Experiences with Gentle Leader harnesses?

[ernstbass]

I have 5 dogs to walk and they are rather unruly, especially when they are so excited to be walked. I'd like to be able to walk 2 at a time but their constant pulling prevents this. Does anyone here have experience with the gentle leaders and would you recommend them? I have large hunting dogs with lots of energy and they are quite strong when they pull on the leash.

[flvegan]

1. I've used them.

Once the dog is "used to" it, it works quite well. The no-pull harness works pretty well, too.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

2. I love the gentle leader!

For me, they only worked with my large dogs though. The small dogs were too squiggly.

[ernstbass]

3. Did they resist much when you first put it on?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

4. Well, my babies at first would rub against the ground, but they got used

to it fairly quickly.

[wildeyed]

5. I had a big shepard mix that I used the gentle leader on.

She resisted. I don't think it hurt her, she just wanted to pull. I gave her a liver treat every time I put it on her, and eventually she accepted it.

The only problem, other people thought it was a muzzle and that the dog was a biter.

[IndyOp]

6. Your submissive dogs will take more easily to the leader

than will dominant dogs. I had a pit bull mix who was dominant (and then some) and when I first put a gentle leader on him, in the living room, no leash anywhere near us - he bucked like a bronco. Seriously. The fit was exactly as it was supposed to be and he really resisted. He put up with it after multiple exposures, but he was not happy about it.

An energetic submissive dog will do especially well with a gentle leader. I have a friend who bought a Gentle Leader and then decided not to use it because she had heard that they can cause neck problems. I Googled "'Gentle Leader' neck problems" and did not find anything, but you might do a bit of research on that to see if there is anything to the claim.

No-Pull harnesses get good reviews:
<http://www.softouchconcepts.com/ >

[IndyOp]

7. More on "No Pull" Harnesses --

This customer appreciation page is good:
<http://www.softouchconcepts.com/products/testimonials.h... >

"I own a professional dog walking business in Los Angeles and the Sensation Harness has changed my 'naughty dogs' to happy well behaved dogs. I walk up to 7 dogs at time and this harness has changed my life and my clients dogs' lives! I have ordered and fitted 10 harness's for my clients and will more then likely be ordering more in the future. Bravo to the Sensation Harness!"

[ernstbass]

9. It sounds like the no pull harnesses

may be less stressful for the dogs. Those testimonials really hit home.

[ernstbass]

8. Thanks for the feedback

The no pull harnesses look good too. I have often wondered how those professional dog walkers handle all those dogs! I may get one gentle leader and one no pull harness and experiment. I've been trying the Dog Whisperer's approach of putting the collars up under their throats where the neck is sensitive but one lead slipped over the dog's head and a merry chase ensued around the neighborhood. I need a quicker fix. thanks again everyone

[IndyOp]

11. This sounds like an interesting test -

one gentle leader and one no-pull harness. Report back on the results if you have a chance. After I read the testimonials I started thinking my Choc. Lab might benefit -- well, actually, I would benefit!

Oh, yeah - you could decorate the gentle leader with pins or ribbons to prevent people from thinking it is a muzzle. Making it pretty makes a difference in what people will think of your dogs.

[ernstbass]

12. The no pull harness wins hands down!!

Four of the five went crazy with the gentle leader - they can't pull with it but they scraped their faces against the ground, pulled to the side and tried to get a peice of it to chew off. the harness didn't faze them and they couldn't pull with it either.

[IndyOp]

13. The no-pull harness really worked?

How many dogs are you walking at one time now?

My Choc. Lab is having dominance issues. He is fine walking past most dogs, but any equally/more dominant dog who acts like he is going to challenge my Choc. Lab elicits a growl and a lunge. Do you think the no-pull harness would help with this?

[ernstbass]

15. Yes - it stopped the dogs in their tracks

I walked two large dogs at once, both of whom are rather dominant and headstrong. They can still go off to the side a bit but a little tug got them back on track. Apparently the pressure it puts under their front legs is the trick - the harness I bought had padding under the legs so it wouldn't rub against them. I can't tell you what a disaster the gentle leaders were - in time the dogs would have gotten used to them but I'm looking for quick results. Let me know what yo think if you try the harness.

[scarlet_owl]

10. My mother uses them on her dogs. She really likes them.

She has nine dogs and five of them are rotties. They seem to work very well on big dogs.

[auburngrad82]

14. we used one this weekend on a foster dog at our adoptathon

He's 65 pounds of muscle and can wear you out on a regular leash. It took a few minutes for him to accept the gentle leader (ie, to quit pawing at it) but he was so much easier to deal with.