[Deegan's mom]

I bought the Gentle Leader to see if it would help with my boys. The problem is that they go CRAZY when they see another dog. Now, I don't know why because they are socialized. They've lived with other dogs, gone to daycare, have play dates, etc.. Deegan used to do this on his own, but not as bad. Once I got Trooper it got worse. They fed off of each other energy. Anyways, I've tried everything I can think of - tried to use treats to distract them, shake a can of pennies to startle them, hired a trainer even, plus many more other tactics and nothing seems to be working for me.

I bought the Gentle Leader thinking that it may help a little. I've only used it once and it was hard to tell because the first dog we crossed they went nuts, like usual, but I accidentally dropped Deegans lead and he went running (in the park - not near the road) so I was in a panic over that. The second dog they completely passed, so I'm not sure it they saw him or not. The third dog they went crazy, but not for as long... so I still need to "test" it some more. But I have a paralyzing fear that when they are throwing their fits that they are going to wriggle out of the collar and bolt and possibly get into a dog fight (if they cross the wrong dog) or get hit by a car. So I was wondering if anyone uses the Gentle Leader and if your dog has managed to get out of it... It scares me to think that they could and I would not forgive myself if that happened. I want them to calm down, but if that's not possible I would want their tantrums to not be as long. But ultimately I want to keep them safe and if I have to tolerate them carrying on and embarrasing me, I'd put up with that. So anyone have their dog wriggle out of the Gentle Leader?