KENNEL CLUB USA

As of late, I have found myself quite disconcerted by the rising popularity in walking tools like the gentle leader. At first sight, we may say, “Oh, that works well, and it looks much nicer than pops on a slip chain or prong collar.” We read articles telling us that it is the “All-Positive” or “Humane” way of walking our dogs. I even think back to a time before I started training, when I lived life skiing behind a nearly 100 pound coonhound mix. I remember marveling, one day, when I saw another coonhound walking nicely with their owner on a gentle leader, and asked about this amazing device. However, after close examination I was incredibly uncomfortable with the concept of this collar.
While I would never claim to be a martial artist, I did dabble a little in self defense and different styles of martial arts. I learned that if I wanted to snap almost any animal’s neck, I would twist the head on the axis of the neck, not twist the neck. In fact, the neck could take a fair amount of torque, while twisting the head on the neck’s axis could break a neck with very little force. With this knowledge in mind, I could re-examine concept of the gentle leader. It worried me that one quick scurry to the end of the leash in excitement, would not put force in an area on the neck protected by thick muscles, but twist the head on the spinal column causing whiplash to the dog. It also worried me to see dogs coming in with eye infections, due to irritation of the tear duct, where the muzzle portion of the collar rests. From this perspective, the gentle leader appeared to be more about force than choice, motivation, or learning, than collars that carry gruesome reputations like the training collars (slip, prong, and e-collar/remote collar).
What amazed me even more, was the “lasting” results with the head halter. I found that very few dogs were ever going to behave well without the head halter, while they may be perfect angels with it on. Now, I have had people say the same thing about training collars, however this is usually caused by owners lacking consistency with their dog’s obedience and more common in dogs that were trained later in life.
As a disclaimer, I want to also leave certain notes about training and management. I am always for humane training that works. If the other techniques have failed you, than perhaps the gentle leader is a last resort management tool, and may be appropriate. The gentle leader, in my opinion, is a tool to help manage, not teach; to force, not to build cooperation or communication. In some cases, I have seen the gentle leader used in such a way that it can be a teaching tool, but it seems to be less humane because the application of force to even more vulnerable parts of the dog’s body than the other collars.
I have attached links to articles written by canine professionals I respect, and their opinions on the gentle leader or head halters in general. I also attached an article discussing different types of collars. I hope these are helpful and allow us to truly examine a concept before believing the hype caused by political agendas in the dog service world.

Jon Brinkley

Roger Hild- Not So Gentle Leader
http://www3.sympatico.ca/tsuro/_articles/gentle_leader.html
Suzanne Clothier – The Problems With Head Halters
http://flyingdogpress.com/content/view/54/70
Marc Goldberg- Choosing A Dog Collar
http://www.chicagodogtrainer.com/index.php/chicago-dog-training-articles/57-choosing-a-dog-training-collar

There are many things to do in between grooms to keep your dog healthy. Teeth brushing and cleaning your dog’s ears are great ways to watch and beware of early signs of infection or problems that may be beginning. Signs of ear disease to watch for are:
-odor
-scratching or rubbing ears or head
-discharge from the ears
-redness or swelling of the ear flap
-shaking and tilting of head to one side
-pain around ears
-changes in behavior such as depression and irritability
If you notice any of these also be aware of the causes of most ear infections. Common causes are allergies, parasites, foreign bodies, trauma, hormonal abnormalities, hereditary causes, and the ear environment. Keeping the ears clean and checking them weekly will help prevent some of these infections from occurring as well as enable you to catch early signs of infection. Using an ear cleaner that is slightly acidic but does not sting the dog’s ear is suggested. Lightly wet a cotton ball and wipe around the ear from inside the canal and out towards the ear flap. With regular ear cleaning and grooming any infections should be prevented or caught at an early stage.

With summer comes those hot days that make us appreciate the invention of air conditioning technology. Our dogs appreciate it too. This doesn’t mean we can’t exercise our dogs, but it does mean we should take some precautions by educating ourselves on heat exhaustion and heat stroke in dogs. First, it is wise to condition our dogs to exercising in hot weather by starting in small increments. This allows their bodies to slowly adjust to high temperature performance. We must also be sure to bring plenty of cool water along on walks and other activities. Just because your dog swims in a pond does not mean they have cooled off, especially if they were swimming hard. Dogs expel heat by panting, not by sweating like we do. This means that restrictive head gear like overly snug gentle leaders, or typical mesh muzzles (for aggressive dogs) will inhibit a dog’s ability to cool itself down. For dogs that must wear a muzzle, I suggest basket muzzles that do not restrict the dogs ability to open its mouth.
Signs of heat exhaustion may include:
1. Heavy (labourious) panting
2. Hyperventilation
3. Increased salivation later turning into dry gums
4.Weakness
5.Confusion
6. Vomitting
7. Diarrhea
Unless monitored and attended to, heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, which include more serious threats to our dogs like death, and brain damage. Some dogs are more susceptible to heat problems including short nosed breeds like boxers. Other large breeds like mastiffs and Great Danes have a higher risk also. Be smart, attentive, and safe this summer with your pets, and most of all, have fun

Jonathan Brinkley