Update: I’m using a gentle leader it’s changing my life

[cloud660]

@arsity Works great with my pitbull. He can still pull a bit if he really wants to but he gives up pretty quickly whereas with a regular collar he will strangle himself if he gets too excited.

 

[arsity]

@cloud660 I use a chest harness for him - no strangle and more control if needed.

Plus he's gotten used to it wonderfully, we walks loose leash but if I need to tell him we're turning a corner I just give the leash a little jiggle in the direction I want to go and he knows what that means.

 

[cloud660]

@arsity I wish I could use a chest harness. It becomes a tug-of-war between me and a 60 pound ball of pure muscle.

My dog listens very well when he wants to, but is very, very stubborn.

 

[ericc]

@cloud660 This is mine, too! He hasn't fully mastered his walking manners due to the leash reactivity. The gentle leader means I actually have some leverage. I have hurt my hands more than once using just a harness (double clip front and back). His 65 pounds of determination is too much for me. But the leader means more opportunities to praise positive behavior

 

[mshanzel23]

@arsity Face too skinny?

My last dog figured out a way to arch her neck just-so and was still able to pull with one that way. Crazy dog.

 

[warrenlitton]

@mshanzel23 I feel like my dog uses her neck to force her way with the gently leader making me worried she would strain her neck! I stop using it after she kept rubbing her nose on the floor after we walked with a gentle leader

 

[mshanzel23]

@warrenlitton My girl didn't seem to strain herself, but that's going to massively depend on the particular dog and their neck. She was a German shepherd mutt, stocky and strong. She was a pip. I wish I'd known then what I do now about training, especially reactive things. I was clueless and went to a bad trainer that in hindsight made it all so much worse.

Both her and my current dog rub their noses a lot with it, but I attribute that to me not introducing it slowly enough and just general itchiness. My dog now gets an itchy sneezy nose at the least little things. Or maybe she just likes rubbing her face on our couch, haha!

ETA: Have you found anything you like to replace it? I really like the control it gives me of my current dog's face when we're around people, but I would love to try something else for walks.

 

[warrenlitton]

@mshanzel23 I use a prong collar. Walks with her have been much more enjoyable. She doesn’t rub her nose on the carpet after walks anymore.

 

[mchlbhm]

@arsity Right? My girl figured out this stupid looking hop/spin and it would wrap it around her so she could just keep barreling along she's a brat.

 

[pedrocosta]

@theriz Great!

 

[derp]

@theriz That's great to hear! I thought the gentle leader was mostly used to stop dogs pulling on their leads, but it can help with reactivity as well? I would love to know how!

 

[eve_marie]

@derp Basically, the collar does nothing to stop the reactivity initially just by wearing it, but once they react in their typical manner and have their neck cranked around by the front of their face, they learn pretty quick barring any kind of permanent injury! Also, it's double the fun because it's an older dog!

A gentle leader is going to do absolutely nothing to address the issues this person is having with their dog, other than being a band-aid solution while they're out on a walk.

When dogs are as reactive as this one apparently is, and, "gone after so many family members", it's time for a legitimate trainer, not ordering something off amazon.

So, they can say fuck it all they want. Doesn't change the fact that they are doing absolutely nothing to address the behaviour beyond medication and a head harness.

Please, if your dog is highly reactive, do the right thing and hire a legitimate dog trainer to help you out before something bad happens and your dog ends up paying the price for your lack of proper action.

 

[derp]

@eve_marie Ouch, I see, poor dogs... thanks for the reply, though.

I notice that the more my dog is pulling on his leash, the more reactive he is towards his triggers. He doesn't lunge though, he "only" barks. I thought that maybe if the collar could help with pulling, it could by extension help with reactivity. We've been working on loose leash walking since we got my dog (using "traditional methods", not with a GL), and it has actually done wonders for his reactivity (in addition to working on the reactivity itself, of course). It's like the loose leash walking has made him calmer and he has gained more self control.

However, solely using the leader to stop a dog from reacting doesn't sound like the best idea...