The Gentle Leader Leash: A Dog Training Alternative
By Martin Olliver
When I started training dogs, head or "harness" collars for dogs were new on the market and all the rage. The Gentle Leader and the Halti are the two best known types of dog head collars, and are Read more...
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Training Your Dog The Proper Table Etiquette
By Keith Lee
Your puppy needs to learn proper table manners if he is to become a good house-dog. He must learn to give up his food to you without a struggle. He must also learn not to take food that does not Read more...
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Personalized Custom Dog Tags – Not Just For Soldiers Anymore
By Clark Swihart
While there are several dog tag formats extant around the world, it’s the US Army dog tags form that we are most familiar with. They list the surname, given name, social security number (originally Read more...
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The Gentle Leader Leash: A Dog Training Alternative
By Martin Olliver
When I started training dogs, head or "harness" collars for dogs were new on the market and all the rage. The Gentle Leader and the Halti are the two best known types of head collars, and are often discussed interchangeably even though there are slight differences in the design and they are made by different companies. Because I have used the Gentle Leader extensively, though not exclusively, in my own experience, I will focus on it.
What is it?
As opposed to traditional collars that go around the neck, the Gentle Leader is a head harness that consists of a nylon nose strap and neck strap. The lead is attached to a ring at the end of a short strap that extends under the chin.
How does it work?
Both straps are designed to have a specific function. The nose loop is intended to mimic the practice of demonstrating pack dominance between two animals by firmly taking a dog's muzzle in their own. The neck strap is intended to relax and calm the by mimicking the practice of a mother grasping her pups by the back of the neck. In addition, the strap applies pressure to the back of the neck instead of the front of the throat.
Dogs tend to respond to an applied force by exerting an opposing force, which is why they often respond to a backwards pull of lead with more pulling! The Gentle Leader is designed to reverse this behavior, and arrest forward movement when force is exerted on the neck.
Most importantly, the lead allows the owner to control the head of the dog, and –not unlike a horse's bridle – if you control the head you control the beast.
How effective is it?
In my experience the Gentle Leader is extremely effective in correcting pulling, lunging, and jumping. I found it
The Ten Most Popular Toy Dog Breeds
By Luke Donnelley
Toy dogs have become enormously popular over the years with a variety of people and for a number of reasons. These adorable little canines are ideal for apartment living in many cases, and many toy Read more...
Giant Dog Breeds
By Hannah Serrano
Giant Dog breeds refers to those breeds whose height and weight classified them into largest ends of all dog breeds. Although there are no universal height or weight breed as giant, some measures Read more...
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