Lead The Way!
Going places with your canine companions can be one of the most enjoyable things in the world- whether it be to the beach, the pet store or just down the street for some exercise, most dogs love to get out and smell the fresh air (and plenty of other things, too!).
When taking your best friend with you, it’s always extremely important to consider the ways that you can keep control of your pet- most likely a leash and collar, or maybe a harness! Depending on the dog, different options may work for different dogs. Many dogs, when properly trained, can do just fine with a leash and collar. Sometimes though, especially if your pet is pulling too much, collars can affect the health of the trachea and other parts of the neck and throat. We have all seen the dogs that will pull, and pull and pull until their eyes are bulging and red and they literally can not breathe. This is, as you can guess, NOT GOOD.
Harnesses present a great option for dogs that pull too often with a collar. A harness will prevent most dogs from choking themselves! A harness will most like not, however, train your dog for you- which means if they are pulling on a leash and collar, when you switch them to a harness, they will most likely continue to pull. They need to be taught out of this behavior for them to understand. This also means that larger dogs may be able to pull you much harder than with a collar since they will not be hurting themselves, which can lead to loss of control and even to dogs pulling their owners over onto the ground. It happens a lot more than you’d think!
One leash/harness alternative that I highly recommend that also doubles to help train most dogs into understanding not to pull is called the Gentle Leader.
The Gentle Leader is what is known as a “head leash”, which is used to both keep control of and help to redirect your dog’s head when trying to tug and pull ahead of you. It prevents choking and also prevents them from being able to pull you over, which I can not stress enough, can be a real concern with larger breed dogs!
The Gentle Leader is one of my favorite products to recommend to people with “out of control” animals that are just too much when going outside of the house. This leash has probably helped to train more dogs how to walk properly than any other product on the market in my opinion. There are a few knock-off products that I have seen with a similar design, but the original Gentle Leader in my opinion is the best version. It’s helped tremendously with a past dog that I have had and has worked very well for many clients that I have spoken with over the years. It is an excellent alternative to many other options, and can make training just a little bit easier for you!
Pros:
Affordable price
Easy to clean
Easy to use
Helps to limit pulling
Redirects dog’s pulling to help keep control
Eliminates pressure on throat and trachea
Can eat, drink and play without removing
Cons:
In 15 years I have only ever seen ONE dog that was able to keep pulling, even with the product. (120lb male, intact German Shepherd-NOTHING was stopping that dog!)
Verdict: 9/10
Would recommend to anyone who has trouble with pulling or training.
Below you will find links to the products talked about in this review.
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