- You know, a common concern that people have
when they're choosing the Gentle Leader
as a training tool is that they feel like
they're going to be dependent on it forever.
Every time they are gonna to take their dog out for a walk,
they need to put the Gentle Leader on it.
And, I can tell you that's just not the case.
Now, if you haven't seen our video
on Gentle Leader fitting and usage
I'll post a card for it above me.
But I'll also post a link in the description.
Now, today we're going to talk to McCann Dogs
head instructor Steve Walsh about
how to wean off using the Gentle Leader.
I'm Ken Steepe, and welcome back to McCann Dogs.
(guitar strumming)
(dog barking)
- Hey guys, how are you?
Steve here, from McCann Dogs, I'm back to talk to you
a little bit more about Gentle Leaders.
In our last video we talked to you about
how they can be a great tool for success with our dogs,
especially some of our bigger, more excited dogs
that need a little help and need
that little bit of extra control, Skye, stand.
And one of the things that I hear most often
is that a Gentle Leader is a permanent piece of equipment.
And, I even spent last weekend
down at a veterinarians conference in Niagara Falls.
And talked to several people about
how it can be a great tool for success, But
it's not something that needs to be a permanent fixture.
Now, as we know, the Gentle Leader
in its full capacity with the head collar
and the nose loop gives you great control
and really has a nice calming benefit on the dogs.
And a lot of people do find when that whole thing comes off
their dog goes to be a little bit more excited.
But, there are steps to work off of the Gentle Leader.
It doesn't have to be an on or off situation.
One of the things to keep in mind
is building success in your dogs.
And that is the purpose of this tool.
So, when your dog is really working well with you
and being calm and really focused on working with you,
that's the perfect opportunity
to look at weaning off of it.
And step one, is simply taking the nose loop
of the Gentle Leader off.
We can work a stage, where there nose loop isn't on
but I still have the benefit of this nice high collar
which gives me great control on the dog.
So when your dog is working well together with you
and they are a little bit calmer.
Your first step to weaning off that Gentle Leader
is simply taking the nose loop
sliding it off the nose of your dog.
Now, I don't want you to take that nose loop out
and have this big buckle hanging down here
that can potentially hit your dog in the face.
What I want you to do is, take that clip,
clip it right back up underneath here
where that nose loop goes back together.
This gives me the benefit of a nice high collar
that when I need to move my dog
I can just help her along with my voice
and that leash as need be.
Now, one of the things to keep in mind
is once we've made this change
it's important to build some success
and some stationary skills.
So, maybe ask my dog to sit, sit Skye, sit please.
Good girlie, I can sit and reward her
simply for holding a nice calm sit.
And then, I can maybe work walking some circles.
Let's go, good girl, let's go, what a good puppy dog.
And I can again build on that success
of her moving with me on a loose leash
without the benefit of that nose loop.
Now the important thing to keep in mind
is work to your dogs success.
If things get a little too exciting
your dog starts to get a little too stimulated
we can simply reverse the steps
to get that nice, calm, control back again.
I can take that clip, unclip it from that key ring
feed that nose loop out from the center, it takes a second.
I can calmly praise my dog if she's doing so.
Then I can simply slip that nose loop back over my dog,
reset it, and I'm back into full Gentle Leader control.
The biggest thing to keep in mind
when using any tool like the Gentle Leader,
is work to your dogs success.
If they are a little bit too excited by
the environment around them, use the benefits
of both the nose loop and the head collar.
But, if you're in an environment
where they are listening well,
you're working well together, then by all means
start to take those steps to wean off
this powerful tool that we have, to really help build your
and your four legged family members relationship.
- So, I want to thank McCann Dogs
head instructor Steve Walsh for sharing
some of those tricks and tips for
how to wean off the Gentle Leader.
But, if you haven't seen the Gentle Leader
video we made a little while ago,
I'll post a link to it in the description below.
And you should definitely check it out.
The Gentle Leader can be a really great training tool
for you to use to your advantage.
Now, if this is your first time on the channel
make sure you hit that subscribe button.
We publish new videos every single week
to help you spend some quality time
with your four legged family member.
See that video beside us?
That's actually our McCann Dog students playlist
and you might enjoy some of those videos as well.
On that note, I'm Ken.
- I'm Steve.
- Happy Training.
(bright electronic music)