info/suggestions needed about pulling pup

[lulu]

  today was coopers week of puppy school. everything went really well. one of the things we talked about was walking nicely on a leash. cooper definitely does not do that. our trainer suggested a gentle leader. we tried one on him at the store and cooper just looked so sad. i know he would probably get used to it in time. but i also heard that they can cause rashes around the dogs snout. is that true? an owner of one of coopers friends at petsmart suggested a prong collar which is what he uses for his adult golden retriever. cooper though is only 13 weeks old. he only weighs about 25 pounds so its not like hes uncontrollable on a leash, hes just a pain in the a$$, he constantly pulls and chokes himself. is a prong collar for pupppies too, or just adult dogs? any suggestions. i really want cooper to walk nicely on a leash but i dont want to get something that is more than he needs. what did you all use for your pups that pulled?
  thanks, Lulu

[ZooCrew]

I wouldn't suggest a prong collar for a dog so young.  A gentle leader may work better for a puppy.  If not fitted correctly, I suppose it could rub the hair off his nose.

Just make sure it is fitted properly.  Being so young, you should be able to detrain him from the pulling fairly quickly, especially if he is in puppy school.

I don't need anything for Gunther, but Keiko wore a non-pull harness for years, then last year I started her on a prong collar.  She is now off that and I can walk her on a regular collar and leash.

[mal-coholic]

Prong collars and chokes are not suitable for young puppies.
I didn't use a gentle leader, so I don't know if it's ok at such a young age.

Did you try feeding him small pieces of boiled meat to keep his attention while walking? This worked great for me.

What breed is Copper, anyway?

[longshadowfarms]

I've used a GL on an adult without any rubbing problems but never a pup.  I can't imagine why it would be an issue unless you left it on a lot.  If you're only using it during training time, it shouldn't be a problem.  They do seem to think they're being tortured the first few times with it on but that goes away quickly.  For a pup that young though, I think some time on the leash to practice, esp away from distractions, will go a long way to getting to where you need him to be.  One class seems a bit quick to expect him to behave like an adult.

[greek4]

I have used Gentle Leaders on both my dogs since they were small puppies.  Rocco still looks sad with it on but he is safe and walks nicely so he does survive.  Maia doesn't mind it at all, she knows when it is on, we are going somewhere.