Yea she will never wear the gentle leader - she can't stand stuff by her face like that. She would never walk lol.

She is good on her harness though.

We usually walk a pretty good pace, I do my best to keep up with her, I dont make her heel the whole time cuz then she can walk a little faster. I dont think it is the speed though.

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Max resisted the GL the first time he wore it. He resisted big time! But we made him keep it on and after a while, he started walking ok, and eventually, really well. Now, he knows when the GL goes on, it is time to heel and walk properly. Persistence paid off.

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Dave

Most dogs will paw and roll to get it off. I recommend having the dog wear it around the house and each time you see the dog try to get it off correct the dog and when they stop reward with a treat. They will quickly learn that leaving it alone gets them treats. Do the same when walking when they are walkin properly reward w treat.


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My girls don't like the GL either. Our agility instructor recommended the "snoot" loop (Snoot Loop Halter for Dogs). It is similar to the GL but lighter weight and only tightens if the dog is pulling. I don't use it often, but when I bring it out, they eagerly put their noses in.

My puppy training class as well as my vet recommended the Gentle Leader. And for all 10 of the other dogs in the class, it worked GREAT! Not so much for Cassie. Her jumping actually became 10x worse when she was wearing it. We couldn't even go 100 feet walking.

On the recommendation of my neighbor, I got a cheap doggie backpack for Cassie. The INSTANT I put it on her, her behavior did a 180. She went from super brat to pretty princess. While on walks, she no longer pulls. When she sees people, she used to just bolt for them. Now, she restrains herself. (mind you, the tail still goes 100mph)

The Gentle Leader was like $15 at my vet, so although it didn't work for Cassie, I didn't feel that I wasted any money. The backpack was $25 through Amazon. I had originally gotten a cheap model to try out the concept before I got a more expensive model. But honestly, I don't see the need to get the $80 versions. Now that would be a waste of money.


On a side note... in regards to the sounds... awhile ago, Cassie was having some gastrointestinal distress, and was rather flatulent. VERY flatulent. So one time, we were playing, and I made a fake farting noise, and she just stopped what she was doing, and instantly came over and became all doting. She jumped in my lap, and was actually shaking, as if she was worried that I had whatever she had just gone through, and was concerned that I had felt as bad as she must have. Poor thing. It was the funniest and cutest thing ever, but I felt so bad that she was so worried.

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My little princess, Cassie

All of my Goldens except Mick accepted the gentle leader right from the get go... I personally do not think it teaches a dog from here on out to walk well on a leash, but it gives you control when walking. I went to a behavior meeting a few months ago where they suggested putting squeeze cheese on the wall and holding the gentle leader noseband so the dog has to,put its' nose thru it. If you are looking for loose leash walking advice, I suggest you go to 01 VeterinaryPartner Home Page - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company! and look up loose leash walking. There is a great article. Dogs pull because they learn to pull. It is very reinforcing... My Tiki was never on a leash as a pup, so she never learned to pull, she is eight and still does not pull...

As for coming when called. Never call come when it is an option. If your dog does not have a reliable recall, it should be on a leash... Otherwise you are just teaching it NOT to come when called.

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Janice and The Celebration Gang -
"Samantha, George, Tiki, Emily, Mick and Basil" Gone but not forgotten, Sally(Windjammer's Ima Country Girl CDX CGC), Laney(Mandell Marlenes Celebration UD RA CGC), and Cookie(Starseeker's Kissmas Cookie CDX RE CGC).

I'd second the other comments about the gentle leader. It's worth a little effort to get the dog used to it.

A couple other thoughts for the OP. . . I've noticed that the cooler weather does seem to give my Zoe more energy. . . as I read your post I wondered if your pup gets a chance to run off leash. I've found that giving Zoe a chance to run off leash at the local dog park helps burn off some of that energy in a way that walking on leash doesn't.

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Zoe, Rockwall Nantucket Breeze, BN, CGC, Delta therapy dog
Zeke, our introduction to the world of Golden Retrievers

Casper hated the gentle leader the first time and I put it away. I tried it again last month. It's like he finally understands what I wanted all along. He still doesn't really like it and stops frequently to try and rub it off. Oh, well, I'm not taking it off.

He also refused to walk at first, but that didn't last long, either.


I agree that it doesn't really teach leash skills. I take Casper out for a separate, short leash training walk in the morning. I want to show him in Rally, and you can't do that with a gentle leader (that I know of).

TheZ's -she does get running time every morning/afternoon and night in our backyard. When it was light out longer we used to take her to the park down the road to run.

After you said this though I thought maybe for our morning walks we can incorporate the park in. We walk right by it so maybe we can walk to the park, put her long line on and let her run, and then walk home. The walking part will probably be much better with some running in between. Unfortunately right now at night that isn't possible but come spring we can do that at night too...more fun for us too when she gets to run in the park that way - such pure joy on her part!

Thanks for the suggestion!

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