# All 3 of us are traumatized



## Sheila (Apr 9, 2008)

Instead of listening to all of you folks who know, Ray and I decided we could train Jack ourselves. Well, now he's 2 and doing things we really don't like. Showing aggression with our granddaughter, jumping on people, nuisance barking, etc, etc, etc. We signed him up for obedience school and had our orientation yesterday afternoon. IT WAS BAD. The trainer we chose used Gentle Leader (which I do like) and boy did he throw a fit. My husband was bleeding, the trainers husband was bleeding, and I couldn't do a thing with him. We finally got him to walk on the lead but that was it. We are all three shell-shocked. It's going to be a rough few weeks but Jack is a smart boy and he'll be a much better dog and we will certainly be much better owners. Take the advice of the folks on these boards and take your puppy to school. It's much easier then than when they weigh 95 pounds. Thank you all for all of your advice. I wish I had listened.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Our Penny had a hissy-fit when I first put the gentle lead on her too. Not as dramatic as your experience must have been.

Congratulations on seeing what needs to be done with Jack and doing it. You will all get over the trauma and be better for it!  I promise!


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I know exactly what you are saying!!! A 95 lb, undisaplined, brain-crazy puppy dog can injure! Good luck on your training...keep it up....it will get much better.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

I soooooo get what you are going through....I went through ti with Lexi...
_HONESTLY_ it can get better...patience, time and repetition are your friends...a bit of humor helps too!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I feel your pain. I am fostering an 80 lb one year puppy for rescue, he has never had any training prior to being in rescue. I wonder every day what the heck I got myself into!

It will get better, patience, persistence, and consistent methods. Hang in there. Please be sure to talk to the trainer about the growling at your granddaughter.

If he is still fighting the Gentle Leader, put it on him and let him wear it just around the house for a while every day so he gets used to it.


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## Mileysmom (Feb 11, 2009)

Good luck to you...my Miley to this date hates the gentle leader however, she does great on the harness & it does not pull on her neck which I like. When you make a correction is pulls on her body & she tends not to pull forward with her neck. Helps me alot because 74 lbs of muscle has taken me by surprise at times & really yanked on my shoulder. It will get better...


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, but changing the role of your dog to where he has to listen to you rather than the other way around will often cause this brattish behaviour. So long as you don't get frustrated, are calm and consistent, he will come around to your way of thinking in no time. This is just the start, I hope to hear of positive things in the near future.

Has the negative behaviour just recently started or is it something that has been happening for some time?


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

The Gentle Leader is, unfortunately, not a tool most dogs take to right away. It's in their face, intrusive, and probably a bit frightening. It's rare anyone has a positive experience by pulling it out of the box and just slapping it on the dog. There are ways to desensitize your dog to the GL and convince him it is a good thing... and I'm just a tad disappointed that your trainer doesn't seem to have discussed that with you and allowed things to start off on such a traumatic note for all of you. Since I'm guessing you have a week until your next class, I would highly suggest making use of that time to introduce your dog to the GL properly... although yesterday's events will leave you starting at a somewhat more difficult point. Personally, I haven't used a GL and am not 100% on the steps you need to take but I'm sure there's others here who could guide you through it. I'm also willing to bet there's some information on the GL website, and if all else fails there's probably some videos with ideas on YouTube. Best of luck to all 3 of you!

Julie and Jersey


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

Jersey's Mom said:


> The Gentle Leader is, unfortunately, not a tool most dogs take to right away. It's in their face, intrusive, and probably a bit frightening. It's rare anyone has a positive experience by pulling it out of the box and just slapping it on the dog. There are ways to desensitize your dog to the GL and convince him it is a good thing... and I'm just a tad disappointed that your trainer doesn't seem to have discussed that with you and allowed things to start off on such a traumatic note for all of you. Since I'm guessing you have a week until your next class, I would highly suggest making use of that time to introduce your dog to the GL properly... although yesterday's events will leave you starting at a somewhat more difficult point. Personally, I haven't used a GL and am not 100% on the steps you need to take but I'm sure there's others here who could guide you through it. I'm also willing to bet there's some information on the GL website, and if all else fails there's probably some videos with ideas on YouTube. Best of luck to all 3 of you!
> 
> Julie and Jersey


Absolutely, the GL needs to be desensitized. Otherwise, it stresses most dogs out. We desensitized Vito to his and he is absolutely fine with it.

PM FlyingQuizini and she can describe the desensitization process for you. 

Best of luck!!


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

my Noah is fine with it. My Scout is not. 

We are putting it on him for short periods over time and offering him treats while he wears it to get him to not fear it. 

We had it on him this morning and our biggest problem was Noah decided he would try and remove it because it was upsetting Scout.

I think small steps might be the way. I also let Scout carry it around a little so he knows it's not bad. 

We also place it on Noah so he can see it's fine. Scout will be a much longer process compared to Noah.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

nixietink said:


> Absolutely, the GL needs to be desensitized. Otherwise, it stresses most dogs out. We desensitized Vito to his and he is absolutely fine with it.
> 
> PM FlyingQuizini and she can describe the desensitization process for you.
> 
> Best of luck!!


In a nutshell ---

For the next week, at least 3x a day, put the GL on and as soon as it's on his face, start a steady stream of soft, small treats (bits of cheese or meat) for 30 seconds while you praise at the same time. Goal = feeding so fast, he doesn't really have time to be bothered by the GL on his face. That's it. Don't use it for walks, etc. yet. Just teach him to LIKE having it on. Then the next time you go to use it on a walk, have a peanut butter kong handy. If he takes a step or two w/o pawing and going crazy, give him a big lick of PB from the KONG. PB lips will help take his mind off the "thing" on his face and you'll likely get several steps w/o protest. Reward lavishly.


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

FlyingQuizini said:


> In a nutshell ---
> 
> For the next week, at least 3x a day, put the GL on and as soon as it's on his face, start a steady stream of soft, small treats (bits of cheese or meat) for 30 seconds while you praise at the same time. Goal = feeding so fast, he doesn't really have time to be bothered by the GL on his face. That's it. Don't use it for walks, etc. yet. Just teach him to LIKE having it on. Then the next time you go to use it on a walk, have a peanut butter kong handy. If he takes a step or two w/o pawing and going crazy, give him a big lick of PB from the KONG. PB lips will help take his mind off the "thing" on his face and you'll likely get several steps w/o protest. Reward lavishly.


I can vouch for this process. IT WORKS!


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

yes it does work, all mine wear one and don't mind it at all anymore.


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## Sheila (Apr 9, 2008)

My Jack is such a good boy. I put the gentle leader on him Sunday morning for his homework and he was much better. So much better that we put it on him and took him to Petsmart. Our first lesson was last night and the trainer was amazed at how much better he is. He heels and sits and stays and ignores treats. He doesn't get it right everytime but it's only been 4 days. He is getting better each day and I know he'll be a much happier dog once he's fully trained.


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## mybuddy (Mar 2, 2007)

Best of luck with your boy. He sounds like a "Marley". :doh:

I just wanted to say "Bless you" for your patience with him. Many people ( unfortunately ) would give up on him. I just adore you for loving him so much that you are working with him and loving him in the process.

Hugs to you and your fantastic boy!


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## Sheila (Apr 9, 2008)

He's no where near a "Marley". He's just had his way for so long that he had a hard time at first. He really is a good boy and a fast learner. Gets better every day.


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom (Jul 16, 2008)

The Easy Walk harness works very well too, and many dogs don't even notice it is on. My last golden figured out how to hook her claw through the 
Gentle leader and pull it off. Good for you though, for taking this initiative. you and your dog will be happier for it. (at least once the preliminaries are out of the way!)


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