The Sidekick Transitional Leader: What You Need To Know (Complete Review)
This post will discuss one of the newest leash training tools on the market. If you are in the process of leash training your dog, you should definitely read this post. This training tool is 100% worth your consideration.
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The Sidekick At A Glance
Sidekick Transitional Leader Pros
Sidekick Transitional Leader Cons
Key Takeaway
If you have a dog that pulls on his leash and you want to avoid products that cause the dog pain, I 100% recommend trying this product out.
Why should you listen to me?
This is how I trained Ezra and I swear by this product. With most large dogs, you need a product that will give you control so that you can teach your puppy while he’s small not to pull. When Ezra was four months old, he was about 50 pounds. Though he weighed far less than a human adult, he was extremely powerful. Bernese Mountain Dogs were bred to pull carts on farms, so I knew that leash training would require extra focus.
Before I started using the sidekick, I didn’t take Ezra out for many walks in my neighborhood because I was afraid. There are some big dogs on my block that don’t like being approached by other dogs. Ezra LOVES other dogs and I couldn’t prevent him from pulling us to greet other people or dogs while we walked. People suggested a prong or electric collar, but I didn’t want to hurt him. So, I didn’t walk him at all, which isn’t fair to Ezra.
Now it’s a complete breeze and Ezra gets at least one walk a day. I’m not concerned at all because I have full control with the sidekick and it doesn’t hurt him at all.
Feature #1: Leash and head halter combined
The Sidekick has an s-hook, safety clip, and safety. The safety clip attaches to the dog’s normal collar. The s-hook allows the sidekick to loop around both the dog’s head and snout. There is a strap that connects the s-hook to the safety clip. The safety is the innovative component that allows the Sidekick to combine the head halter into a leash and put the pressure on the back of the dog’s neck instead of the dog’s neck.
You can see in the picture below Ezra wearing the Sidekick transitional leader with each component specified.
This is Ezra’s main leash now. It’s nice to have it combined together because now I don’t need multiple tools to leash train Ezra. For example, when I go on trips with Ezra, I only need to pack the Sidekick.
Feature #2: No pain and no pressure on the neck
The Sidekick is an ideal tool because it protects the dog’s neck, it doesn’t hurt the dog at all, and it still reinforces the right behaviors with leash pressure. When you pull on the leash, it pulls the leash of the Sidekick pulls on the safety which then pulls on the leash through the s-hook around the snout. This is uncomfortable for the dog and prevents bad behavior by focusing pressure on the back of the dog’s head. When you give the leash slack, it releases the pressure and feels as if he’s walking on a normal leash and collar.
Feature #3: It’s easy to put on a growing puppy
Other products in the market have multiple clasps on the head halter itself that require fitting the dog on the snout and around the head separately. This requires you to do a fitting with the puppy before you can use it any time the dog grows or the fabric stretches.
In the early days of leash training a growing puppy, this an be tough to do on your own. The dog is definitely not going to want to wear a head halter. Your dog will wriggle, run away, or try to hide his snout any time he knows it’s time to go outside. When you are fitting your dog with the Gentle Leader and he’s struggling, the odds are you may have to do multiple fittings before you can actually go outside with your dog.
This is not only frustrating but it adds a lot of time to prepare to go outside with a puppy that you are already bringing outside every few hours.
With the Sidekick, a lot of this stress is mitigated because you the only fitting that is required is adjusting the safety on the back of the dog’s neck. There is no clasp around the snout of the back of the head that needs to be adjusted. Just put it around the dog’s head, snout, and then pull on the safety on the back of his head. You’re all done.
Feature #4: It can work with any dog’s skull
Because this is so customizable, you can use this tool for any dog’s shaped head. For example, Brachycephalic dogs have flat faces and short, squat noses like Bull Mastiffs or Boston Terriers. The nose loops on other types of head halters may not work for those types of dogs. The Sidekick doesn’t have a restrictive nose loop and will likely work for Brachycephalic dogs as well.
Feature #5: It’s easy to convert to a slip leash
Eventually your dog will generally be fine walking on a loose leash but you may want the peace of mind of having the Sidekick readily available while you are walking. You don’t need to pack it with you on every single walk you go on. You can still use it as a leash without requiring the dog to wear it over his snout. Just slip the halter off his nose and it converts into a slip leash. Is your dog misbehaving again? Easy – just slip the halter back on and you’ve got him in the Sidekick transitional leader again.
The Sidekick Pricing
As of 2022, the Sidekick is not available in any retail stores. This means that you can’t just drive to Walmart, Pet Smart, Pet Goods, etc and buy it on a whim. You can’t buy them online either. This also means your pricing options are limited.
You can order it directly from Heather’s Heroes or Amazon. The average price is $38-42 including shipping. Generally, the pricing works out the same from either retailer when you factor in shipping costs. Heather’s Heroes is a small start-up still, but in my experience their selection of colors is larger than Amazon. The lead time might be longer though. For example, I needed a new Sidekick during our vacation in Maine because I accidentally left it in the back of the car with Ezra and he silently chewed through it on our way back to our AirBnB. I wanted to order directly from Heather’s Heroes, but it was going to take three weeks to deliver to me. Amazon had it ready to ship within 48 hours.
Aside from color selection, there are other perks to ordering through Heather’s Heroes. The first is that they donate a portion of their proceeds to shelters, rescues, and service organizations. The second is they offer lifetime support on their products. Just create an account with them and they will help you on your purchases, even if you have a chew happy puppy.
The Sidekick Competitors
The main competitor on the market for head halters is the Gentle Leader. There are a lot of good things about the Gentle Leader, including a few that beat out the Sidekick. These are:
- It’s cheaper. I last purchased a Gentle Leader from Walmart for ~$24.99. You can also get deals on it throughout the year, including during Amazon’s Prime Day.
- It’s readily available at a variety of retailers. I’ve seen it in stock at Walmart, Petco, Pet Goods, Pet Smart, and Amazon. If you need to get one ASAP, you’ll find one easily.
I don’t think the pros outweigh the cons. The biggest issues I see with the Gentle Leader are:
- The Gentle Leader is designed to pull the dog at the neck. This is less than ideal. The way that it works is that if your dog is walking ahead of you on your left-hand side, the leash pressure you apply will force his head to turn right, towards you. When I can, I prefer to avoid anything that pulls on my dog’s neck for his health and safety.
- You have surprisingly less control over your dog than with the Sidekick. Dogs may feel discomfort when they are being pulled on their throat or neck, but it isn’t necessarily enough to stop them from behaving poorly. If it was, then you could use a regular leash and collar and not need to buy any head halters at all. The Sidekick provides enough discomfort on his snout and head to stop any bad behaviors when leash pressure is applied.
Who is the Sidekick right for?
The Sidekick is the perfect tool for any dog owner who is leash training for the first time because it is really easy to put on compared to competitor products. It’s also good for any dog owner with a medium-sized dog or larger. If you want to teach your dog to walk loosely on a leash without causing him any harm, this would be the right product for you.
Who should not use the Sidekick?
If this is not your first time leash training your dog and you are comfortable using the Gentle Leader, there is technically no reason to buy this product. You can continue using the Gentle Leader to leash train, unless you want a product that doesn’t pull at the dog’s neck.
If you are tight on money and need to leash train, I would also recommend not buying the Sidekick. You likely already have a leash and collar so you can buy competitor products at a cheaper price than the Sidekick.
Lastly, if you have small or toy breed dogs you don’t necessarily need to leash train your dog. You can get away with a regular harness and leash because your dog likely isn’t strong enough to pull and injure you or anyone else.
Conclusion
The Sidekick is a fantastic product for medium sized dog owners who want to leash train their dog without causing them harm or pulling on their neck. I definitely recommend it to any first time dog owners who are focusing on leash training. You can buy it at Amazon or Heather’s Heroes. Usually their pricing works out to be the same when you factor in shipping costs, but occasionally one retailer may offer special pricing for holidays or events. If pricing is the same, compare color selection and delivery times to determine the best place to buy it from.
If there are still no differences, consider buying directly from Heather’s Heroes to support a small business that donates to local shelters and will give you lifetime support when you open an account with them.
