Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness? Does it work?

I love my Gentle Leader haltie, but I don't prefer the look. Has anyone tried the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness?
How much less control will I have than the haltie? And how much more control will I have than a regular collar?
any help would be greatly appreciated
thanks
debra

Respond to this topic here on forum.oes.org

I don't have any experience with the haltie, but I love your avatar!

I've never tried the Gentle Leader harness, but I swear by their Halter.
I do have harnesses, but not made by Gentle Leader. I'm not sure how different theirs are.

To me, there is no comparison. The GL Halter is far superior to the harnesses I have used for giving me control and stopping pulling. I switched and never looked back.

My male, Beaureguard, was bad about lunging at cars when they drove past us and both he and Genevieve were "pullers" with the harness. It was almost as if that is what they were designed for. But the GL Halters put a stop to both those behaviours instantly and without any issues.

But, as I said, I've never used a Gentle Leader Harness. Perhaps theirs is different and would be better than what I used (just a standard harness). I'm interested in others' opinions, too.

I've tried them all -- headcollars and harnesses by Gentle Leader, Halti, sporn and Holt. The Gentle Leader harness didn't do much. If you really want a harness, I thought the holt no tug harness worked a bit better than the GL or the Sporn harness. Neither was as good as the Gentle Leader headcollar.

Holt No-Tug Harness Small
Holt No-Tug Harness Medium
Holt No-Tug Harness Large

I don't like the look of the GL either so when Maggie is very tired, I work on her leash manners using a regular flat collar. The GL provides good control but it is no substitute for training.

Good luck!

We use the Haltis/Gentle Leader. I haven't tried the harnesses. Everyone thinks the leads are muzzles :evil:

However, it does slow people and moves them to ask if they can pet my dogs. I do like that as Annie isn't as friendly to smaller people.

That's true, Stacy. I've had LOTS of people ask me "do they bite?" when they have their GL halters on. :lol:

Beaureguard's Mom wrote:

That's true, Stacy. I've had LOTS of people ask me "do they bite?" when they have their GL halters on. :lol:

When we went to Yappy Hour at the Barrington Barkery a woman there thought it was a muzzle and was giving me dirty looks :twisted:

Finally she said something kind of rude...basically why the muzzle and if my dog needed a muzzle why where we there. So I explained what it was and the purpose of using that kind of collar...she can eat, play and drink...just can't pull etc... Then the woman says in a kind of haughty way, " and it stops her from barking.?" I really wanted to retort with a "no, she isn't barking because MY dog is well socialized and well behaved. The woman only asked about the barking because her dog had been barking nonstop since they had gotten there. :evil:

I held back and just said no it doesn't help with barking and walked away.

I have the same experience regarding the "assuming it's a muzzle!"

This is why it took a long time to convince Mr. J to let me get one. You'd swear he was married to the dog and not me at times. :roll:

I took at a look at the harness on the website. You would think it would work good since it hooks in the front and not on top like a normal harness. I'm glad Valerie already tried it out. I'll stick to my halti/gentle leader

I agree with Valerie. I use the Gentle Leader Harness, because Oscar pulled so much with any and all collars that he was close to doing himself permanent harm to his trachea. The harness hasn't really helped the pulling, but we've worked on that through positive reinforcement (lots of treats!)

Though I have not had luck with this harness for the prevention of pulling, two of my friends swear by it. Both of their dogs were crazed lunatics with collars, but both are angels with this harness. As with many things, I guess it depends upon the dog!

Thanks to all who replied. Since I started watching the tv show, The Dog Whisperer, with Cesar Millan, both dogs are much better behaved, so I might give the GL harness a try. I'd highly recommend it. In a crowded situation though, I'll stick to the haltie.
debra

I just bought the Gentle Leader last week.
I cannot for the life of me get it right. When
I read and re-read the instructions about 12
times I thought it sounded pretty simple. I
tried and tried so many times, and gave treats
and even tried using the go-for-a-walk enticement
but I am having no luck at all. I was thinking it may
be that Tucker's fur is too long where the straps
go and that it was just uncomfortable for him, but
I'm not sure that's it now.
I hope this clicks soon, or I will have wasted a bunch
of money, and I really hate that.

Shellie

What is going wrong?

I've been using a gentle leader for Max since he was about 6 months old, it works better for me than the sporn halter I tried before that. He was able to pull much more with the halter. He is still using the gentle leader now at the age of 2, I can't live without it!!! I've also had plenty of comments from people asking if it's a muzzle, and they think I use it because he'll bite. So I patiently explain to people that, no he won't bite, it just helps me have more control over him.

Sharon

Sorry I didn't explain... something shiny caught my eye

First of all, the part that goes around the neck at the base
of the skull, I know this is supposed to be fairly snug but
once I size it I can't get it hooked. There is too much
fur in the way or Tucker is rootchin around and I end up
half wrestling him. Once I get it on and get everything
straightened out he freaks out. I tried all sorts of distraction
and was really hoping this would ease up but it is getting
worse. When I say he freaks out I mean you'd think he was
about to turn himself inside-out trying to get it off. I played
with the muzzle part - loosening, tightening- no luck.
I know the instructions say the majority of problems are
easily corrected with proper fitting - but I am totally at a loss
here.
Reminds me of when Deb showed me how to strip the undercoat-
all along I thought there was some big secret to it and that I just
wasn't getting it. You know - the secret handshake mentality.

Shellie

Did you watch the dvd? Are you sure it is the right size? I find that Chum takes size Large and Maggie is an extra large. THere was no amount of adjusting the large to make it work with Maggie's head. If you can't close the buckle, then loosen it a tiny bit. It will still work It is more important that the nose piece be fitted properly so it can't slip over the nose. . . . Also, you need to make sure that the nose straps don't cross over the lips because that is very annoying to them. It should be behind mouth opening. That was the part I could not make fit Maggie with a size Large. Got an XL and problem solved.

Bries is XL too, and has a ton of hair, so that should not be the problem it sounds like you might not have the correct size.

I recently wrote the company who makes the Gentle Leader products. Here is their reply.

The Gentle Leader “Easy Walk” is manufactured by Premier Pet Products in the United States and is currently being distributed illegally into Canada . It is however, an effective product and is available in many Pet Valu and PetSmart outlets. Gentle Leader Canada has developed its own canine harness which will be available as the “ULTIMATE Gentle Leader Harness” in about three to four months. This new harness will be unique in that it will not chafe the inside of the dog’s front legs and will utilize the same principles as the Gentle Leader Headcollar.

debra

It is quite annoying to them at first, so the trick is to put it on for short times, and gradually increase it.

If the part across the nose is too tight it will bother them, so you want it to have some space underneath the throat area, so it is not snug.

And both my pooches wear a Medium size Gentle Leader.

I also have a No Pull harness, which we used used with some limited success. With a harness, I find they can always pull, so no magic there.

I guess my question with all these products (halti, gentle leader, new harnesses) is does it really teach them anything?

I could put any of my dogs on a leash and collar as thin as thread, and they would not pull. I've never used any kind of "corrections" either. Just talked to them. When they are young and we are training, if they pull even the slightest bit I stop. They stop, come back to my side, and get a treat and praise. They then learn to pay attention to what I'm doing and the direction I'm going.
I dunno... maybe I just got lucky, I don't remember actually putting any thought into training for that LOL My memory isn't all that great for some things though so maybe I just blocked it out :lol:

I got the large and I really don't think it is the wrong
size. I think it's just me.
What I am looking for is a little more control. I have
no problem walking either dog, it's when I walk them
together. To anyone else it probably looks like they
are behaving fine, but with my guys together if either
gets excited it isn't like both get excited and I have
two excited dogs, it's like 6 excited dogs. It gets out
of hand instantly. That said, it very rarely happens,
but I want to avoid it happening, ever. I figured more
control is never a bad thing.
Obviously I have been trying to increase the time - from
putting it on and taking it off immediately to having it on
for a few minutes - I think that is sort of a no brainer - but
then I guess getting it on and fitting it right should be too.

I was supposed to get a tape with this because I bought
the package with all the instructions and additional pieces,
but I did not get the tape. I totally forgot about that and I
will have to call them about it.

Shellie

Willowsprite wrote:

I guess my question with all these products (halti, gentle leader, new harnesses) is does it really teach them anything?

Nope. These are all management devises. They get "used" to walking close to you with these things, but it doesn't teach them to walk close to youi all the time.

You did all the right things, and when young the pups learn very quickly and easily. Actually, it is best to teach them to walk properly without a leash, first, then add it for outings....

We live in the country, with no sidewalks so it is dangerous to take a walk along the road, so my Bosley boy never learned when he was young. And Dixie was a year old when we got her, had sores on her nexk for months, and still does...So no collars for her, anyway.

Mamafurr wrote:

I have a large-chested strong dog. He's been through obedience training and walked nicely..........except when large dogs came near. I used a pronged collar because I couldn't hold him with a regular harness. The collar, of course, would choke him when he lunged. I just bought the Easy-Walk harness last week and I love it. I can control Buddy and he doesn't choke or get hurt in any way. He was already used to a harness, so I had no problem getting him used to a new one. Money well-spent.

Shellie,

I bought Gus a Gentle Leader several months ago when I realized that I simply couldn't control him anymore if he wanted to go somewhere regardless of what I told him. Basically, it was a tug-o-war between Gus (85 lbs) and me (110 lbs and usually wearing highheels to let him out immediately after work!) and I was definitely going to lose. I was pretty sure he was going to strangle himself, or just run down the street dragging me and we were both going to get smushed by a car!

Gus HATED and I mean HATED the Gentle Leader for almost two weeks. We'd put it on, then he'd start thrashing around, pawing at his face, rubbing his face in the carpet, etc. until we got outside. He'd continue to thrash (talk about a freak on a leash!) until the end of the street, when he'd basically forget that he had it on and he'd be excited that he was outside. Usually after he did his thing he'd suddenly remember he had it on and would stuff his head in a snowbank to try and get it off, but he'd forget again after about 15 feet. We have named it his "Dementor" (anyone a Harry Potter fan?) because for the first month or so he'd act like the leader would suck the fun out of life and he'd just stand there looking sad. Now, he doesn't even care that he has it on because he knows he gets to go outside and go for longer walks because Mama isn't dead tired trying to control him.

My suggestion is that you just keep putting it on your pup every single time you go somewhere that requires a leash. Eventually your dog will just get used to it. I'm sure it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but she/he will get used to it sooner than later and you won't have to worry about your dog strangling itself . Gus is at the point where he has his leader and leash on, but we just drape it over his back and he sticks by our side. NOT the case if he doesn't have it on. He's a smart cookie.

Carol

I completely forgot about this thread! I
haven't even tried to use that stupid thing since.
It simply was not worth it. There are some people
here who have a problem with the choke or prong
type collars, but truly this was worse.

Let me just clarify - my dogs walk well on the leash,
always have. When Zeke was a little younger he
had a habit of stirring up problems whenever he got
excited. The problem I was trying to avoid was losing
control of the dogs while they were together. I no
longer have that problem, because I simply will not
allow it.

I tried for weeks to get them adjusted to the GL. In the
end it was far easier for everyone to go back to the
old collars.
All I was hoping for was a little more control. I got that
for free. You'd be surprised what you can gain from your
dog if you will not accept anything else.

I'm glad it works for some people and their pets!! but
for me - GL= total waste of $$

Shellie

I have one that loves the thing and the other that goes nuts one it?? Go fiqure.

Is this what you are talking about below? Laika walks nicely with hers. I love it. I will take a picture of her tonight with it you can see better now she is shaved :lol:

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