# at what age is it OK to use the gentle leader harness?



## Care54A (Jul 15, 2013)

You're pretty much describing a walk with my puppy, who will be 3 months tomorrow. Our neighbor recommended the gentle leader, but we got it to help him learn to walk well without pulling. It doesn't really serve a purpose for those times he lays down and refuses to budge. We got the harness that goes around his mid section, not the one that goes around his head. We've had it for a few days and he does quite well on it. You know, when he feels like walking, that is


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

wahoo15 said:


> our baby is 3.5 months old and while she is a joy in most things, walking her is really dreadful  she frequently just sits down and refuses to move. we often have to wait for her to get up or sometimes we pick her up. she has moments of walking perfectly but most of the time she ends up pulling. We have already attended puppy training classes with her at our local petstore and she has her STAR puppy exam certificate -- so i Know she knows how to behave on a leash. We currently are using a regular collar and leash but a good friend of mine recommended using the gentle leader. based on your experiences, have you found success using it and at what age can i introduce her to it?
> 
> thanks


She's only 3 months old... when she's over 2 or 3, you can probably assume she knows how to behave on leash. Before she's even a year old, there will be some regression if you do not continue with the leash training. 

As far as what you describe here - if she's refusing to walk, rule out two things before switching to something more forceful as far as making her walk -

1. She may be tired and developing aches from too much exercise for her condition (you need to gradually - over months - build up muscles and fitness with these dogs).

2. She may not be feeling very well. 

If either of those, I would simply back it up to shorter walks and take your time building up her strength/muscles going by what she is capable of walking. Don't force her to walk. At this age, all walks should be based on her.


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## itried (Jan 6, 2013)

Hi, gentle leaders are not to be used on puppies as they force the dog to stop pulling. If you use a gentle leader now without teaching your puppy not to pull on a regular leash it will be much harder to teach your dog how to walk on leash with just a flat collar. Also gentle leaders are good for dogs that are larger and harder to control. Your dog is a puppy and should be fine with just a flatcollar  But I also feel its a bit young to expect perfect walking out of her right now


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## Kingsella (Aug 5, 2013)

I will just share my experiences, with my previous puppy. He was 8 weeks, and would 65% of the time heel for me. Now granted I feel that he was an angel puppy but my methods might have worked as well. As far as getting the puppy up, and following you I would always crouch down call his name and offer a treat/ praise. Once that was solved then came the puppy pulling fun! 

When Shadow would pull on the leash, I would just stop and have him sit. After about a week or so he soon figured out that pulling on the leash = stopping the fun walk, and having to sit. I never pulled, or tugged on the leash, just stopped. 

Hope this helps! Either way patients is always the key!


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## wahoo15 (Aug 10, 2013)

Hmm I will have to give that sit and then go method a try. I have read that when the puppy starts to pull, we should turn around and walk the other way. I will also give that a try.

We have our vet appoint on Tuesday so I will make sure to rule out the possibility that she is sick. I did notice she had fleas under her armpit and I removed it/ I will for sure be asking the vet for prescribed antibiotics so I can ensure she stays healthy when she is outside.

How would I be able to tell she has developed muscles aches? I somehow feel that this might be the reason. Can the vet check it out and answer that? Sorry if that was a dumb question but she is our first dog.


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## wahoo15 (Aug 10, 2013)

Care54A said:


> You're pretty much describing a walk with my puppy, who will be 3 months tomorrow. Our neighbor recommended the gentle leader, but we got it to help him learn to walk well without pulling. It doesn't really serve a purpose for those times he lays down and refuses to budge. We got the harness that goes around his mid section, not the one that goes around his head. We've had it for a few days and he does quite well on it. You know, when he feels like walking, that is


If you don't mind me asking, what is the name of the harness you are using? I think I will give that a try.


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## Care54A (Jul 15, 2013)

wahoo15 said:


> If you don't mind me asking, what is the name of the harness you are using? I think I will give that a try.


Of course I don't mind you asking! This is the link for it on Amazon: Amazon.com: Premier Easy Walk Pet Harness, Large, Black/Silver: Pet Supplies

I know someone above mentioned that the Gentle Leader is not designed for puppies. I'm not sure if they're speaking specifically to the one that goes around the head. This one just goes around the mid-section, the only difference between this and a regular harness is that the clip for the leash is on the front of the dog's body. I know my neighbor's trainer recommended it for her puppy and she had nothing but great things to say about it (her dog is now 2). I got the medium size knowing full well he will out grow out within a couple of months. Based on how he does, I will either re-purchase it in a bigger size or just walk him with his collar.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> We have our vet appoint on Tuesday so I will make sure to rule out the possibility that she is sick. I did notice she had fleas under her armpit and I removed it/ I will for sure be asking the vet for prescribed antibiotics so I can ensure she stays healthy when she is outside.


Talk to your vet about something to put on your puppy to repel fleas. Like Frontline, etc.


> How would I be able to tell she has developed muscles aches? I somehow feel that this might be the reason. Can the vet check it out and answer that? Sorry if that was a dumb question but she is our first dog.


Muscles aches - when I use that term, I mean you may be overexercising her. Not much different than taking a 4 year old human child for a very long walk and forcing them to walk the entire way without any stops. 

Always be aware of your puppy's limits. When people say "no forced exercise" - they aren't saying "no exercise", they are saying don't make the puppies walk for as long as YOU want as opposed to how long they do. 

The pups will always let you know when they are tired and don't want to walk anymore - whether that's their body is achy from walking or they are just tired. 

I have a friend here (golden lady) who solved that problem by using a baby stroller. She walked her puppy as long as she wanted and when the pup started stopping and sitting down, she picked him up and put him in the stroller.  

I had been carrying Bertie for about 1/4 mile stretches at the time when he was tired, etc... and I actually thought in retrospect that using a baby stroller was a fabulous idea. 

Just fyi on body harnesses....
The No-Pull Debate - Whole Dog Journal Article


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## wahoo15 (Aug 10, 2013)

we already had her on frontline plus, but still noticed it. a friend suggested something stronger would do the job. hopefully we get that cleared up tuesday!


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