PetSafe Gentle Leader Padded No Pull Dog Headcollar

Our 8 month old lab was just awful on leash; 50# of pure muscle ready to rumble! I have to admit, I have looked down my nose at these nose-type leaders in the past- I am a firm believer that you need to train your dog and with consistent effort, you can eventually gain success. But NO ONE was enjoying our attempts to 'walk' River until we took a gamble on the Gentle Leader. Problem solved. Yes, she was not happy with it at first, tried to prise it off and generally fought against it. But we put it on for a few minutes at a time, indoors, and distracted her with lots of praise and treats. She still wigged out a couple times once we ventured outside, but she quickly realized that pulling against Our 8 month old lab was just awful on leash; 50# of pure muscle ready to rumble! I have to admit, I have looked down my nose at these nose-type leaders in the past- I am a firm believer that you need to train your dog and with consistent effort, you can eventually gain success. But NO ONE was enjoying our attempts to 'walk' River until we took a gamble on the Gentle Leader. Problem solved. Yes, she was not happy with it at first, tried to prise it off and generally fought against it. But we put it on for a few minutes at a time, indoors, and distracted her with lots of praise and treats. She still wigged out a couple times once we ventured outside, but she quickly realized that pulling against the leader did not accomplish anything. I found that as long as I kept a little upward traction against her struggle, she couldn't put her head down and prise it off. Once we sorted that out, off we went for a pleasant walk down the road with no more drama. I'm so glad my daughter insisted we try this product! … more

This is the best solution to pulling I’ve ever encountered. I fostered a 100lb. dog who would pull me into the street with oncoming traffic if he saw another dog on the other side of the road. After purchasing this, I could control him much easier, even with one hand instead of pulling against his collar with all of my strength and inadvertently choking him. This was such a great purchase that I bought it for my own (smaller, medium sized) dog and it has reduced his pulling significantly. This option is better over other “no-pull” options on the market because 1) it does not choke them, and 2) you don’t have to exert a significant amount of physical effort to get them to go where you want them This is the best solution to pulling I’ve ever encountered. I fostered a 100lb. dog who would pull me into the street with oncoming traffic if he saw another dog on the other side of the road. After purchasing this, I could control him much easier, even with one hand instead of pulling against his collar with all of my strength and inadvertently choking him. This was such a great purchase that I bought it for my own (smaller, medium sized) dog and it has reduced his pulling significantly. This option is better over other “no-pull” options on the market because 1) it does not choke them, and 2) you don’t have to exert a significant amount of physical effort to get them to go where you want them to go. Would highly recommend for any medium-xl dog that has issues with pulling! … more

I bought a bunch of the Gentle Leaders for the assistance dog organization that I work for. All of our puppies are taught to wear Gentle Leaders. They are a tool that requires some pretty thoughtful desensitization and shouldn't be just thrown on and used, as most dogs don't naturally accept them. But they can be very helpful for teaching leash manners and protecting the handlers from too much rough pulling as the pups learn. Overall the quality of these is good. Of the 20 I bought about 10 months ago, 2 have worn out and needed to be thrown away. The nylon wore out and got very thin near the O-ring under the dogs chin. The rest are still in great shape. I have used other head halters (Halti I bought a bunch of the Gentle Leaders for the assistance dog organization that I work for. All of our puppies are taught to wear Gentle Leaders. They are a tool that requires some pretty thoughtful desensitization and shouldn't be just thrown on and used, as most dogs don't naturally accept them. But they can be very helpful for teaching leash manners and protecting the handlers from too much rough pulling as the pups learn. Overall the quality of these is good. Of the 20 I bought about 10 months ago, 2 have worn out and needed to be thrown away. The nylon wore out and got very thin near the O-ring under the dogs chin. The rest are still in great shape. I have used other head halters (Halti brand) and found they broke far easier than the GL. … more

Recently 'adopted' #100 Great Dane/Black Lab. While he has no mean bones in his body, at 18 months he probably has more growing to go. Unfortunately he is unaware of just how big and strong he is. He about pulled my husband off his feet when walking with a regular harness. We tried a no-pull harness which was ok, but he chewed it up when it was left within his reach. The gentle leader has allowed my husband to continue to walk him with the confidence of being able to maintain control. Although he sometimes fights the gentle lead when he wants to 'visit' with other dogs.

We have a very energetic eight year old shepherd mix that we adopted six years ago. She is always in a hurry and leash pulling on our daily walk which wears us out. Thankfully, we’ve almost put an end to her lunging at other dogs but the leash pulling is so hard to stop. We’ve tried a few different harnesses without luck but the Gentle Leader really does work. If she forgets and starts to pull, she immediately pauses. We’re very fortunate that it only took a couple of walks for her to become acclimated to the new gear. I’m amazed and enjoying our walks so much more!

Just purchased this for my 35 lbs 7 month mini Bernedoodle who pulls on walks all the time. I watched the DVD & read the instructions & read thru all of the questions & answers on website including other reviews. I cannot get the little clasp which holds the nose loop in place to “click” closed so it just loosens up as soon as my dog moves. I don’t know if I’m not pressing something right - I’ve tried numerous times and it doesn’t click so I’m guessing I got a defective one and now I need to deal with the return hassle which I can’t stand. Therefore, I really don’t know how well this works, but I can see from other reviews that others have had this problem and so I am not recommending it.

I have two large silver labradors who get at least one walk daily--Bruiser is almost 5 years old, 90lbs, and has been an angel on leash since he was a puppy. My Rambo is 3 years old, 78 lbs, and I've been consistently working with him on leash walking since he was a puppy. He is atrocious on leash despite trying obedience classes, clicker training, various styles of harnesses, and various training methods. He is a little leash reactive, highly prey driven, and likes to move very fast. He has begun pulling away from dog walkers which was the last straw, and at their recommendation I tried the Gentle Leader as a last ditch attempt. I followed the guidelines for introducing the Gentle Leader I have two large silver labradors who get at least one walk daily--Bruiser is almost 5 years old, 90lbs, and has been an angel on leash since he was a puppy. My Rambo is 3 years old, 78 lbs, and I've been consistently working with him on leash walking since he was a puppy. He is atrocious on leash despite trying obedience classes, clicker training, various styles of harnesses, and various training methods. He is a little leash reactive, highly prey driven, and likes to move very fast. He has begun pulling away from dog walkers which was the last straw, and at their recommendation I tried the Gentle Leader as a last ditch attempt. I followed the guidelines for introducing the Gentle Leader very closely as I needed this transition to go smoothly. He accepted it quickly once he realized it meant treats, and from the first walk with it I was sold. He still tries to pull with it on, but the difference now is he isn't getting away from walkers, pulling arms out of sockets, or pulling people behind him like Marmaduke. The combination of the Gentle Leader and constant reinforcement of good walking behavior has made him a pleasure to walk. To be honest, he hates the Gentle Leader--it takes patience and a treat to get it on him--but I actually think he is also enjoying walks more now that we're not both frustrated. Before you use, make sure the fit is exactly right so your dog isn't uncomfortable or able to get out of it. As a backup, I also put his collar on him. I had some doubts and reservations about this product but it was life changing for us, and I'm even about to buy him a second one because I use it to take him to the off-leash lake and it's getting muddy and gross. Hopefully as we continue to work on his leash manners, one day we'll be able to transition away from it. … more

this works wonderfully to encourage our dog to heel, and she resisted the first one or two times we put it on, but now she's accepting it totally. she does sometimes try to rub her face in the snow in what seems like an effort to get it off, or just to scratch her face... she usually has a good face scratch after a walk with this, so it might be a bit irritating. i have never used any other face harness/gentle leader, though, so it might just be the nature of this kind of harness regardless of brand.

This product has helped prevent my dogs from pulling when taking them on a walk. I used to use harnesses on my dogs, but they didn’t help as much as I had hoped. The Gentle Leader does wonders compared to a collar or harness. It does take some getting used to for the dogs. Be sure to read the directions or look up the instructional video on fitting it properly and using it properly- it really helps! I do believe this product doesn’t work well on short-snouted dogs, my American bully has trouble sometimes breathing correctly when wearing it on a walk. I’ve found if I loosen the nose strap so she can open her mouth wider it helps her greatly, though it is easier for her to get the strap off of This product has helped prevent my dogs from pulling when taking them on a walk. I used to use harnesses on my dogs, but they didn’t help as much as I had hoped. The Gentle Leader does wonders compared to a collar or harness. It does take some getting used to for the dogs. Be sure to read the directions or look up the instructional video on fitting it properly and using it properly- it really helps! I do believe this product doesn’t work well on short-snouted dogs, my American bully has trouble sometimes breathing correctly when wearing it on a walk. I’ve found if I loosen the nose strap so she can open her mouth wider it helps her greatly, though it is easier for her to get the strap off of her nose. I still greatly recommend for anyone that has a puller! … more

Using this on my son’s Norwegian Elk hound. He pulled so hard, no one wanted to walk him. We had a harness on him so he wouldn’t hurt his trachea. I use the gentle leader and his harness and a leash from each because having read reviews that said the gentle leader breaks and then you lose your dog, I didn’t want to chance it. Walking nicely is now a thing!