# gentle leader for lunging?



## The_Artful_Dodger (Mar 26, 2009)

Dodger walks nicely on his leash 99.9% of the time, but certain things cause him to jump up/lunge (some dogs, motorcycles, loud cars). This morning it was a cement truck and a very loud flock of geese. He tends to bouce more upwards than forwards so I've never not been able to hold him and it only lasts for a few seconds. But it's embarrasing and I worry that maybe one day I won't be paying attention and will drop the leash and he will run into the street. 

I'm pondering the use of the gentle leader to prevent this lunging behaviour, but I'm not sure if I want to use a tool like this to prevent 5-10 seconds of bad behaviour on a 30-45 minute walk. But then again, his jumping up at motorcycles/loud cars seems to be getting more frequent and I don't want the behaviour to become reinforced by each time he does it. 

Then again, he is turning 3 in July and maybe his puppyish excitability will start to get toned down soon? Maybe? 

We tried the gentle leader/halti with my lab about 15 years ago but he would pull so hard that he got sores on his muzzle from it and eventually just broke through them. I don't think that would be an issue with Dodger though. 

Any opinions would be appreciated!! Thanks!!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Can't hurt to try. Desensitize him to it first, though. For 5 days, simply put it on at home and feed a string of treats, non stop, for 20 seconds. Then take the GL off. Do this three times a day for five days. Don't walk him on it yet; don't leave it on around the house... just put on = constant food fest > take off = food fest stops.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

I use the Halti with Riley for the exact same reason, and I love it!
For him, it's other dogs. He walks like a perfect angel for me 99.9% of the time, on a regular flat collar. But if another dog would come too close, he'd lunge. It always seemed like he was just making a big show of it and never really wanted to get to the other dog, so I never had a hard time holding him. One day, he decided he really wanted a piece of another dog and it was all I could do to hold him back. I asked about the halti/gentle leader here, started using one a few days later and have never looked back!

Not only does it make it virtually effortless to hold him when he does have the occasional episode now, it's also made it SO easy to prevent a lunge from ever happening in the first place.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I'd suggest the Easy Walk harness. That way there's no chance of his hurting his neck while lunging. 

Oh, and good luck on the settling down at 3 years old. My Danny is 4 1/2 and he will still levitate straight up and down when he's excited...


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## CrazyGolden (Nov 27, 2010)

I'm glad I came across your post. I experience the same thing with my boy, Jack (also going to be 3 years.. in August) when we see other dogs. Typically when we are on a walk, it is as a family so my Husband is pushing my 19 month olds stroller and I will just go on the other side of the stroller with Jack and if I keep him in line with the stroller it will usually keeps him from trying to get at the other dog (unless the other dog is making a fuss also). He tries to lunge for them too to try and play. He gets so excited! I have been considering this myself.


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## The_Artful_Dodger (Mar 26, 2009)

fostermom said:


> Oh, and good luck on the settling down at 3 years old. My Danny is 4 1/2 and he will still levitate straight up and down when he's excited...


Yeah I think it took my lab about 10 years to settle down...but I can dream. Actually I don't want him to lose his enthuisiasm - I just want it to have an on/off switch - or better yet a dimmer switch.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

I remember one of the vets posting something a while back about having dogs in her office only on a harness like the easy walk. She said she did not like it at all because it did not stop them from jumping up while the head collars did.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

The EZ Walk harness rarely discourages lunging and doesn't give you much leverage when the dog does lunge... vs. the head collar which diminishes the dog's strength by about 75 percent since they're only using their heads to try and pull.

I know some people worry about neck injuries, but really, I've *never* seen one, nor have I seen documented evidence of GL-related neck injuries. *Could* it happen? Yes. But frankly, if you're dog is going to be lunging/leaping, etc. enough to cause an injury, I doubt you'd be able to safely manage him on anything BUT a head halter.

Now -- people who let their dogs run on Flexis with head halters... GAH! THAT'S where I see great potential for injury... dog running, picking up speed, and hitting the end of a Flexi on a head halter. But not a regular leash.

Just my experience.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I can tell you from experience that the Easy Walk harness DOES actually stop a dog from lunging. I not only used them on my dogs, but when we pet sit any dogs that are normally walked on a pinch collar due to pulling and lunging at other dogs, I ask the owners if they mind if I use the Easy Walk harness instead. I have yet to have a time when it didn't work. If they lunge too hard, they do fall over, though.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

fostermom said:


> I can tell you from experience that the Easy Walk harness DOES actually stop a dog from lunging. I not only used them on my dogs, but when we pet sit any dogs that are normally walked on a pinch collar due to pulling and lunging at other dogs, I ask the owners if they mind if I use the Easy Walk harness instead. I have yet to have a time when it didn't work. If they lunge too hard, they do fall over, though.


I'm sure it *can* on *some* dogs... just as it addresses pulling on some dogs and not others. I've found though, on dogs who are aggressively lunging, it does little to nothing on most of them. Maybe it's more effective for the "I'm a dog, you're a dog, OMG I wish I could get to you!" type lungers.

As with many things, actual mileage will vary.


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## Pawsnfur (Jun 6, 2011)

I have tried every type of collar known to man as a service dog trainer and what worked best was...training. Your dog needs to experience the sorts of things that might cause him to startle or lunge. It's an unbalance and fear that is causing a behavior. Instead of trying to control his body, work on his mind. Get some super yummy treats, liver bits or super cooked fat free hot dogs. Place your dog in a proper walking position and ask him to heel, sit when you stop, down when asked, etc. The introduce a watch me command. Place a treat near your eyes and then give it with a happy "yes" praise word when he makes eye contact. Eventually you can move the treat out away from your face and say watch me. He will watch the treat and when your aren't giving it to him, he will breifly make eye contact to 'ask' you what you want him to do. That's when you say yes good boy and give him the treat. When You've mastered this, learn to predict his jumps or lunges and before he can get worked up ask him to "watch me". Then let the motorcycle or skateboard go by while you work hard to keep him focused on you, even if you have to give a lot of treats. He will learn to refocus on something better and will eventually lose. 
his gut reaction to flip out and will calmly wait for you to praise his calm behavior. The key is lots of focused experiences. Put your phone away, don't chat and just workmyour dog for about 15 minutes twice a day if possible. Always end the training session with a super easy command and tons of enthusiasm and praise for something he thinks is totally easy. My favorite collar, a Lupine brand martingale. It uses a small section of chain to offer a correction if necessary and can tighten if a dog becomes scared, keeping him from slipping a collar without totally choking like a choke chain. A collar should be your safety device not a control method.


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

OOps!! I thought this thread was about lunging horses. There are times a gentle leader/Halti would have been handy while lunging my past horses.

Anyway, back to the lunging dog.


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## Max's Momma (May 2, 2011)

Hi Just used the Easy Walk harness with Max(6 mos.) and it is great. I needs a suggestion on how I know it's not too tight or too loose around the armpits.
I'm so glad to see this thread so I'm not alone.
Thanks and best with Dodger.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

I didn't have much luck with the Easy Walk, myself.

I haven't used one with Riley, but I did use it with Gunner. It helped a little bit with general pulling - when he just wanted to walk faster than I did. He learned how to pull, even with the harness, but it still gave me a little bit more control than I'd have had with a regular collar.

But, when he would see a squirrell or a rabbit and went to take off like a shot, _forget it_. If I happened to see the critter first and could sort of brace myself, the harness did help. If he saw it first (which was usually the case) and caught me the least little bit off guard, he could darned near pull me off my feet. I may as well have had him on a flat collar. 

I think it's worth mentioning, though, that Gunner wasn't a Golden. He was an 89lb German Shepherd. Solid muscle, strong as an ox, with a very, very strong prey drive. I imagine the harness might be more effective with an average Golden than it would be with a dog like Gunner...??


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## The_Artful_Dodger (Mar 26, 2009)

Pawsnfur said:


> I have tried every type of collar known to man as a service dog trainer and what worked best was...training.


I agree that training is important. I've been training him consistently since he was a puppy. We've done obedience, agility, and rally-o classes. We are currently preparing to enter Advanced rally. He has a stong focus command. He can heel very nicely. We practice in areas with distractions. The lure of a motorcyle is still greater than yummy treats. If I knew someone with a motorcyle I could probably work on desensitising him to it, but I dont. He will lunge - maybe bark once - and then immediately calm down and focus on me - even if I don't have treats. I've been rewarding him for passing by other dogs nicely - he is better if they pass right next to us, but still occasionally jumps up when they are on the other side of the street, or the owner pulls thier dog away to keep a distance. My thought is that if the gentle leader prevents him from lunging than he will be more successful in learning to remain calm in the presence of triggers that get him excited.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

I am an old lady with very bad knees. I bless the inventor of the Gentle Leader. Without it I would not be walking my dog.


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## jweisman54 (May 22, 2010)

Don't forget that the Easy Walk, Halti, Gentle Leader, etc. are training AIDS. I am currently using the GL with Izzy because I have two arthritic thumbs and cannot take a chance of having her pull or lunge. I am currently working with a wonderful trainer who comes to my home to work with us. We are working on loose leash walking now and with her training information, it is working. Eventually, Izzy will not have to use the GL. By the way, we tried the Easy Walk and it did nothing to stop the pulling. As I said and has been told to me, it is strictly an aid.


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

jweisman54 said:


> Don't forget that the Easy Walk, Halti, Gentle Leader, etc. are training AIDS.
> By the way, we tried the Easy Walk and it did nothing to stop the pulling. As I said and has been told to me, it is strictly an aid.


Those would have been my words, you beat me to it! I have used the Gentle Leader and loooove it! My boxer didn't respond to any other method (choker/prong). He would have pulled my arm out. My Jack Russell also uses on because he also didn't care about the others but he also loves to pull and try to chase things (extremely high prey-drive). My Golden so far is doing great with even her regular collar, we do use a plastic prong for obedience training. If she were to need something else I wouldn't hesitate to go the Gentle Leader. I say go for it and try it. Do it gradually like the one poster said. Mine still don't care for it. It's a different sensation for them. Personally at my work (I'm a vet tech), I have seen the Easy Walk Harness used and it is just like a regular harness, especially when it's a strong dog on the other end. It may control them a teeny bit better but I prefer the Gentle Leader for pulling/lunging by far. Good Luck!


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

My worry with the gentle leader is that it will slip right off once my dog goes into fear mode. He does not pull throught the walk, it is only on days like today that he lunges like a wild beast...I am not kidding, I had to sit on the ground to get control. Not only does he lunge forward, but jumps up and twists around. I worry that the gentle leader will come off his head and he will get away. Anyone with any experiences like that while on gentle leader?


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Jax's Mom said:


> My worry with the gentle leader is that it will slip right off once my dog goes into fear mode. He does not pull throught the walk, it is only on days like today that he lunges like a wild beast...I am not kidding, I had to sit on the ground to get control. Not only does he lunge forward, but jumps up and twists around. I worry that the gentle leader will come off his head and he will get away. Anyone with any experiences like that while on gentle leader?


It won't come off, instead it would tighten up.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

It's more of a training issue than a tool issue. 

Storee used to be horrible. Finally I just started to work on that issue - I understand you SEE something you want but dragging me to it and throwing yourself at it wasn't going to work for her anymore. So I'd take the ball, toss it, and then stand there. She'd buck, she'd pull, she'd fling herself. I just stood there. When she gave up on pulling and stood there, I dropped the leash and let her go get it. Then once she clued in, started waiting for her to check in with me - usually even an ear in my direction at first, then her responding to me asking her to sit. Finally added in asking her to back up with SLIGHT pressure on the leash before she'd get to go get her ball.

The end result is she is usually wonderful on leash, she's relaxed, at my side and calm (which for her is very amazing). If I pull back on the leash she slams into reverse and backs right up as fast as she can. She does have some pulling so I don't let my 20 pound toddler walk her, but she's fine with most people unless they fall for her 'you can't walk me' routine. 

If she sees something like a bird or ball she may lunge for a split second, but then backs up and checks in to see if she's allowed to go.

All done on a flat collar or a kennel leash.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

Just wanted to mention that the rehab vet I take my dog to strongly advises against using a head halter due to the potential for injury and a significant number of neck injuries she treats in dogs. If you have a lunging dog forcing the neck and head to rotate.... well it seems highly likely that there is a potential risk there. 
I don't know if there is documented injuries or not I just know there is plenty of opinions on the subject and the mechanism for injury makes sense. I wouldn't use one on my dog for the purpose of controlling "lunging".


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## The_Artful_Dodger (Mar 26, 2009)

I'm still going back and forth on it. Dodger has been really good since I started talking about buying one. My friend was going to buy me one at her clinic since she can get it a bit cheaper, but they were out of stock. Now that they are in stock, I asked her to hold off until I make up my mind :doh: Yesterday a dirt bike went by us slowly on the path (which is supposed to be "no motorized vehicles"!) and Dodger acted like he didn't even notice it - which is a promising sign!


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