Do you have a dog that struggles with impulse control and learning to walk on a loose leash? Wanting to avoid pinch, prong, and choke collars? But also concerned about harnesses that place pressure across your dog’s shoulder joint, like the Easy Walk harness? The Gentle Leader might be the perfect training aid for you.
While there is no perfect training aid for every dog, one of my favorite training aids to help you teach your dog how to walk calmly and politely on a leash is the Gentle Leader. And you don’t just have to take my word for it, as the Gentle Leader was developed by a veterinary behaviorist – R.K. Anderson.
The Gentle Leader is a head collar designed two loops. One that fits over a dog’s muzzle and a second loop that clips behind a dog’s head to hold the head collar in place. When a leash is attached to the gentle leader, pressure is applied to a dog’s muzzle when there is tension on the leash and released when no tension is on the leash.
Compared to traditional collars and leashes, I find that the Gentle Leader (and other head halters) is superior in its ability to reduce pulling and help turn a dog’s head (and subsequently attention) towards you when in distracting situations.
As noted by some of my wonderful readers (see comments below), the dogs that will benefit most from a head halter, are those that are just beginning training and/or have low impulse control. A young Labrador that wants to run across the street and greet every dog and human he encounters, a terrier that wants to dart off after every rabbit he sees, or a hound that sticks her nose to the ground and follows every scent she gets a whiff of regardless of treats offered, are all examples of dog’s with low impulse control.
A Gentle Leader works to reduce a dog’s desire to pull by putting pressure on his/her muzzle when the leash is tight and subsequently offers negative reinforcement by removing pressure from his nose when he chooses to stop pulling. An important aspect to note, however, is that you should also be working with your dog to improve impulse control by pairing the negative reinforcement offered by the release of pressure with a positive reinforcement-oriented obedience training program.
Interested in learning more about how to use positive reinforcement when training your dog? Check out our article on finding a good reward your dog will happily work for.
Fitting a Gentle Leader
When fitting a Gentle Leader, the loop around the muzzle should be loose (although not so loose that it can slide off and over the dog’s nose) and the loop behind the head should be snug (but you should still be able to fit two fingers underneath the strap).
The principle is that the snug strap that clips behind the head keeps the Gentle Leader in place, while the part around the dog’s muzzle only tightens if the dog is pulling against the leash. As a side note, many people originally struggle with placing the Gentle Leader on a dog. Remember, you have to pull the muzzle loop up to slide it over a dog’s muzzle (see videos below).
When first fitted in a Gentle Leader, many dogs will dislike the feel, especially if not trained to accept the gentle leader. This is the same effect that can be seen the first time a puppy wears a collar. In fact, I feel like this also happens with toddlers and restrictive clothing. If it is easy to take it off, they will. As a result, it is important to train your dog so that he is comfortable and happy to wear his Gentle Leader. I recommend a few basic steps when training your dog to wear the Gentle Leader.
- Step #1: Associate the Gentle Leader with good things (aka treats). In order to do this, I recommend having a treat bag/dog food handy and rewarding your dog for taking an interest in the Gentle Leader. In the video below, I use the command “touch” to encourage Glia to interact with the Gentle Leader. When she touches it with her nose, she gets a treat. You might notice she even offers me one touch on her own that I miss and don’t reward at the end of this video. Ideally, especially when just starting, try to reward all interaction with the gentle leader.
- Step #2: Once your dog is comfortable and excited to see the Gentle Leader, the next step is slipping it over the dog’s nose. Ideally, this behavior can be trained using the “clicker” method and rewarding the dog for increasingly accurate behavior of not just touching the gentle leader, but actually getting his/her nose into the right section. If your dog isn’t clicker trained, then luring through the loop can work well also. In the second part of this video, I lure Glia to place her nose into the Gentle Leader.
- For those of you with some dog behavior training, you probably noticed that Glia does freeze up slightly when I clip the Gentle Leader behind her head. She also does a couple of stress licks and half look-always after the Gentle Leader is on. This means, that we still have some progress we could make in how comfortable Glia is with having the Gentle Leader put on. However, typically once we start walking, she will lose all stress signals.
- Step #3: Have your dog wear the gentle leader for a short period of time. Distract with treats and training and then remove the Gentle Leader. Soon your dog will barely notice when the Gentle Leader is on. Then it is time to take the Gentle Leader for a walk.
- Step #4: Go for a walk. Make sure to reward for loose-leash walking and heeling. Many dogs will try to rub the Gentle Leader off, but reward them for walking well with it on and soon they will look forward to seeing the Gentle Leader come out. After all, anything that signals a walk is a good thing, right?
Once your dog is trained to tolerate the Gentle Leader, I find that it is one of the best products out there to aid in training loose leash walking. Most dogs seem more reluctant to pull with their head compared to pulling with their neck/chest. Additionally, it is so much easier to encourage the dog to turn towards you for attention training during distractions. This really is my favorite accessory for Glia to wear when I know that we will be in crowded and distracting situations.
Rating the Gentle Leader
Below is Pawsitively Intrepid’s rating for the Gentle Leader:
| Fit/Comfort | Reduction of Pulling | Appearance/Style | Safety | Durability | Ease of Use | Overall Rating |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4.5/5 |
Fit/Comfort
The only reason I give the Gentle Leader a four here is due to the fact that most dogs need to be trained to wear the Gentle Leader. Without some training, the first few walks with a Gentle Leader mostly consist of a dog attempting to scrape the Gentle Leader off of its face. Once acclimatized, I find this product to fit most dogs very well. However, short-faced breeds (brachycephalic) like pugs and Boston terriers may be the exception.
Reduction of Pulling
Compared to other products on the market, the Gentle Leader is my favorite aid in training loose leash walking. However, no product will train loose leash walking for you – I recommend pairing all no-pull training aids with positive reinforcement to achieve a dog with great loose leash walking skills.
Appearance/Style
The Gentle Leader comes in a variety of colors to fit every dog’s style. However, some think it looks too much like a muzzle.
Safety
I have yet to see a dog pull out of a Gentle Leader completely (I have seen a muzzle loop slide over the nose when not appropriately fit). Additionally, having control of a dog’s head assists when preventing dog-to-dog nose contact and helps turn a dog away from consuming a potentially dangerous food item/litter when on a walk. (In the category of safety for the dog, as a quick disclaimer, please be aware that if your dog has any history of neck injuries, halters may not be the best option as they can put stress on the neck when/if a dog pulls his head against the leash.)
Durability
Glia has multiple Gentle Leaders, but her original one was purchased in 2012 and still works great. Even as of updating this post in 2022.
Ease of Use
The Gentle Leader gets a 4 in this category also, because the fit can be a little difficult for a new user to figure out. Once you have put one on twice though, it is very straightforward.
Overall
Now that I have given my thoughts on using a Gentle Leader, I would love to hear yours? How does the Gentle Leader work for you and your dog? Do you have any preferred halters/harnesses that you like to train your dogs with?
Or if you want to read another blog article on head collar use in dogs, check out this nice article by Dr. Sophia Yin, who was one of my favorite veterinary behaviorists. Although she sadly passed away recently, her website is still up and running with many good training resources.
I personally like the Halti a bit better then the gentle lead, and as a trainer offer them often to my dogs that have a very low threshold, or a serious lack of impulse control with no serious quick rewards that peak their interest. I don’t think they are needed for everyone, but helpful if they work for you, your dog, and your training path ahead of you!
I haven’t personally tried the Halti, but it does look like it uses the same concept. Good point that every dog has a different level of impulse control and that is a major consideration when deciding what type of collar/leash is best for an individual dog and their owner. Thank you for the input.
I use a head collar (it’s not a name brand like Halti or Gentle Leader but is similar) on one of my dogs. It was originally recommended by our trainer. It’s really all the training we’ve done that has helped my pup improve but, if used correctly, I think head collars can be great tools.
Great post and review and I love your videos! I have not used a gentle leader with my dogs before simply due to their size. Getting one big enough for my dog’s head is a challenge. That said, I haven’t looked at these for some time so I could be wrong in the sizing. I have also used various harnesses, but find that just a regular buckle collar and leash work better when combined with positive reinforcement. The harnesses promise to stop dogs from pulling, but I have not found that to be the case.
Positive reinforcement is definitely the key for good loose leash walking. No training aid (harness, collar, halter) is a substitute for good training!
I have not used the gentle leader, but love how you introduce it with positive reinforcement. My dogs walk very well on leash because I spent a lot of time training them to do so. As a canine massage therapist I would be interested to see if people walk their dogs equally on both the left and ride to avoid imbalance and muscle spasms caused by the head being turned more often in one direction.
That has always been one of my concerns with the halters (whether the gentle leader, halti, or off-brand). I normally walk with my dog on my left and at this point, she is trained well enough to heel on a loose leash. But at the beginning of training, she was definitely prone to attempting to dart after squirrels, etc. I think there is some possibility of strain on neck muscles. I might have to add that into the article – as I wouldn’t recommend this style for dogs with any history of neck issues or those prone to back injuries (like dachshunds, etc). Thanks for the input.
You’re welcome! I’m always thinking about muscles, it’s a consequence of my trade!
I have never heard of a leader for dogs. Your review introduces it very well, and I love the videos. Your dog looks very comfortable in it.
I personally prefer front clip harnesses, but Gentle Leaders definitely have their time and place. The biggest complaint and problem I see with them is that people don’t take the time to do proper desensitization/counter-conditioning to the Gentle Leader. Your tips for that process and the video are perfect and easy to follow along!
I use the easy walk, but lots of my friends use gentle leader. I’m always worried that non-dog people will see the Gentle Leader and think that it is a muzzle and the dog is dangerous…
It is funny you said that because I was just going to comment that the first time I saw a dog wearing one, I thought it was because the dog was aggressive. I just stayed on my side of the street though. I haven’t tried one with my dogs, but it seems like they are pretty popular now.
I might need to try this again. Sophie pulls on the leash – her one really annoying trait – and I tried a gentle leader a few years ago. She hated it. She pawed at her face and refused to move. We pretty much ended it right then. Harnesses have been really good but still – she needs to be able walk next to me and the other dog without pulling us over so we may die it another try.
I’ve never heard of a head leader for dogs. Based on your post, it sounds like something that could be used on a dog to help with training. I thought this was a muzzle when I saw the first photo and was happy to hear it was something to help dogs learn to walk appropriately if used with positive reinforcement.
Really informative understandable article.
Can a gentle leader type harness be used on a puppy?
At what age do you suggest starting a head harness?
Thank you
While a gentle leader could be used on a puppy, I recommend waiting until your puppy is comfortable wearing his/her collar and understands the concept of walking on a leash. For many dogs, this may be around 4-6 months of age.