Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness (what's your opinion on it?)

[pattysdaddy]

Ok, so this week end I bought this http://www.premier.com/pages.cfm?id=74

Its supposed to stop your dog from pulling. And it does a pretty good job. I don't think its to bad for the because all it does is put some pressure on the should if she pulls (kind of like if someone put there hand on your shoulder to slow down, or turn a certain way)

Now, I don't see this as a permanent fix however. I do want to teach her not to pull so I can eventually walk her with a regular leash and coller so she can loose leash walk well.

Its just I have been trying and the past couple weeks have seemed useless.

Just looking what you people think of this harness?

Opinions are welcome (positive or negative)

 

[dr2little]

I think that the no pull harnesses made by Gentle Leader and Halti are great. I personally like the Halti brand better because the design has a collar attachment and it does seem to work better without the static front clip. The halti has a dynamic (almost floating) front clip.


While they do not teach a dog not to pull, if used with a dual ended leash (one end clipped on the front and on on the back of the harness), you can vary the control part to only when needed. If the dog is walking Loose leash (no tension), then the focus can be on the back clip, when you need control you can switch your focus to using the front clip...allowing for control while training continues.

I just love that they don't inturrupt body language unlike the head collars and that they are totally gentle and pain free. Also, they don't require the habituation phase that is necessary and at times quite long with the head collars.

 

[sam]

I know lots of people that use them and they seem to work wonderfully for some dogs.
My big puller just tipped his body sort of sideways and kept on pulling like a freight train so he got to wear a GL for a while.

 

[pattysdaddy]

Do you have a link for the Halti no pull harness? I'm looking online but can only seem to find the Halti head harness.

(not sure if my local pet stores carry the Halti ones)

 

[GSDlover_4ever]

I hate Halti's, Gentle leaders, no-pull harnesses ect. I'll take a good ol' fashioned prong.

 

[elegy]

i like them infinitely better than head halters, though it didn't work that fantastically well for my dog. he still pulled. BUT i've seen them work very well on other dogs. i like very much that there is that option out there.

 

[mctraill]

The gentle leader worked really well for our dog, she is a lab and when we got her she was 2 years old and had never been trained to walk on a leash. When my husband and I used to take her for a walk we would have to take it in turns every 5 minutes to hold the leash as she would pull so bad. Within 2 minutes of putting the header on she was much calmer, 4 months later she walks without it. I would recommend them.

 

[SisMorphine]

I think it's a band-aid. It works but it teaches your dog nothing, IMHO. I worked for a training center who used them and I am beginning an apprenticeship this month with another trainer who uses them. The trainer I am going to be apprenticing with says that you can use them as a training tool if you know how to use them properly (like a choke or a prong) but I am pretty skeptical. If she can prove to me that it is an effective training tool I'll let you know, but with what I know of them so far I think it's a cop out.

My advice is to find a trainer who does not subscribe to cookie cutter trainining and be prepared for some possibly long and difficult work. But it will pay off in the end because you will have a dog who will walk nicely, behave nicely, and not be collar smart.

 

[dr2little]

I think it's a band-aid. It works but it teaches your dog nothing, IMHO. I worked for a training center who used them and I am beginning an apprenticeship this month with another trainer who uses them. The trainer I am going to be apprenticing with says that you can use them as a training tool if you know how to use them properly (like a choke or a prong) but I am pretty skeptical. If she can prove to me that it is an effective training tool I'll let you know, but with what I know of them so far I think it's a cop out.

My advice is to find a trainer who does not subscribe to cookie cutter trainining and be prepared for some possibly long and difficult work. But it will pay off in the end because you will have a dog who will walk nicely, behave nicely, and not be collar smart.

You're right, they are a tool for control and will teach a dog absolutely nothing...just like any other control tool like a prong, choke, head collar. Unfortunately though, the reality is that some people adopt large dogs with already ingrained pulling problems. Training is always my first choice, as I hope it is with most trainers...but...some people need the control in order to continue the walks while training is progressing. Safety is also an all too often overlooked issue that these control devices can certainly help with.

I recommend the Halti brand front clip harness more often than any other option (including head collars) because it does not add physical pain and the risk of injury associated with other aversives (choke/prong), and has the added dual clip system so that you are only using the "tool" when absolutely necessary. I think that what your mentor was talking about, at least in reference to the front clip harness, is that you can attach the leash (dualy) to both the collar and the harness. This way, training can absolutely progress but if control is required, it's right there and ready.

I used to think the way that you do (your last paragraph), but experience has taught me that that was a much more cookie cutter approach than to provide alternatives. While I as a trainer may find it quite easy to train out a pulling problem in a large adult dog, too many owners will give up and just not walk the dog without the control option.

These are truly great, safe and humane tools and for some dogs can really mean the difference between no walks and many happy walks....


Oh and here's the link to the Halti brand one that I like the most....it also has the safty clip that joins the harness to the collar, something that the GL variety is lacking.. The below link shows it being used with the dual ended (multi purpose) leash that can also be attached to the collar and front of the harness instead of having both ends on the harness.
http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk/item--Halti-Harness--halti-harness

 

[Brattina88]

good post dr2... beat me to it!

 

[IliamnasQuest]

pattysdaddy -

First, kudos to you for choosing a method not based on pain! The GL type harness is a much better method than using a correctional-based collar such as the prong or choke. I can't understood why a person would dislike their dog enough to go straight to pain without giving something else a good try first. In this day and age, we have so many great options.

I have the GL harnesses and I really like them - but as others have said, they're just a tool to get the behavior you want. They don't take the place of proper training. If you don't teach your dog how to walk calmly on a regular collar, then you'll just have to use the GL harness the rest of the dog's life (which is fine with some people). But if you take advantage of her not pulling and reinforce that, she'll learn to walk nicely regardless of what you have on her.

I use the GL harness on a dog that likes to pull, but I use it in conjunction with the other method of not ever moving forward when the dog has tension on the leash. So if your dog goes forward and hits the end of the leash, even if they're not really pulling much because the harness prevents it, you still stop and refuse to move forward as long as the there is tension. On the other hand, if your dog is walking nicely by your side (not necessarily in heel position, but calmly without pulling) then you reinforce that frequently with praise and treats.

It takes attention on the part of the human to train this way. You have to notice when she's not pulling, and not just when she hits the end of the leash. The reason people fail to teach proper loose-leash walking is almost always because they are not attentive enough to see when the dog is doing the right thing - they don't notice until the dog is pulling and then they want to correct it instead of reinforcing when the dog isn't pulling. Most of those seem to then blame it on having a stubborn or "hard" dog and go to something corrective (prong, choke, shock) to "fix" the problem. Unfortunately, the problem is usually the human.

Good luck with your dog, and again I'm glad to see you use something gentle like the GL harness in your training!

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[Lizmo]

I have one for Lizzie...and it worked WONDERS for her walking!!!

BUT, I used it as a step torward walking just on a collar and leash

It really helped me...and her not to pull as much as she did....but now she is walking on a regular collar and is doing GREAT!!

So I would reccomind them...as a step in the process to just a regular collar and leash

 

[Goobiedogs]

I use the easy walk for my two dogs, they work great. Although my dogs are small, they are strong and love to pull. These harnesses stop them from pulling. I have been using the harnesses for at least 6 mths now, never considered stopping using them becuase I believe my dogs will pull again once I stop. I dont like the clip in the front, but we are used to it so we still use them. I use a double leash which doesnt work so great with the front clip, but its better than two pulling dogs.

I think the problem would continue if I stopped using it though.