Help with gentle leader on puppy

[Barb04]

My friend's 4 months old St. Bernard is terrible on a leash. She bought a gentle leader and it worked wonders but now the puppy won't let her put it on. When she took the pup for weekly training, the trainer put it on once, the owner tried & the dog refused, and the trainer tried to put it on again but the dog growled. He refuses to let them put anything on his mouth like that.

The pup is the dominant male of the litter. He is getting big so my friend needs something she can use to help her take him for a walk. He's already over 50 lbs. and my friend is a not a big woman.

I've never had to use anything but a leash or harness on my dogs so I'm of no use with suggestions.

Thanks

[Dekka]

Well being 'dominant' really has nothign to do with this issue. BUT what she needs to do is teach him that the head halter means good things. Ie put it on feed treats, it comes off treats stop. Feed him dinner in it. Teach him to balance the nose loop on his nose.. feed treats it falls off they stop etc.

[ihartgonzo]

I hate gentle leaders. I have yet to meet a dog who likes wearing them.

If gentle leaders are a MUST, Dekka's advice should help a lot. I recommend that she gets a Sense-ible harness, and a better trainer that doesn't rely on using gentle leaders. A puppy should be taught to walk politely on a leash, without his head being jerked around. Especially in such a massive breed she needs to teach him that what she wants him to do is the most rewarding thing in the world for him using praise, attention, treats and toys... rather than using physical force to subdue him, because in a few months he is going to be able to bowl her over in a second.

[Tazwell]

The only time I would recommend somebody use a gentle leader is when the dog is physically too strong for the owner to work on-- and It doesn't sound like this puppy is quite there. If they do decide to go with the GL (or even if they don't) encourage them to do everything they can to teach the dog to work with her, just like Gonzo said. I'm sure she doesn't want an out of Control St. Bernard on her hands! Recommend to her that if she needs to use it, just to use it for training and then wean the dog off of it. Perhaps into an Easy walk Harness or something like that, so that she can control the dog easier if it decides to lunge-- but you're not relying on a device to replace training.

Anyway, have her do exactly what Dekka said -- Train the dog to stick it's nose through the loop to get a treat, without clipping it. When he's comfortable with that, Begin clipping the GL behind the dog's head, feeding treats, then immediately unclipping it again. Add a little duration each time. Then like Dekka said, try feeding the dog while he's wearing it. Or letting him wear it around the house, Reinforce for being good, and giving him the "leave it" command if he begins pawing at it-- and reinforce when he stops. Eventually he may associate going for walks with the collar, and make more positive associations with it.

My most important tip to anybody who uses one, is don't let it stop you from training the dog. You should still implement no-pull training (like stopping or turning around when the dog pulls, and reinforcing good walking), and never let it stay tight the whole walk. It is uncomfortable when it's tight, so it should only be so when the dog is pulling or lunging-- and loose all other times.

[Doberluv]

Halti Dog Harness - Stops Dogs Pulling Kindly

This is for dogs that are too physically strong too. I don't advise using something over the muzzle at all, if possible, especially on a puppy. The muzzle is a very psychologically sensitive area.

[Maura]

She needs to do long line work with her puppy. If he is trying to dominate her I'd like to know what he eats, and where he sleeps.

[MericoX]

All I have to say is a GL on a 4 month old puppy? A puppy?? She needs to find a new trainer.

[Barb04]

Her puppy is a St. Bernard who is over 50 lbs. and is a very dominant dog. If he was cooperative and just a mush, it would make using the gentle leader a lot easier.

[Doberluv]

I would be much more inclined to think that this is simply a puppy that is un-trained, energetic and wants to be on the go, rather than labeling him "dominant." He doesn't know that pulling on the leash and being rambunctious isn't something humans do. Putting something over an animals means of survival (eating/protecting themselves)....his muzzle... is naturally going to be inclined to cause some fear or defensiveness. That is not dominance. It's inexperience. That is something that the dog needs to be very gradually desensatized to. You don't just slap the thing on the dog the first time and expect unabating cooperation. This is an animal.

Cooperation like mush comes from good communication with one's dog, by means of proper handling, good training skills, conditioning, desensatizing to something a dog doesn't like, not hierarchy or rank, dominance or submission.

A dog that wants to have his own way, (pull on a leash, object to something trapping his muzzle and rendering it ineffective) doesn't automatically make him dominant. First you have to rule out lack of training for a reason. (seek the simplist answers first) And since a well trained dog doesn't insist on having his own way, then there's a contradiction in terms for ya.

Sounds like she needs some help from a good trainer who understands dog behavior, their natural instincts, fears etc... and how to work WITH a dog...not just some trainer who wants to close him down. (all too common)

[Dekka]

Dominance has NO bearing on walking a dog. It is all down to training (to echo Carrie) Some dogs are more biddable, but that doesn't make them less dominant. (dominant to what.. A BC dominates sheep yet is biddable to humans...)

If she is seeing her dog as dominant it will likely hinder her ability to train her dog to walk nicely. Labeling the dog makes it the dog's fault. Leash pulling is always inadvertantly trained by humans. Some dogs retrain easily.. some insist on the game working the same way as it always has. That isn't dominance. The dog isn't trying to MAKE her do what he wants. He is just doing what has always worked in the past. If not pulling had always worked then this sort of a dog would be very diligent in not pulling.