Gentle Leader

It sounds like you're doing a great job of gradually introducing Simba to this new tool! 

For some dogs it does seem to be calming due to certain pressure points that are touched by it, in others what people see as calm is actually a behavior suppressing effect instead.  Does Simba seem like his normal self but calmer or does he move and interact less in general?  Check ear and tail position as well.

I use head halters sparingly in my training practice because they can be quite aversive for some dogs, but for others they are wonderful tools without negative effects.  I've switched over to front lead harnesses in most cases because I don't see an aversive effect very often with those.

 Hm that's a good point. He seems..calmer to me. I'll put it on for about 30 minutes though today I just left it on an hour and a half and he was fine. He's still alert and such just less hyper. We worked on some training and I left the gentle leader on and he listened to me, so I'm assuming that means he's okay with it on? If he wasn't he wouldn't want to do anything right?

When I see a dog that is shut down due to a halter or other tool it's usually pretty obvious: ears back, low tail, slow movement or no movement, etc. but some will still take treats and listen to training cues (albeit more slowly response-wise).  If he's moving and playing/training normally and his body language is relaxed it's likely you just have a more mellow dog vs shut down, but it's impossible to tell over the internet.  Make sense?

 Yeah it does. He does seem calmer. Next time I'll try to see how he plays with it on and see if he's still engaged in playing.

 I have one for Maze and it does have a calming effect on her.  I use it mostly when I'm introducing her to a new situation where I know she's gonna have a problem with over excitement.

It does have a slight calming/subduing effect on my guys as well. It's easy to tell the difference between shut down and "toned down", because the dogs still act happy behaviourally - perhaps just less bouncy and rambunctious. I can still do agility or Rally or any tricks with them, so I know they are not shut down.

I have seen shut down dogs with GL's on though, and it's not a fun sight, and not right for those dogs at that time. Gaci would shut down in the very beginning, but it was because we moved too fast and she hates all "equipment". But now she will wear it and within two or three minutes forget all about it, although she still has her days.

Maybe it's just me, but calm is the opposite of what I want when I am doing a training session with my dogs. I want my dog giving me 110%, so as a personal choice, I wouldn't be using anything that shut them down or 'calmed' them in any way for training time.

What is he like once you take it off? Does he visibly brighten in anyway? That is also a good indication of how the tool is effecting him.

There was a paper about head collars that mentioned the calmer behaviour was quite common. The authors considered it subdued behaviour in their study dogs, based on ear and tail position, and attributed it to the parts of the body where pressure was applied mimicking contact from a dominant dog (muzzle and back of neck). There was no indication of raised levels of stress hormones in these dogs that were displaying subdued behaviour. I wouldn't worry about it unless you particularly wanted him to be more excited?? It's so nice to see someone introducing a GL properly to their dog. 

 Kim_MacMillan: Yeah that's how he is, he's just a calmer version of himself. In the very beginning I believe he did shut down a little bit, but now he's a lot better with it. He hasn't jumped on walks since having it on.

huski: I can understand that but he gives me the same amount of attention as he does with it off. Of course he's going through that bratty stage where sometimes he likes to rebel. He seems fine once it's taken off, of course he rubs his face a little. :P

corvus: Interesting! And no I don't haha, he's crazy as it is. :P Yeah I think this was the better way to approach it with him, he rather enjoys it I think. In the beginning he used to mouth to try and get it away from him now he willingly lets me put it on him.

 The gentle leader does have a calming effect on my pit bull.  It doesn't change her personality at all, just makes her more pleasant to walk, when I know we will be passing many dogs.  She gets way too excited when passing other excited dogs, so this really helps.  Basically I use it so she won't pull.  I love it and she doesn't mind it one bit.