Gentle Leader and Teeth Grinding

Infinite · 02-19-2011, 02:50 PM

I just bought a gentle leader for my pup, and whenever he has it on he starts grinding his teeth. Has anyone been able to correct this nervous behavior? Should I just get rid of the bridle?

**Castlemaid** · 02-19-2011, 04:13 PM

Yes, get rid of it - if wearing it causes that much stress on a young pup, there will be a lot of negative association set up with walks, being with you, being restrained, etc . . . not to mention that a dog under heavy stress will have a lot of difficulty focusing and learning, so will make your job of training much difficult - and again, you have the negative association of learning manners and behaviours with stress - going for walks, and learning should be a joyful, positive activity for a young dog.

valreegrl · 02-19-2011, 09:35 PM

He is exhibiting nervous behavior with the teeth chattering.

However, you do not need to "get rid" of the Halti. It just needs to be introduced properly.

To start, hold the Halti with the muzzle part open and put a yummy treat on the opposite side the nose goes in. In essence, your dog needs to stick his nose into the muzzle part to get the treat.
Do this over a period of time, maybe day 1 and day 2. Once he can comfortable put his nose in then move onto the next step which is to wrap around without clipping.
Do this day 3 or until he is comfortable.
Then clip the Halti and reward. What I like to do when getting to the clip part is to do this at feeding time. I clip the Halti and feed while the dog is wearing it.
Still comfortable, move on to the dog wearing the Halti around in the house, no leash.
Next move forward with clipping a leash and letting the dog drag the leash around.
Then move on to picking up the leash and walking around the house.
Finally, move to the outside for short walks, then longer.
The key is for your dog to associate the Halti with being positive. When he sees it coming out he knows good things are going to happen. Play with it on.

Another key is to make sure you are not causing stress to the neck. The Halti is meant to be used as a training tool, it doesn't "fix" behaviors. You still need to work on walking on a loose leash WHILE the Halti is giving you a little more head control.

Syaoransbear · 02-19-2011, 11:25 PM

Personally, I'd get rid of it. There are so many other training methods and tools you can use that won't cause stress to the pup.

02-19-2011, 02:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
Infinite Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 27	Gentle Leader and Teeth Grinding I just bought a gentle leader for my pup, and whenever he has it on he starts grinding his teeth. Has anyone been able to correct this nervous behavior? Should I just get rid of the bridle?

02-19-2011, 04:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
Castlemaid Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Northern British Columbia Posts: 9,089	Yes, get rid of it - if wearing it causes that much stress on a young pup, there will be a lot of negative association set up with walks, being with you, being restrained, etc . . . not to mention that a dog under heavy stress will have a lot of difficulty focusing and learning, so will make your job of training much difficult - and again, you have the negative association of learning manners and behaviours with stress - going for walks, and learning should be a joyful, positive activity for a young dog. __________________ Lucia Keeta BH, OB1, TR1, AD (HOT) Rottweiler/Hairy Dog mix?? Shelter rescue Gryffon Vom Wildhaus BH, OFA Good (HOT) "Bites Through the Sleeve" Cuddlebug, b: Mar 2009

02-19-2011, 09:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
valreegrl Master Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Southeast PA, USA Posts: 608	He is exhibiting nervous behavior with the teeth chattering. However, you do not need to "get rid" of the Halti. It just needs to be introduced properly. To start, hold the Halti with the muzzle part open and put a yummy treat on the opposite side the nose goes in. In essence, your dog needs to stick his nose into the muzzle part to get the treat. Do this over a period of time, maybe day 1 and day 2. Once he can comfortable put his nose in then move onto the next step which is to wrap around without clipping. Do this day 3 or until he is comfortable. Then clip the Halti and reward. What I like to do when getting to the clip part is to do this at feeding time. I clip the Halti and feed while the dog is wearing it. Still comfortable, move on to the dog wearing the Halti around in the house, no leash. Next move forward with clipping a leash and letting the dog drag the leash around. Then move on to picking up the leash and walking around the house. Finally, move to the outside for short walks, then longer. The key is for your dog to associate the Halti with being positive. When he sees it coming out he knows good things are going to happen. Play with it on. Another key is to make sure you are not causing stress to the neck. The Halti is meant to be used as a training tool, it doesn't "fix" behaviors. You still need to work on walking on a loose leash WHILE the Halti is giving you a little more head control. __________________ Weiss Timberwolf von Sangmeister - born 06/10/09 Roxy the Rockstar Kardashian - born 09/02/10

02-19-2011, 11:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
Syaoransbear Knighted Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Canada, Sask Posts: 3,115	Personally, I'd get rid of it. There are so many other training methods and tools you can use that won't cause stress to the pup. __________________ Chrono - Black German Shepherd 01/18/08 http://www.dogster.com/dogs/994330

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