Gentle Leader

Don't even go there. Don't tell me about prey drive. ROFLOL!!!

You're right. I have a right to my opinion. What you wrote about your dog made me feel pity for him. How would I know you're kidding? I don't like things that go over muzzles. I don't like making a dog feel forced into doing something. I want him to be a partner. I prefer a dog to be motivated to do something. This is my opinion and the way I've been working with dogs for a long time. Holier? I wouldn't say holier, just never had a need for force. Maybe it comes from training horses. You can hardly force a horse. LOL.

This sums up exactly my opinion:

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/headhalters.html

And all I am saying is your wasting your time feeling "pity" for my dog. I don't lose sleep at night worrying about how you are training your dogs and I suggest you worry less about how I treat my dog.

This is the training forum. This is where we discuss training methods and philosophies. Why are you so defensive and concerned about my thoughts about a dog who seems upset with something over it's muzzle? Why are you so worried? It was part of my point of why I don't like head halters on a dog. I really never gave more thought than that about how you, in particular train your dog.

mine, too. suzanne clothier is an amazing amazing trainer so i was totally psyched the first time i read that article and found out how much her thoughts on head halters meshed with mine.

the only time i think they're really a good choice is in dealing with a dog who is significantly human-aggressive.

I guess we will leave it at that then since arguing with a all knowing moderator on this board I am sure will prove futile.

I am rather curious about this submission thing. When the dog is being walked in a public place, do you not want it to be totally submissive to you? My Lilly seems much more alert and focused on my when she wears her gentle leader, as opposed to a flat collar and she only wears it for walks. I have never actually seen a dog develop a real problem with wearing one and I have used it to train several shelter dogs. Or does the neurosis seem to come when a dog wears it constantly? Please don't take this as rude or sarcastic, because I am genuinely curious.

Personaly I dont like them. At least with a prong you can wean the dog off of it. Halits or halti like things are hard to wean off of, if you ever can. You take it off and the dog pulls again.

Do some obediance training. If you cant aford a trainer buy a book or read on the internet

I agree with getting some OB training knowledge.

I have used GL's for several dogs and had good luck...Maybe it was just luck.
Wiening them was no harder than revisiting the GL if they pulled again. Pretty simple and went fast. Maybe its the type of dogs I use it on (labs). They arent as hard headed as some breeds?LOL
All I know is I like them. If used properly they do work well for me. JMO

I've tried everything for my very active Irish Setter (who loves to pull). The prong collar, choker collar, and harness were all recommendations of the trainer we were using. All were detrimental to our poor girl. I stopped using each of them after a few walks because they would tug at our dogs hair and not work. The gentle leader has been the most effective while also being the least harmful.

This thread makes it hard to choose what collar to buy next.

My situation is that my dog is a 55lb puppy that must be a hunter. I have never seen a dog with this much energy.

I tried using a regular collar but she can spin around an pull out of it because her neck is much thicker then her head. (yes it's sized and tightened correctly)

I tried a choke collar and she didnt seem smart enough to stop pulling. Whe she saw another dog she still went after it full force. I only had about 6in to a foot of lead out and I still had to practacilly put her in a bear hug to stop her from choking. I stopped using that right away.

Since that I have not been able to take her out of the yard for her own safety. What's funny is she responds great in the yard... On the standard leash there is no pulling, she sits on command, and comes when called but as soon as I take her out of the yard its like the collar and I don't exist.

I want to try and train her to resist destractions but I need a collar that won't hurt her. After reading this thread I am more confused then ever.

Actually the gentle leader can still cause medical problems. You are tightening on the dog's muzzle and it can affect their breathing if used to forceful.