Author Topic: pulling-gentle leader body harness?  (Read 6107 times)

Offline macybean

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pulling-gentle leader body harness?
« on: April 12, 2007, 08:13:30 am »
Riley and Sadie are both able to lock their necks and pull with their gentle leaders. It's not awful, but if I'm not paying attention when they see a cat or people, I have to catch my balance. Riley likes to pick up trash on walks, and he's recently decided that he can pick up stuff on the road if it's close enough to the sidewalk. Of course, I don't want him lunging into the road.

Aside from this, Riley rubs his snout on any person he meets while he has the gentle leader on. I actually had a sales guy at my favorite little pet store here use him as an example to another customer of why they should buy the gentle leader body harness instead.  :o  :-\ Both Riley and Sadie make a big deal of rubbing their faces on the floor and couch when I take the gentle leaders off of them. I know I have them fitted correctly, so that is not the issue. I think they just don't like something on their snouts.

Has anyone used the gentle leader body harnesses? I have prong collars for both of them. Sadie does fairly well with it. Riley seems not to feel it when he's determined to go after something.

For the most part-on either the prong collars or gentle leaders-they walk well (barring any darting cats or for Riley, people expressing interest in him who are within about 10 feet... past that, he doesn't care). I have Sadie trained to walk in heel to my left and Riley to my right. They don't really know the command "heel", though Sadie may remember it. I just say, "slow down" or "walk". They know "stop" to stop at intersections and "cross" to cross the street. I can take them in front yard on their regular collars and they're okay, but taking them for a walk in them is free license to pull, even sans cats or people.



« Last Edit: April 12, 2007, 08:17:09 am by macybean »

Offline Brownis15

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Re: pulling-gentle leader body harness?
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2007, 08:39:18 am »
GENTLE HARNESSES ARE WONDERFUL!!!!

I use them in my classes all the time for people with great danes, or any large breed. They are very similar ib the reinforement they give the dog, because it tightens on the chest when they pull and loosens when the dont positive negative, and some dogs respond better to this than the gentle leader! (however others dont!)

I would suggest maybe trying one on in a store with your babies and see how they respond, i have found they work great if when you start them on it you ALSO have them on a collar and leash and give them a correction that way as well as the g.h.

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Icerotti

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Re: pulling-gentle leader body harness?
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2007, 10:03:10 am »
I have a gentle leader body harness for Rosie. I really like it, but I do find under her armpits gets red too- like Julie said.hmmm I wonder if you could wrap that part with sheepskin then it wouldn't rub :-\
« Last Edit: April 12, 2007, 11:03:31 am by Icerotti »

Offline macybean

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Re: pulling-gentle leader body harness?
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2007, 10:13:48 am »
Oh, that's not good-Riley already has problems with some kind of skin allergy occasionally, and his armpits tend to be the worst. It's not a big deal, as long as I keep an eye on it (he gets the occasional benedryl), but I certainly don't want to irritate it more. He just seems miserable in the gentle leader. He rubs on people like crazy if we are at the store, for example.

My goal is to have them both walking on regular collars (or maybe prongs as a "just in case they decide to drag me into traffic" measure, but then again, prongs don't concern Riley all that much).

Has anyone here successfully broken an adult dog of the cat chasing/people to pet me-pulling habit? I think I'm going to have to do the start/stop/turn around thing for a while. It could take a while for it to sink in...
« Last Edit: April 12, 2007, 10:22:43 am by macybean »

Offline Binky

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Re: pulling-gentle leader body harness?
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2007, 10:42:18 am »
I used this on Binky for a while and it was pretty good.  No skin irritation as she is a giant furball!  However, I changed her to a regular harness and have had some good luck with that too.  I hold the leash kind of high and tight, like a guide dog.  If she starts to pull, I also hold her collar with my hand and walk her like that until she calms down.  I couldn't hold her collar and control her without the harness as she has serious issues with having her collar held.  Good luck.
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