PetSafe Chic Gentle Leader Headcollar, No-Pull Dog Collar – Perfect for Leash & Harness Training – Stops Pets from Pulling and Choking on Walks – Small, Bonez

Did we pay a few extra dollars for colorful donuts? Yes. Do I regret it? No.We tried a front clip harness and a slip lead before getting the gentle leader. The front clip harness did not stop our high energy pup from pulling. The slip lead did better, but would not stay high on her neck with slick hair. The gentle leader seems to have solved both of these problems.We watched some videos to learn how to get her appropriately acclimated to having it on her face. By the second day we were able to take her on a short walk and the pulling almost completely stopped before any correction. I think the placement on her face made her more subdued. The few times she did pull she was very easy to correct and was happy to get a treat when she came back to our side. After multiple days of walker her it’s clear that she is a totally different dog when walking with the gentle leader. It may not have the same results for everyone, but it is certainly working better than other corrective collars for our puppy. Well worth the one time expense to have a happy pup and happy owners. Wish we had tried this one first and saved money on the other two items!

My husband and I own a 50 pound, low rider pitbull, who pulls A LOT on walks (she is all muscle and so strong). We had been using a harness with her prior to purchasing this but it was still so hard to keep her from pulling/under control during our walks. At times, I was too scared to walk her alone because I knew if she saw another dog on our walk, it would be really hard for me keep her under control/from pulling me (she's amazing at home and does well when introduced properly to other dogs but there is something about seeing another dog while leashed that makes her freak out). Our wonderful, new trainer spent 1 hour with Roxy this past week and recommended that we try using a Gentle Leader with her. We were desperate for a solution to the pulling (we don't love prong collars and when we adopted her, we agreed to not using any sort of choke/prong collar on her) so we took her suggestion. We've been using the Gentle Leader for 3 days and we've already seen such a drastic difference. Roxy doesn't love wearing the Gentle Leader but she is getting more tolerant of it each day. Overall, it has helped decrease pulling SO much and has helped her learn how to walk in a heel position. My husband and I both finally feel like we are the ones in control during our walks. We even saw another dog today and, of course, Roxy tried to pull but couldn't! It was actually EASY for me to guide her away from the other dog and toward our front door. I also love that Roxy can still take treats and drink water while wearing this.Since this sort of training tool can look like a muzzle to people that see us, I opted for the fun donut pattern to keep it a little less scary looking :) Our head Gentle Leader head collar also came with a matching donut leash, so that was a plus!

Does she like it? Not particularly. Do I? Yes! Most of the time this 2 year old girl walks quietly on a loose leash with no pulling, but she has no impulse control. A front hooked harness helped, but still left me feeling like if she wanted to badly enough, she’d be able to pull away and be gone. This is a lifesaver when that happens. Whether it’s a squirrel running across the path in front of us, or a another dog snarling as it walks by, I maintain control. Mostly she remembers I’m attached to the other end of the leash now, and moves on. When she throws a bit of a head-shaking tantrum/struggle, she gets over it quickly, and then we quietly move on. The first time I was worried she would break it, but she did not. Each time, she has reacted less and I hope with continued exposure, we can just walk on by like with every other dane I’ve had. Also, it does not rub her at all. Definitely, follow the acclimation instructions. Sometimes, she turns her head to let me know she would prefer not to wear it, but she also knows until she gets it on, there will be no walk, so she puts her nose through the loop. Has she ever tried to rub it off? Yes. Has she been successful? No. If you are having maintaining control when encountering dangerous distractions on walks, I recommend you give this a try. *photo: Hot morning at the playground. I included this picture to illustrate that it does not hamper panting. She also quite happily eats treats while wearing as well.

In the realm of pet training and handling the gentle leader is a very effective tool. But I can’t caution enough to be very careful when you handle your dog with this because it does hit on all the nerves and senses in their muzzle…You do want to be gentle with them when you handle them in this harness. It reinforces response and focus because it does hit those pressure points and the dog acts.My dog really wasn’t too thrilled with it at first but it is a very great tool when you’re around a crowd of people or other dogs because it forces the dog to focus on you the handler, and the harness that your leading them by.This particular harness I thought was a little bit on the light side. I would’ve liked it to be a little bit more in terms of thickness. I could see where my dog could chew through it pretty quickly if she was allowed to do that. The colors are fantastic in this particular design. That part I like it very much. I’m definitely saving this harness for special occasions. And if you have a dog who jumps up a lot this is great for keeping them at your side and discouraging to not jump up on other people. At least that’s been our experience. It also reduces the puller….Some trainers do not like this product at all. I’m finding that there are a lot of different tools and harnesses and collars and leads that you can use. I think you really just have to find what works best for your pet.However I think using a variety of different tools can be very helpful, Especially when you’re trying to keep a fresh approach with your training. Don’t let tour dog get bored. And also approach all your training with love -good luck and try the “gentle leader”. I’ve seen very intense hyperactive dogs turned into little passive sweethearts with this tool, so I can say I can recommend it. It is definitely a great tool in your training box.