[nagdu] use of gentle leader

[Tami Jarvis]

Sean,

Hey! Good to see you back here.

Okay, for the Gentle Leader, the neck strap goes around the upper neck, 
just behind the skull, snug enough to stay there. The nose strap needs 
to be tight enough not to slip off the end of the nose, but loose enough 
that the dog can open its mouth to pant.

Depending on how Franklin remembers it, you may want to go through the 
adjustment process with it before taking him out in it. That involves 
just putting it on briefly, rewarding the dog, then taking it off again 
and increasing the time it is on until the dog accepts it. Then leash 
work inside, then outside. Some dogs freak out over it, some shut down, 
and some are okay with it.

Jerking on the head collar can cause injuries, so it is important not to 
give corrections with it. I use a skinny leash on Mitzi's, looping it 
over my ring and little finger while I hold the harness handle. I can 
give a light finger twitch to get her attention if I need to, or I can 
reach over with my free hand to gently pull her away from something, or 
to use a firm, steady pull if she's got her stubborn on. Pulling her 
nose away from where she wants it is removing the reward from 
sniffing/scavenging, then letting her look where she wants is the reward 
for remembering she is on the job.

The main function of the head collar for us is that it lets me feel her 
head movements, so I can tell her "leave it forward" before she's in 
full sniff mode, at least most of the time. I leave a lot of slack in 
the leash so she can move her long nose on that long neck since she 
likes to keep an eye on everything that is going on so she can respond 
pre-emptively. I also get a lot of feedback from that, which I like. If 
we're in a grocery store or someplace like that and she is seeming ready 
to give in to temptation, I may take up the slack so there is some 
tension but not a lot, if that makes sense.

hth,

Tami

On 04/03/2015 02:58 PM, Sean Moore via nagdu wrote:
> So  today  I  bought  a  new  gentle  leader  for  Franklin at  Pet’smart  I  don’t  remember  the  price  being  so  high $27=8 after  taxes.  Should  have  went  online  and  bought  a knock off brand  one.
>
> anyways  its  been  forever  since  I’ve  used  one on Franklin
>   tips  on  best  use?
>
>   Meaning  I’’m  thinking  for  use  when he’s  working  and  does  his  drive-by-smelling  of  people  who  have  dogs and  when he  glues  his  nose  to  someone  he  really  likes the  smell of.
>
> Thanks  for  tips/ ideas.
>
> Sean and  Franklin
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