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Are you plagued by a pulling pooch?
Tugging on the lead and refusing to walk to heel are common problems that most pet parents are familiar with. The dog that lunges forward turns a pleasant stroll into a battle of wills and can ruin an otherwise relaxing walk. But worse than this, a strong dog can pull an owner over or become dangerously out of control.
What's to be done?
There is no shortage of training aids that are said to cure pulling. However, most of these rely on inflicting pain or discomfort on the dog, such as prong collars, choke chains, or electric collars. For those wanting a healthy, happy relationship with their pet pal then ruling through fear is not an acceptable option.
Enter Prof Robert Anderson and dog trainer Ruth Foster. They devised the Gentle Leader (™) as a humane way to guide and control strong dogs. It works in two ways: by utilizing pressure points on the neck and nose that have a calming effect, and by turning the dog's head up towards the owner.
The Gentle Leader is a headcollar that fit snugly around the neck and muzzle. It is equally suitable for pups and adults, although the dog does require to have a snout, so is not suitable for flat-faced breeds such as pugs.
When leash walking while wearing a Gentle Leader, the dog pulls and his head is turned up and backwards, discouraging him from surging further ahead.
As with any new collar, some dogs may take a while to get used to wearing the leader. It's not usual to paw or rub at the halter in an attempt to remove it. Simply distract the dog, perhaps even walking briskly forward and encouraging the dog to follow, then give him treats for obeying.
Key to successful training with a Gentle Leader (™) is to use positive, reward-based training methods and only to use gentle pressure on the lead. Never tug, snatch, or pull hard on the lead as this will frighten and confuse the dog and possibly even injure him.
The Perfect Fit Method
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Most Recommended
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Size correctly
The Gentle Leader comes in small, medium, and large sizes. Select the most appropriate option for your dog.
Adjust the headcollar to your dog's size
- To do this, fit the neck strap and alter the size so that it is a snug but not too tight. Aim to fit one finger between the strap and the neck.
- Remove the neck strap by opening the clip.
- Now slide the nose loop over the dog's muzzle and clip the neck strap into place.
- Adjust the sliding clamp up under the dog's chin. When correctly placed, the nose and neck strap should come together in a 'V' rather than an 'L'.
Celebrate!
The dog is now wearing the Gentle Leader. Give him lots of praise.
Start walking
Clip the leash onto the control ring and away you go!
The Stop Pulling Method
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Effective
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Walk forward
Walk your dog on a leash with the slack taken up.
Hold tension
When the dog pulls ahead, maintain tension on the lead. The dog's head now turns towards you, restricting the forward surge.
Loosen tension
Once he slows his pace, slacken the tension on the lead. This helps him understand that the absence of pulling returns his head to a more natural position.
Reward!
Once walking beside you, praise the dog and reward him.
Be proactive
Learn to anticipate when the dog is about to surge ahead. For example, once his shoulder passes your leg, apply gentle tension on the leash to raise and turn his head.
Reward!
As soon as he falls back into stride, release the tension and praise him.
The Walk-to-Heel Method
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Least Recommended
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Choose a side
Decide which side you want the dog to walk to heel, and stick with this side.
Walk forward
Hold the leash with a small amount of slack in it. Walk forward and encourage the dog to follow. If he hangs back, encourage him with a treat.
Lure as needed
If he still doesn't move forward, apply gentle pressure to the leash while luring him with the treat. As he moves off, release the tension on the leash and praise him.
Introduce command and praise
Once by your ankle, give your cue command, e.g. "Heel" and praise him as he walks. If he surges ahead, follow the method to stop pulling.
Written by Amy Caldwell
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 09/20/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Amy Caldwell
Training Questions and Answers
My dog is very strong and when we are walking in the street she jumps really strong when she sees a dog. What should we do?
Sept. 3, 2022
Luna's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, When she is jumping, is she aggressive toward other dogs, reactive but friendly up close, or just excited? How you train will depend a lot on the underlying reason for her jumping. If there is aggressive or strong reactivity that's hard for you to address safely on your own, I recommend hiring a professional training group that has access to lots of other dogs to practice training around, and ideally at least one other trainer who can help with sessions as needed, so there is someone to handle the other practice dog while the primary trainer shows you how to work with your dog. For excitement, I would start with a training tool that prevents pup from getting away from you. Since you replied to the gentle leader article I am guessing you are already working on that part. A couple of options are gentle leaders, prong collars and no pull front clip harnesses. I find that gentle leaders or prong collars (if used and fitted correctly) tend to work best, but some dogs struggle with the gentle leader being on their face and the corrections obstructing their view. All dogs will have to adjust to that for a couple of weeks. If pup doesn't improve, check out this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23zEy-e6Khg For the jumping itself, check out the Leash method, the Leave It method, and the Turns method from the three articles I have linked below. The leash method will help with correcting and rewarding the jumping and polite behavior instead of the jumping; the leave it method will help pup learn to disengage from another dog and focus back on you, and the turns method will help pup learn how to stay with you and focused on you and more respectful of you during the walk, rewarding pup's polite behavior when they do so. Leash method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-australian-shepherds-to-not-jump Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Sept. 6, 2022
Pearl does not like gentle leader on her face. Every time we walk she rubs her face on the ground. Feels like the gentle leader is irritating her. We have used gentle leader for about 6 months now. What should I do?
Jan. 25, 2022
Pearl's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Michael, Many dogs find something on their face odd feeling in general or they don't like their vision being obstructed when you pull on the leader to stop their movement forward. You can either try switching to another training tool that's not on the face, or you can reward pup whenever you put the leader on them before a walk, and work on desensitizing them to it by rewarding pup for heeling and staying with you during the walk more, to interrupt pup's focus on its presence on their muzzle. Check out this video on muzzle training, which can be used with a gentle leader to to train pup to place their muzzle into it willingly, and associate wearing it with good things more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJTucFnmAbw Check out the Treat Luring or Turns method from the article I have linked below. I would use these methods with pup's leash a bit slack so pup is working on following you because they are actually focused on you and your movements and not as reliant on the gentle leader for direction. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Jan. 26, 2022