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We gave up on the Gentle Leader finally---we tried it for several months, but our dog never adjusted to it and even now if we take it out for an occasional use he spends every second in it rubbing it against his paw, the ground, other people we meet (gross!) and anything he can find that might conceivably get it off. :) They work well for some dogs, but not ours (who, granted, has other weird face hangups with not wanting his eyes or ears covered, etc.)
We went with an Easy Walk harness instead, and I highly recommend it if the Gentle Leader doesn't work out. Good luck!
Have you tried a dog backpack? Our dog has one, we stick a couple cans of food in it and he behaves very well on walks! A lot of dog experts I've talked to say its because the dogs feel like they are working & helping you so they are better behaved.
I second the Easy Walk Harness too...We went thru several harnesses before we finally found one that worked with our very strong 65lb labradoodle. The additional nice thing about them is that if your dog chews it up they will replace it for $5.
Hi!
Can your gentle leader be on too tight? We started using the gentle leader on our pup from when she was a very young puppy. And yes at the beginning she def always tried to paw at the nozzle because it itched her nose. But she took to it pretty quick. It's all I used because otherwise she will pull me with her!! Having control of her head helps her from using all her weight to pull.
GL!
Yes, our newf HATED it at first too. It was a matter of just getting out the door and starting to walk and she'd get distracted and eventually she was fine (though on occasion if we stopped long enough, like to talk to someone, or at a stop light, she might start rubbing her chin on the ground). We actually put it on her after we got outside
If he's destroying Kongs easily, get the extreme kongs-the black ones, not red ones. My lab/pit bull mix needs a Extreme XL/XXL so she won't destroy it! They're expensive, but so worth it!
Try the Easy Walk Harness. It does the same thing (prevents pulling) but its a harness around their chest that clips in the front, rather than go on their face.
Our dog also DESTROYS anything he gets his mouth on. They like that. We let him go for it, and tehn go with the Black Kongs bc they are super strong
haha our dogs acted horrified at first, too! Wrigley would even balk and refuse to move in the middle of a walk!
They've gotten used to them now though and has made walking easier. Not that they're perfect on a leash, but it's easier!
Good luck!
He's getting better, we put it on him (and he obligingly dips his nose down so we can clip it behind his head, which I LOVE) and then we wait until he's stopped rubbing it on us before we go outside. Then, when we get back in, we leave it on for about 5 minutes, and he doesn't seem to care until he remembers he's pissed, LOL.
I can't BELIEVE how much easier it is to walk him. No pulling!
Catch did not deal well with a gentle lead. He is such a sniffer and really felt restricted with it. That's why we ended up with the wonder walker. He loves that thing, and when we say "Go for a walk?" he goes and pulls it down and waits patiently for us to put it on him.
When he was a rambunctious puppy we also filled his backpack for walks. We'd take him around Greenlake with a loaded pack and we'd have the best puppy for the rest of the day!
We have the gentle leader and it is awesome! We got it for my dog (she's 7) so we started having her wearing it later in her life. I agree she occassionally does the pawing and rolling but usually she is perfect. We can take her anywhere now! Perhaps yours is on too tight? I constantly praise her when we're walking for being a good dog. Since we've been using it there is slack in the leash. I hope you find someway to make it work cause they are worth the initial aggravation!
Ha ha! Yes! I used it on my aunt's German Shorthair Pointer and she did a front flip/somersault! It was quite impressive. Despite her initial dislike (pawing, crying, etc.) she got over it. I would just give her a quick tug and release any time she went to drop her head and asked her to walk a little faster than normal. An important part was not giving her something to work and pull against and always releasing when she was where I wanted her to be (not fussing with it.) Good luck!
Our family used the Gentle Leader on our (very, very) rambunctious terrier and found that ti worked wonders once she got used to it. Maybe check to be sure it's not too tight? It shouldn't act like a muzzle - the dog ought to be able to open his or her mouth fully and you should be able to slide your finger easily between the neck harness and the dog.
When you go to put it on his nose, hold a treat on the other side of it. That way he has a reason to put his nose through the hole (he gets a yummy treat as a reward)! My trainer at petsmart put it on for me the first time and sized it properly, and then taught me to use the positve reinforcement (a treat) to get him used to it.
I also recommend the Easy Walk Harness! I worked at an animal shelter for 2 years, and that's what we used on all the dogs there. My favorite boy was a 120lb lab who didn't know his own strength- he was IMPOSSIBLE to walk! I'd slip an Easy Walk on him, and I immediately had complete control during the walk. He still would run around and sniff stuff and be a happy boy, but because of how the harness is made he can't lean INTO the resistance to pull harder. It actually teaches them not to pull. It's awesome!
Good luck! :)
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I know you all warned me, and I know it says so in the instructions, but Holy Moley, Quil acted like I was killing him. They even warned me at Petsmart that dogs tend to be drama queens about it the first time. He did everything, he pawed at it, rolled on the ground, refused to walk anywwhere, and cried so loud. It was very upsetting.
So, we'll try again tomorrow.
Also, I bought him a new toy, and he as already destroyed it. So, it's going back to Petsmart. Made for strong chewers, whatever, I should have just bought him another Kong.