The difference between walking and not walking my dog

Rating Details

Product being reviewed:

Gentle Leader Headcollar
Reviews: 289 | Posted: 1 year ago | Avg Rating: 4.4

Pros: Allows me to walk my dog without being pulled

Cons: Convincing your dog this is a good thing the first time you use it!

We found our Boxer when she was already about 6-9 months old. She was not socialized and had never walked on a leash. Walking an unmannered (to put it gently) Boxer was like leashing up a freight train. I got blisters and "burns" on my hands from her constant pulling and trying to run after anything that moved. She was also dog aggressive on a leash and I was very fearful that she would pull me down or lunge at another dog.
As she got older and stronger I couldn't walk her anymore. We tried a prong collar but her fur is so short and she so tenacious that it was leaving a mark. We then tried a gentle leader on the advice of a dog trainer and I can't even describe the change except as miraculous. We were able to control her with no problems. It broke my heart not to walk her or take her to a park, but now we can go anywhere! We were able to get a handle on the socialization/dog aggression issues at that point too, because, again, WE had the control, not her. I can't imagine not going on our daily walks now. I can't say enough about the gentle leader.
Dogs don't like it at first, but they start to associate it with a walk and they get over it. (Actually, it was quite a dramatic performance on her part the first time we put it on Daisy, I laughed until I cried.) Daisy is so bossy that she still pouts and hangs her head down like there's a weight attached when I put it on and gets a look on her face like she just ate a lemon. The minute we're out the door, though, no more protesting. Couldn't be without it!

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