Yes, I read the other 100 leash/collar threads

[Blitz1203]

I am considering buying a Gentle Leader. My pup is 9.5 weeks old and when I walk him he tries to barrel roll to the side or just sit. Sometimes are better than others. It seems to mostly be because he isn't entirely socialized yet and the world outside of our yard make him nervous. (Yes, I am taking him places and introducing him to people and other dogs, but we're in the early stages). The only thing about the Gentle Leader is that it seems like it'd hurt the dog's neck. My pups still a little fragile and I don't want to hurt it. I was looking at a harness also, but the GL site sells a harness and they seem to recommend the GL over it. I've been introducing him to heel. He probably doesn't understand the word yet, but he understands what I want him to do and when he'll walk he'll do it perfectly. I carry treats with me and give him plenty of positive reinforcement, but I don't like to see him doing barrel rolls as they look painful.. especially on concrete. Right now I just have a flat nylon collar. I think I could make it work, but I'm thinking a safer alternative might be better. Also for those who recommend the GL. What size would be good for my pup? He is about 16 pounds and 14-15 inches tall. Obviously growing alot.

[doggiedad]

i always used a flat collar for several months. i don't really start
any formal training untill my dogs are 4 months old.

[doxsee]

I agree with doggiedad. Your pup is very young. Right now you just need to get him used to tolerating the leash and collar (lots of positive reinforcement.) It will be quite awhile before he will walk nicely, right now it is just too much for him.

[StGeorgeK9]

There is a little trick I learned recently. When walking puppy on a flat collar, if they pull, just step on the leash, this will take the pressure off the front of the neck. I think if I had learned this little trick when Ava was younger, we would have done much better on a flat collar. just wait until there is a bit of slack, then take your foot off the leash again. I've seen this method work really well with puppies.

[Kayla's Dad]

Originally Posted by Blitz1203

... My pup is 9.5 weeks old and when I walk him he tries to barrel roll to the side or just sit. Sometimes are better than others. It seems to mostly be because he isn't entirely socialized yet and the world outside of our yard make him nervous. (Yes, I am taking him places and introducing him to people and other dogs, but we're in the early stages). ....

He's too young and you need to give him a little more time. I would stick with the flat collar for now and try a few other methods. You want to make everything fun and interesting at this age and not force/push it. Let him be a puppy and discover his environment-while you start on teaching him. Let him drag the leash and have a lot of treats with you to award the behavior he wants. If he is slowing a little resistance, revert to something he will do willingly. Many pups show a resistance to moving away from home at this age. Try putting him the car and driving down the street and starting from there instead of walking away from his home front.

Have you looked at some descriptions of a puppy's behaviorial development? It can help guide you through some of these stages as your puppy grows and develops during these critical stages. Remember the time period is approximate:

Developmental Stages

Puppies 1st night to 1st year

Enjoy our puppies time and keep it fun!

[onyx'girl]

I had Karlo on a harness til he outgrew it at about 5-6 months. I used food to work with him as far as pulling or following.
His focus on me(or my words, not so much as he had to look at me constantly) was what I was trying to work on more than the heeling or obedience.
If you can get your pup to focus on you, then everything else is much easier!
I would try a harness that will adjust as he grows, and not use a GL for a pup so young.
They have very sensitive muzzles, and teething will begin before you know it, which will add to the discomfort.
Look at this video, and this is a great example of what to work on at your pups age:
http://www.youtube.com/RoniTristar

[wolfstraum]

I stand by my feelings that any type of head or body collar is nothing more than a bandaid - nothing is learned by the dog in one. In fact, when you follow that through, you will realize that these items are in fact a form of compulsion training. The dog has no choice but to put its head where you decide it should be.

And I also am of the very firm opinion that these are POTENTIALLY physically harmful - the torque on the face, the neck, the body position when the head is forced into the frame you desire can over a longer time period can end up in an orthopedic issue.

Putting on flame proof suit now LOL LOL

Use the harness, flat collar and food - harness lets pup know he can explore and play on lead, flat collar for positive food motivated training time.

Lee

[AbbyK9]

He is much, much too young to need any kind of training collar or harness - he needs to learn to tolerate the leash and collar first and to understand the concept of going for a walk.

Even if he were older, I think the Gentle Leader would be the wrong kind of collar or halter to approach the problem you are having. The Gentle Leader is designed to prevent a dog from pulling ahead by turning his head toward you when he does. Your pup, from what you say in your post, does not do this - he will sit or roll. Hence, a tool designed to stop him from forging ahead is not the correct tool to use in your situation.

Treats or a motivating toy would be the best place to start.

[Liesje]

9.5 weeks?!?! At first I read 9.5 months and figured a GL would be fine, but 9.5 weeks? How hard can a little baby puppy even pull, lol! They don't like the collar and leash at first. My puppy just wore a basic nylon harness until he was 4 months old, then he wore a small Easy Walk harness. I would just get a cheap, basic nylon harness (like the Premier brand), you can get one at any pet store. Then have your puppy wear the collar with a lightweight leash dragging when he's just around the house, so he gets used to that sensation on his neck.

[Cassidy's Mom]

I'm confused - what do you mean by a barrel roll? Does he stop and roll around on the ground? If he "understands what I want him to do and when he'll walk he'll do it perfectly", I don't see what the problem is. At 9-1/2 weeks old, being able to walk nicely on leash for more than half a block at a time is asking a lot! If you got him at 8 weeks old, he's only had a week and a half of practice, plus he's got the attention span of a gnat so he's just not able to focus for very long.

I wouldn't worry about heeling too much right now unless you want to lure him a couple of steps at a time, maybe with a sit when you stop. When Halo was little, I'd start with her sitting at my side, take one step forward and lure her into a sit, and then worked up to 2 or 3 steps at a time - basically working on the beginning and ending of a heel. Get that down, and add more steps in between later. I practiced that off leash around the house. On walks I focused on loose leash walking, and as long as she was near my side and not pulling that's good enough.

If he were pulling I'd recommend a front hook harness like the Gentle Leader Easy Walk, or the Sense-ation Harness, but at his age it's really not necessary. I'd continue working with him on a flat collar and only use the harness if you really need to. If you never start using any kind of corrective or training collar you'll never need to wean him off it either.

Here's a technique that work great to teach puppies loose leash walking:

YouTube - How to train your dog not to pull- Loose Leash Walking

YouTube - How to train your dog not to pull- Loose Leash Walking