I have my thoughts, maybe biases, when it comes to using a gentle leader generally, and as a training tool specifically.

I'm interested in learning the thoughts of others here.

I'm trying to broaden my horizons.

WOW! 1000 POSTS. That was an accident.

Hey Mike~

I tried it once on a previous GSD as a pup. It was very ineffective. My dog spent every moment trying to get it off and ended up with a sore on his nose!

I got much better results with a regular choke collar. That was before I knew about the prong collar, marker training etc..

I guess some people make it work?

As a training device, I think it's worthless. It's fairly easy to teach a dog to walk politely on a leash, and even easier to teach a focused heel, all with a flat collar and leash.

Nothing is harder to transition from than something wrapped around a dog's face or body. A collar is something they will most likely wear for the rest of their life since most places require a dog wear a rabies tag. It's extremely easy to transition to off leash obedience with a collar.

I am biased because I see morons with extremely fat dogs being drug around by the dog's head. The face harness is always cutting into their snout and eyes. I've even seen dogs plodding along placidly next to their owner and then stop to sniff something and the damn thing starts digging in.
There's also research showing that halters on horses can cause serious damage if used improperly or if the horse catches onto something and panics. While I don't know of any studies showing results about a face harness, it wouldn't surprise me if they can be just as damaging considering the vast majority of dogs out there seem to lunge, pull, and act like ass hats while out on a walk.

Tanner needs one due to his bolting when frightened. He can slip any collar or harness known to man and doesn't do well at all with a prong so it a good choice for him. That being said, I wouldn't use them unless it was an extreme circumstance like him due to my own dogs' reactions. I've never watched dogs fight a collar the way they fight that thing. Our walks consisted of Bella pushing her nose along the ground trying to get it off and Haz bucking like a wild bronco (usually very easy to walk but wanted to test out the fancy gentle leaders all the rescues around here rave about) I've rarely viewed a dog on one walking at a heel position or looking relaxed.

I had success with the Gentle Leader. I used it for control over a GSD who hit adolescence like a ton of bricks. Gone was my perfectly healing puppy who always alerted to prey but could be removed and worked at a distance. Then one day at 13 months old and 75lbs he decided NO. And proceeded to come up the leash and try to rip the leash out of my hands; it was almost successful so of course it was repeated again and again with a little more brattiness every time. Well three strikes and your out so I needed to find something that allowed me to gain an advantage. He was strong as an ox and I didn't have the strength or the stomach to deliver the type of correction he needed to interrupt the behavior. He once chased a rabbit with a stick completely impaled through his paw at a full run; physically he was pretty oblivious to pain when he wanted something. So a trainer suggested the Gentle Leader.

He tried to get it off but wasn't overly concerned with it and it did the trick, quickly and with a lot less pressure I could put him in a sit when he started to throw a tantrum. I of course did lots of work with him and after a couple of months didn't need it anymore. To me it was a God send in a tough situation,

I'd say its like any other tool. The goal is to communicate with your dog what you want and move away from the tool and rely on your relationship. But in the not so perfect world sometimes its easier to keep using the tools and if your not doing damage to your relationship and are in a happy place with your dog; so be it.

Good thread.

I admit that my own opinion of this tool was low.


Very interesting ..... More to come, I hope.

I used a halti with Ambi, which has a slightly different design then the gentle leader. I had some success with it in regards to Ambers reactivity, it allowed me to keep her head right at my leg, and was also extremely helpful in the early stages of BAT. One of the problems I encountered was that the size adjusttment would slip ( I really wish they'd put buckles on) and Amber learned to duck her nose down and slip out of it, but she has an odd size head. She did get a rub mark on her nose from it which was the primary reason I stopped using it. She was fairly good walking in it but the prong works even better. I liked the halti but would probably not go back to it.

I think they are used to "lead" a dog but I'm not to keen on them as a training tool. Corrections will pull the dogs head around and all the pressure goes to twist the neck.
Some folks get upset with choke or pinch collar but what happens when a dog bolts and hits the end of a halti/leader? Seems the neck will take one hell of a beating.
Teach the dog to walk on a lead for a reward and then, "if needed", teach it the consequence of refusing.
I just don't see the advantage of leading a dog around like a horse by it's muzzle.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Good thread.

I admit that my own opinion of this tool was low.


Very interesting ..... More to come, I hope.

The trainer who suggested it wasn't a huge fan either. But saw its potential in my situation. She fit it and showed me how to get Thor into a sit. There was minimal pressure. Definitely no yanking or pulling but I don't think a lot of people get instructed in how to use it properly and it looks very much like what Bob describes....which I don't think is how it's supposed to work.

Another thing which I've seen and this is hugely detrimental to the dog IMO. Is the use of the face halter with a longer leash....I could see where hitting the end of that could be dangerous; but the leash which comes with it is short and lightweight....it would be difficult to hit the end with a lot of force because there isn't much space to build up velocity.

I don't think I would use it to train a dog to walk on leash....its not necessary IMO but I'd use one again if I was having trouble and thought it could help.

On second thought I haven't bought one in 13 years so maybe they come with a long leash now. If so; that's just wrong.

I have the Gentle Leader and the Halti, a slightly different design. I gave what I feel was a fair trial to both of them, but I no longer use them. My dogs never got past trying to rub the darn thing off for the first ten or fifteen minutes. After that, one of them just kind of shut down and got depressed. The other one learned that he could pull with it, anyway, by arching his neck, tucking his chin in, and prancing like a dressage horse in a collected trot. The Gentle Leader fits very close to the dog's eyes, and it was starting to rub the hair off his face. The Halti fits differently and is not quite so close to the eyes.

As Bob and Sheila pointed out, it's important to remember that these are not designed to allow you to give leash corrections. Any kind of a pop on the leash could result in wrenching the head around and causing injury to the neck.

But dogs are individuals and, certainly, some may respond to the head halters in a positive way. I know a few people who use them regularly. I say if it works and you are happy with the way it works, and your dog is happy wearing it, then by all means use it. It's another tool to have in the training box (although I believe it's more of a "controlling" device as opposed to training device). I will keep the ones I have, and who knows, maybe some dog in the future might benefit from it.

I do get dismayed, though, at trainers or facilities that insist all dogs must wear these devices, because they are so "humane." I beg to differ with that generalization.