Different Head Collars: Gentle Leader or Snoot Loop?

[traxxie]

Hi all,

I have been using a GL to walk some pully bullies and they are much improved. But I've futzed and futzed with the fit of the GL. And I'm worried that I've still not gotten the optimal fit.

I was recently reading that dogs with large or wide heads like rotties can be harder to fit in head collars, depending on the design. So I started reading about the Snoot Loop as an alternative. The bands are thinner and are supposed to bother dogs less, especially if they have blocky heads.

On my labbies, GL bands usually end up right beneath the eyes of the dogs I walk and we stop every block or so and I adjust the collar and pull the nose loop down on the nose and away from the eyes and make sure it is loose.

I'd appreciate hearing about any others' experiences or suggestions.

Thanks so much.

 

[leema]

I don't know the 'Snoot Loop' headcollars, but there are lots of brands, and I suggest you go to a pet shop with the dogs for a fitting.

There's also the Halti, the Infin8, and some cheap-no-name brands.

 

[drgnrdr]

if the nose loop is constantly up by the eyes, they are pulling to much, If you stop them while walking and keep them in position and while your still walking catch up to them then relax the leash again, keep doing this, it's kind of like, you have your arm relaxed at your side (say left for sake of argument), all leash you need is hanging from your hand down to your dog, about an inch of loop leading to the GL link, it makes a sort of J to them, When you start to walk keep your arm at your side if the dog tries to pull and go out front of you, use the strength in your left arm to hold them in place, but the secret to this working is don't stop YOUR walking, your arm holds them just a step or step and a half ahead of you, but as you hold them into position, you keep walking and your arm is going to end up swinging back behind you, in that step to catch up to them, and that now puts them back to their original position, and you now relax your left arm and let it hang back beside your left side, the hold you use makes more sense if your arm angles down and back from them, like saying "whoa" on a horse same action, when trying to get ahead of you, this sort of pulls the reins at their nose down and back, it's really hard to explain.
The thing is always keep it relaxed when the dog walks nice.

 

[zcoonhound]

While beginning obedience training with my English Coonhound we had a tremendous pulling problem. I opted to try the Gentle Leader. I watched the video that comes with it and verified my fit with the class instructor. The GL was a great tool for me. We were able to concentrate on the "training" instead of the correcting. We used it for only a few months, but it was well worth the investment. The nose band will ride up if you are allowing the dogs to "go ahead" of you. It is designed to work while the dog is in the heel position. Drgnrdr's post is very informative.

 

[montsterdog]

I have had Gentle Leader for years and while it worked great with my lab-mix it never really seemed to fit right with the border collies. I switched to Halti head collar and like it much better. I find it easier to use and the fit is more adjustable. I also have a Comfort Halter which is quite similar to Halti but maybe fits more snug.

 

[bordeaux]

I've found the GL is great on my girl so long as it's fitted correctly, if it's too loose it tends to ride up to her eyes.
On my boy (french mastiff) the GL cut into his folds and the Halti's straps were too wide for his short muzzle. I now use a Blackdog training head halter, it's straps are quite thin and it has padding so it doesn't cut into his face.
I'd suggest trying a different type of head halter one of the others may give you a better result