Kingdom of Pets

Posted by mbiggs
Apr 21, 2008

Hi, I'm new to the group and to 'Sit, Stay, Fetch'. I have a 10 month old male Shih Tzu who happens to be very headstrong and quite uncontrollable on a leash.

In a newsletter I saw where the Gentle Leader Training Collar was recommended, so I looked it up on Petco. They show a size collar for 5-25 lb. dogs and list Shih Tzus, however I don't quite know if it would work since a Shih Tsus has no snout.

Would anyone on this forum know anything about Shih Tzus and the Gentle Leader?

Thanks and regards,
mbiggs

Posted by Todd
Apr 23, 2008

Hi there Mbiggs and thanks for the post

I can certainly vouch for the gentle leader in head strong animals. It is so easy to use and has such great effects. Dogs are manageable and so much easier to walk.
And you arm will love you for it.

As for particular ideas with Shi Tzu's no i haven't used any before so hopefully someone can shed their light on it

Todd

Posted by mbiggs
Apr 23, 2008

Thanks for your reply Todd. I'm going to Petco this weekend to purchase the Gentle Leader. Petco said that I could return it if it didn't work, so I'm going to give it a shot. Just concerned that since my Shih Tsu doesn't have a snout I won't be able to use it and have to make an extra trip (closest pet store is 34 miles away).

Regards,
mbiggs

Posted by hurricane-jett
Apr 24, 2008

I, too, am new to this forum. I use a gentle leader along with a pinch collar on a 100 lb ,16 month old, very head strong GSD. When I got the gentle leader, I was told to make it pretty snug directly behind the ears. I even pull the skin gently away from his ears to snug it up high. I make the piece around his mouth with about 1/2 to 3/4 inch loose to the metal guide. I know he has a really long nose compared to a Shih Tsu, but I keep it fairly snug and he still picks up branches of trees to carry on our walks. I found to to work much better than a Halti, which just slides around his face.:rolleyes:

Posted by hmcatee
Apr 25, 2008

Hi, I'm new also to the forum. I have a Boston Terrier who has a similar snout to your dog and he did fine with the gentle leader, worked wonderfully.

Posted by mbiggs
Apr 27, 2008

I just went to Petco today and purchased the Gentle Leader. Will try it out tomorrow and report back.

Thanks so much for all the replies and advise.

Regards,
mbiggs

Posted by ssyates
Apr 29, 2008

We have two brothers from the same litter. They are Golden doodles! Though they are very friendly they where tough to work on a leash, so I bought a gentle leader for both. The problem was when one dog was in front of the other the one in the rear would pull. Please understand Cournell is going to be at least 90-100 lbs. At four months old I want them to be well trained before they get too big. I must say it was a great investment. They both walk with a loose hanging lead when walked. This only took a week. They also know when its training time when I get the leades out. I highly recommend it.

Question About Gentle Leader