PET GIFTS & SUPPLIES

Is Your Dog Walking You??
esponsible for the dramatic effect on an unruly pet. Unlike standard collar-and-leash Try a Gentle Leader®
If your growing puppy or adult dog is uncontrollable on a standard leash, you may want to try a Gentle Leader® head collar. Designed to reinforce physical instincts in dog behavior, the head collar can make walking that 50-pound lab puppy a joy again. It is strongly recommended for those family members who may not have the body mass or strength to restrain a pet with a simple leash. . .would fit the standard collar.

The neck strap on the head collar fits just at the base of the skull and circles the neck just behind the jaw hinge, at the very top of the neck and above the Adam's apple. This strap must be fitted very snugly-if you can just work a finger under it, it's perfect. You will notice at this point that the dog is in no distress: the pressure on the front of the neck is above the sensitive part of the throat, and the pressure on the back of the neck, by the base of the skull, will have an immediate calming affect on most dogs.

The second strap fits through a ring in the collar strap, at the center of the neck under the jaw: this strap loops around the base of the dog's muzzle, positioned just in front of the eyes and just behind the fleshy part of the lips at the back of the mouth, then under the chin and through the ring in the collar strap. The second strap, the muzzle loop, is the part of the head collar that is attached to the dog's lead. This strap does not "muzzle" the dog: the pet can still breath, pant, open his mouth, grab and carry a ball or stick, drink, and eat-so long as there is no tension on the leash.

Once there is a pull applied, the dog's mouth is closed and the pressure on the muzzle mimics the pressure exerted by a dominant dog on a subordinate pack member. It is a clear, understood signal to the dog that it has done something that will not be tolerated. When the dog moves to reduce the tension, the loop relaxes: when walking, this occurs when the dog stops straining against the leash, teaching him rapidly that pulling against the leash is a mistake.

Once trained, even the elderly or youthful members of a family can safely walk "Brutus" without fear of being pulled down the sidewalk or into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
For more information on the Gentle Leader® system, contact your veterinarian, or log on to www.gentleleader.com.

Mike Davis, Practice manager
Doerr Animal Clinic, Louisville, KY