that the dog can open its mouth!