This is one of the most interesting tools as it gets so many comments. Far more than anything else I use. Many of you have seen it, most of you may have even thought it was a muzzle. It is the Gentle Leader. A few fun facts:

• It was developed in the 1980’s right here in Minnesota by Dr. R K Anderson a pioneering veterinarian and animal behaviorist associated with the University of Minnesota and Ruth Foster, a legendary trainer and author. I was honored to have known them both.
  
• The Gentle Leader is recognized by the Smithsonian as one 100 best inventions. I’m not aware of another tool for dog training that has earned that designation.

How Does the Gentle Leader Work?

Ok so about the tool. It is based on science and applies pressure behind the ears that can make the dog feel calm and comforted. This is incredibly helpful in high stress situations. The piece across the nose is not a muzzle, does not limit mouth movement (yep, they can drink, bite, pant, and bark) but mimics a type of control and correction a senior dog may give to a more junior dog. A gentle push on the snout.

Additionally, think about large animals like horses. Can you even IMAGINE trying to control them by a body harness? That would be laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous. The same theory applies with dogs, particularly large ones. Control the head, and the body follows. Tie yourself to the center of their body, well you may be in for the ride of a lifetime. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good body harness (more about that later) but that comes with time and with a proper training foundation.

The service dog organization I work with uses them on nearly all their dogs for one key reason. People with mobility challenges cannot risk an injury with a 70lb dog being able to use all their weight against them at a moment’s notice.

Bottom line is this thing works. For nearly all dogs without harming them like chokes, pinch, and e-collars that are based on punishment. It is gentle and uses a basic communication structure the dog innately understands.

The Dog’s Perspective

“I’m not a big fan.” That is likely what the dog’s response would be. I get it, the little strap across the nose and not being able to pull as hard as they want, bummer’s for sure. Some will fight it a good bit, others actually like that they feel better. Their step picks up, the startle less, and just seem calmer and happier. Still others just shrug it off.

The thing they will most appreciate is that when they do something wrong (like pull HARD) they get a correction they understand and not one that hurts and makes them wonder why you’re such a meanie. Again, dog perspective, “I smelled something great so a pulled a bit to get to it since I was mere inches away and then YANK and PINCH and OUCH. I couldn’t figure out why that happened. Doesn’t everyone want to smell that yummy post?”

The Paws-On Perspective Scale: 🐾🐾🐾 (out of 5). Like it for its gentle, intuitive approach but may need time to adjust to how it feels. And some dogs may fight feeling like they are being controlled.

The Human’s Perspective

The Gentle Leader is a must have tool in the tool-kit. It helps to teach loose-leash walking, can give confidence and support for anxious moments (think grooming and vet offices), and is useful should you ever have mobility issues where you can’t have the dog over power you. It can be a bit tricky to adjust to depending on the dog so that can be a challenge and if you are someone that is sensitive to comments and looks (although they are FAR less than they were 20 years ago) that could be an issue. This isn’t a tool you will necessarily need forever and always when your dog is on leash but like a crate, it is great to have when you need it. All my dogs are raised on it and usually no longer need it much after 2 -3 years.

The Human Perspective Scale: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(out of 5)

If you are interested, here’s a link to the original and the one we recommend: Gentle Leader on Amazon

This isn’t an affiliate link nor is the post sponsored.