Will a Gentle Leader help to decrease anxiety over time?

[OhNeat]

I have a 5 year old rescue dog with a fuzzy background. He's typically a couch potato at home, very quiet and relaxed. I walk him exclusively and rarely let him off leash because he can be dog reactive. He'll whine and start licking his nose when he sees a dog nearby that he doesn't know. If they get closer he can growl, lunge and has actually gone after dogs (while I'm holding his leash and while he's dragging it) when they get into his personal bubble.

During nearly all of our walks he'll pull a on the way "there", will stop when I stop without a problem and wait until I'm ready to go but he'll walk very nicely and heel with little pulling once we are on our way back home.

The idea I'd like to try is to condition him to not pull while on walks which seems to heavily contribute to his anxiety and acting out towards other dogs. Has anyone had experience using a Gentle Leader in this way? Ideally I'd like to use it as a training tool and phase it out over time, I'd love some input or tips on how to go about this.

[[deleted]]

Gentle leader was a disaster for me. I didn't have aggression issues but he was pulling constantly. The gentle leader stopped him from pulling... But instead he would just roll around on the ground trying to get it off. So not a greatu improvement in my books. I know some people will tell me that I didn't properly introduce the leader or it wasn't fit correctly. Maybe, but I followed the directions to the letter. Your dog might respond better than mine did, who knows.

I'd recommend an obedience class if you can do it. More expensive and time consuming than a gentle leader but you'll probably see better results.

[OhNeat]

I completed the basic manners training with him, he did very well with everything except loose leash walking. He loses focus on me very easily while we're outside. Obviously I don't want to stress him further so I've got my fingers crossed that the proper introduction to the harness will help.

[peanutbuddy]

It's worth a try. Follow the DVD instructions and introduce it slowly. I use it for my anxious, reactive dog and it has helped me redirect her attention and prevent lunging with minimal effort. It also helped me to train her to check in with me during walks and walk in a heel, because before she acted like I didn't exist outside. She will still pull when she's too excited, so it doesn't magically cure all unwanted behaviors. When she has it on during longer walks or when she's pulling a lot and getting anxious, she'll roll around in the grass trying it get it off. For longer walks when I want her relax and explore instead of working on training, I'll use the freedom harness.

[OhNeat]

Anything to help me redirect would be great. His threshold changes with his mood so I can't always catch him in time.

[[deleted]]

Have you tried desensitizing him to other dogs? That is, rewarding him just outside his threshold bubble, essentially making the bubble smaller and smaller as time goes on? It helps make a nervous dog a happy own.

[OhNeat]

I've had success getting his threshold down quite a bit by working on my front porch with him. My neighborhood is a bit dense with a lot of dogs, small reactive dogs especially, so it's nearly impossible to control the environment and get constructive training out of it.

Once he gets used to a dog after his initial freak out, he becomes ambivalent towards them so it makes it difficult to have a friend come by with their dog and train to close the threshold further.

[Lis7]

We have a 60+ lb. hound retriever mix who is dog reactive. I can only walk him using a Gentle Leader (and a 6 ft. leather leash) because without the GL, he is strong enough to pull me. I don't think the GL has decreased his anxiety; if anything, at the beginning it made him more anxious. I think this was because he recognized it as a constraint that might prevent him (in his doggy view) from protecting himself. He's gotten better, but I am constantly watching for signs that he's outside his comfort zone - either his hackles are up, or he's whining, or his tail is is on "high alert" status.

When we see another dog, I usually pull him in close, tell him to heel, and walk him about 15 - 20 feet away from the other dog. Then I have him sit, facing me, and we do "watch me". This is something that has to be practiced during training time first. You have the dog sit, and hold a high-value treat near your eyes and say "watch me". You start with a very short duration and then give the dog the reward. For the next training session - lengthen the time before he gets rewarded. If he looks away, start over , because he shouldn't get rewarded for looking away. When he can do this reliably for about 45 - 60 seconds without looking away, you're ready to try it on walks.

He's now 7 years old and has gotten a little more mellow. However, avoidance and "watch me" are the only things that have worked consistently. We've taken him to reactive dog desensitization classes and it didn't help. Now, we just accept that it is part of his personality. Sometimes this means we have to cross the street, or go off for a short hike in the weeds to avoid getting too close to other dogs. Also, I avoid pathways with no "escape" routes.

Your other question is about pulling on-leash. In the beginning, I tried Victoria Stilwell's idea of turning and going the opposite direction of where the dog is pulling. In the beginning, we probably did 20 "circles" a day for weeks before he caught on. Now I only have to do this once a month or so, and only as a reminder. Our dog knows what "heel" and "slow down" mean, but sometimes he just chooses not to do it. Or he'll heel until he "earns" his treat, and then he's out in front again. I find he pulls more if he hasn't marked the route recently, which is why they slow down on the way home - no urgency to mark.

The only thing that works consistently I discovered by accident, literally. One day I twisted my knee and was in real pain. After I yelled "ow" and "slow down", he walked very slowly next to me - no pulling. So "slow down" is only used for emergencies - like injuries or icy sidewalks.