Anyone used a gentle leader or halti? Advice needed - thanks a lot!

[Kingsroadie]

Hi - just as it says in the title really. My pup pulls on the lead as he is desperate to say hello to everyone and all dogs, and also desperate to get places and sniff at things. So he pulls a fair amount and am conscious that it is pulling on his throat. My trainer said that they are very good.

1. Anyone have experience of using one of these and do they work?
2. Is either better than the other?
3. Presumably you will want your dog to be able to walk with just a lead and collar eventually (and we want to take him shooting) so do you still have to train them without the gentle leader too? (Ie so is it not better just to stick with the collar as then they will hopefully be trained not to pull sooner?)

Thank you!

I use GL on walk to park and then take it off, Beagle goes off lead most of the time, but if their are an people picnicking I have to leave her on long line as she steals food.

I always take GL off when she is on Long line and attache long line to harness, She can run like the wind and I always worry that she will whip her head round, so feel it is safer for her to be on harness, to be fair she doesn't pull when on long line - I have 20ft long training webbed lead and that is ample enough for her to leg it round with out pulling.

It's when she sees something that she wants to run after that she is in danger of whipping neck round if she gets to end of lead.

Every dog is different but I feel this is safest option for mine.