Dane the "In front" walker's 2nd walk, does he get better?

For all you Folks that are still on the fence about using a gentle leader, I would like to share my experience. Long story short, I’ve worked with horses my whole life, not just ridding them once in a blue moon, but actually training to perform in rodeos. I’ve had the privilege of working with World Show horses and Ropers. I also volunteered at a Wild Mustang Rescue Organization. Along with horses, I have always had a love for large dog breeds. I’ve had a well trained Shepard, Rottweiler, Doberman and a Mastiff/Ridgeback. I never use chokers or prongs. Tyson is well trained and an amazing dog. The issue I had with him was he liked a tight leash. I spoke to many professional Dog trainers, read every book, also paid a Trainer, only to be told, because of his breed, I wouldn’t be able to break Tyson from pulling. I did test him, I released the lease on a walk and he took several steps ahead, then stopped and looked back at me with the expression “hey lady, why did you stop, lets get going”. The other odd thing was Tyson was excellent off leash but by law I couldn’t take Tyson off leash everywhere. I took Tyson to Lows and I got physically exhausted and frustrated holding a tight leash on a 110 pound all muscle dog, and to be honest I was embarrassed to have my dog pull. I’m usually a very calm, soft spoken person, but that day, I went bonkers. I usually don’t give voice commands on leash, but this day I was barking orders to heal, stay, backup, hold stop, and sit. Out of exhaustion and frustration I sat down on some lumber and Tyson lay next to me panting, looking at me with concerning eyes… I calmly talking with him like a human, sharing my frustration, even though he probably didn’t understand me, but it made me feel better being able to vent… lol… As we sat there, around the corner came an older man, maybe in his late 70’s wearing a cowboy hat. He saw Tyson and me sitting on some lumber and Tyson sat up to greet him. Most people are intimidated by Tyson and don’t approach, but not this Man.. He greeted us and we spoke for quite awhile and expressed my frustration. He stood in silence for a few seconds looking at Tyson then asked permission to take Tyson’s leash. I happily agree.. He walked up and down the lumber isle several times then to my shock He dropped the leash and they walked back to me with Tyson in perfect heal position. He proceeded to praise Tyson and tell him he is a good boy… Then he took the leash and positioned it around his muzzle like a horse halter, (noseband). I’ve done that many times with horses when I didn’t have a halter handy but never thought to do this with my dog. Tyson didn’t like it at first, and attempted to rub it off.. We stood there for several minutes as he pet Tyson and praised him, then he started to walk… OMGOSH…! What a transformation..!! The pulling immediately stopped.. I was amazed… Now mind you, this was before Gentle Leads for dog ever existed. He said Tyson is like a horse, leads with his face.. He asked me to put my finger on my nose and slightly push my nose to the left and right.. My face turned with hardly any pressure. He then instructed me to put my hand around my neck and direct left and right… lol I realized then what Tyson was going though.. The neck gave no direction. I was very thankful and gave him a big hug… Sorry this short story turned into a long story. But I hope it helps someone out there... ~Lori :)

Can we appreciate that the camera person during these videos is walking backwards the whole time lol. Props to the crew.

His reaction tot he gentle leader coming off shows exactly how well the gentle leader worked for him.

At the dog park my son and I actually took our gentle leader off our dog and gave it to someone who's dog was completely out of control. Very happy too see to see someone highlight this inexpensive product which is not only a very likely immediate solution but one that will lead their pet to a much happier and more satisfying life. Thank you.

My girl is a photocopy of this boy. I learnt so much! Thank you.

I love how psyched Joel got when there were dogs to pass.

Joel, I started as a k9 handler in the military 20+ years ago I’m still training today. The techniques you use (loose leash and gentle leader) are NEW to me and I must say I’m really enjoying it! I do most of my training on slip leads, my pitbull has true aggression, your methods are working better then e-collar and prong (which I’ve done away with early on bc YES they increase reactivity!). I walk him on a DD collar and e-collar in case of emergency. I was caught in the middle of a dog fight with him and a loose 90lb Rotti! I now carry pepper spray, air horn, air in a can and muzzle! Thank you for posting more hardcore REACTIVE dogs, I am learning some new things..THANK YOU!

Haha I love how Dane did the best instant example of how good gentle leaders are ! Love them

AWARD TO DANE! Dog with the MOST comments!! I've been working Joel's loose leash technique with Lola, my rescue, distracted, "in front" walker, prey driven, not-treat-motivated, reactive, 13 month GSD/Malinois for 3 months and seeing tiny improvements each day (Lola is a hand full!). If your dog is like Dane, DONT GIVE UP!!! Time your "pops" and remember to not to "pull", remember that the purpose of the walk is to "walk together" and not the destination. Although we can all relate to Dane - every dog is different. I used Joel's technique on my adult, ACD puller (whose pulling we had tolerated pre-Joel for years!!) and it literally took 5 "pops" and he is fixed! Still super frustrated with my GSD's reactivity issues though. All our good work goes out the door when a dog appears. A note on prongs vs gentle leaders....used a prong on Lola before the Gentle Leader and it added to her reactivity. She would react to the dog and next would react to the prong. Result = anxious frustration. Now using the Gentle Leader and although it annoys her, seems to re-direct her better.

My vet recommended the halti-lead when my 7y/o lab was a puppy. One thing he said that stuck with me about him not liking it “this isn’t a democracy”.

Everything in this channel is honest, i really apreciate it. Joel could just not upload the first video, but he did and show us all a failure. Then went home, though about it, figure aout how to solve the problem and show us the second part of the video. It might be just me, but i really apreciate it.

I LOVE the gentle leaders for my rescued Pit Mix. Because of her past abuse and resulting anxieties, it is quite literally the only leash/lead/collar/harness that has ever allowed us a calm, relaxing stroll down a busy street.

This is my dog I swear, he’s a 9 month gsd, and has the up front walk and constant stimulation to the environment, the same as this dog does. Love how relevant these videos can be, so diverse, from high drive dogs, aggressive dogs, and even silly goofy and excited dogs.

I’m so glad you said that about horses. Even if you have a rope around a horses neck you will have significantly less control than you would have if you have a halter on them. Trying to control them from the neck versus having their nose, has a significant difference. Night and day as far as I’m concerned. Provided, the horse has been taught how to give to pressure and move off of pressure.

My dog doesnt pull, stops when i do, waits at the doorway, but hes always like one paw ahead of me, and hes a tiny bit reactive and plays kinda rough. After i tried the gentle lead hes in a much better positioned on our walk , and plays nicer, and doesnt react anymore. Thank You

Thank you so much for posting these vids with Dane and the one breaking down what most ppl get wrong. My GSD Timber looks EXACTLY like Dane and same size and similar temperment. I have had difficulty w him lunging and just over stimulated by everything. Couldn't get him to pay attention to me. Tried prong collar and have been using gentle leader with some success. Followed this to the tee from the moment we walked out the door. Within 10 minutes he got it. We were able to walk past dogs and squirrels like pros. We just had the single best walk since I brought him as a puppy (He's 3). You gave me the framework I needed to work with him.

I've trained a lot of dogs over the years (just for myself), and I've never used a gentle leader or any other kind of head collar. So... after watching your videos, I decided to give it a try with my young border collie (still puppyish; 18 months old). I was AMAZED at how well it works. He's not aggressive, but kind of like Dane- a very strong, determined dog who really wanted to lead, rather than follow. Because he's being trained to be a stock dog to work on the ranch (along with my other 2 border collies), I do not want to over micromanage him or make him more dependent, but I want him to respect me and the leash. This seems to be doing the trick. I appreciate the tip on this!

The gentle leader SAVED my relationship with Blue Bear, our 10 month old Aussie Shepherd/Wheaten Terrier mix. He was just Dane - I didn’t exist to him except for the blabbering of confusing cues that I was giving him. I’m a total dog n00b with a high energy puppy. Joel, I really appreciate the tips on how to get him off of the gentle leader, as my trainer is saying to walk him for 3 to 6 more months on it. I’m going to try your techniques with a very close eye. As for why people are hesitant to use them, I can say that I had thought that they were painful (they’re not) and that they’d give other dog owners the impression that he was a bad/mean dog. It turns out that it’s basically itchy for him if the neck-collar is too loose, and that he’s actually MUCH more calm, and other dog owners admire his impulse control and his natural friendliness now!

So glad I followed up with the second Dane video. This is exactly my dog all the way through. Gentle leader in hand👍🏼. That you said we can be more confident meeting other dogs was HUGE for me. I have kept him from meeting dogs and I know he wants doggie friend but doesn’t have manners…. Looking forward to introducing the gentle leader and changing his life and mine🙏🏼❤️🎉

I had to finally give into the gentle leader, 150lb king shepherd. He is reactive to other dogs on walk. Right off the bat collar and leader comes off and he runs up to two dogs barking. See a newf while sitting on a bench, he is pullingg the face off himself. Almost at end of walk had a lady stop in the path. I turned back 4 times, 5th time he only started up alongside them, but we kept going. Today, I'm looking forward to see what he learned. Lol Darn you have helped me soooooooo much! Wicked good