Gentle Leader Vs. Choke Collar

Your daily walks with Fido should be enjoyable for both of you. Yet if Fido is in the habit of pulling on his leash, walking him is probably no walk in the park. To correct leash-pulling behavior, various pet product manufacturers make special types of collars. The choke collar and Gentle Leader are two popular anti-pulling collars

  1. Design

    • The Gentle Leader goes around the dog's neck and around his muzzle. However, it's not a muzzle, so when it's properly fitted, a dog should be able to open its mouth to eat, drink, fetch and bark. The choke collar goes around the dog's neck like a regular collar but does not buckle. Rather, it has a metal ring on each end so that when worn around the neck, one ring attaches to the leash.

    Composition

    • The Gentle Leader is made of comfortable nylon material. Choke collars may be made from metal, nylon or leather. Some are made of a combination of nylon and metal. The two rings on a choke collar are always metallic.

    Function

    • The Gentle Leader applies pressure at the back of the neck instead of at the front of the throat, as most collars do. The choke collar applies pressure to the front of the throat by tightening any time that Fido pulls on the leash. While regular collars put pressure in the front the throat by virtue of the pressure Fido exerts when pulling, the choke collar actually tightens around his neck the more he pulls.

    Effects

    • "The Gentle Leader painlessly and effectively removes the dog's natural tendency to pull by placing gentle pressure on calming points and eliminating uncomfortable pressure on the throat," according to Premier, its manufacturer." Additionally, the Gentle Leader prevents dogs from lunging and jumping, and helps them remain calm. The choke collar, too, can train dogs not to lunge and jump, because they begin to associate pulling motions with a tightening collar. However, choke collars actually cause discomfort. Metal ones may pinch the skin and damage fur.

    Use

    • The Gentle Leader is meant to be used with dogs that are at least 8 weeks of age and is fully adjustable. It can be worn for up to 18 hours per day. Different choke collar manufacturers have different directions for usage, and some provide no age or wear-time guidelines at all.