Halti head collar

Have any of you ever used a Halti head collar? If so, what did you think of it?

 

I bought one for Annie and she could never get used to it. She just constantly pawed at it and couldn't concentrate. I finally went to a prong collar and she's much happier in it. My friend said she had a dalmation do really well in one though.

 

my obedience class trainer siad not to use them, i forget why though, because I asked about them I remember.

 

I used to use a Gentle Leader with Nala and had good results. As long as I kept her moving or working on something, she wouldn't paw at it too much.

Recently at a soccer game, though, I forgot to keep an eye on her and she chewed it up. So I replaced it with a Halti to see how I liked it.

The TTouch people like the Halti better than the Gentle Leader because your control point is further down the nose. They recommend putting one end of a leash on the Halti and the other on a flat collar and using the two lines to control the dog (it's a special leash).

Haltis used to be somewhat dangerous because they aren't as tight as a Gentle Leader so a dog could back out of it and get loose. But now they have a strap that attaches to the flat collar so if your dog manages to back out of the Halti, you still have him on the leash.

Nala behaves like an angel when I put the Halti on. I love it.

We tried a prong collar, but our trainer that told us to use it wanted me to put her in a down wherever I was in the house and then pop her if she tried to get up. She said this would teach her that I am boss and everything good comes from me. I didn't like making her lie down all day, and after a few days, she stopped listening to the pop with the prong collar. I think it made her mad and she started challenging me. The trainer said to be tougher with her, but I felt like I was ruining our relationship so I stopped. I preferred to find my own way to deal with Nala - and to me, respect and fear are NOT the same thing!

So in a nutshell, I really like the Halti and Gentle Leader. Different things work for different dogs, though. My sister says her Golden won't leave the Gentle Leader alone. The Halti is looser so maybe some dogs would prefer it over the Gentle Leader.

Like anything else, these head halters are training tools. They should be used to help you teach your dog how to behave, and they should be faded out as your dog learns what is expected of him. I started to fade the Gentle Leader but I went too fast and Nala started regressing so I bought the Halti and use that now.

I generally only use it when we are going on a walk or when I am taking her out somewhere with other people and dogs - it is MUCH easier to control her with the head halter on. I also use it at home when I am training to not jump up on people - or any time I need more control.

On walks now, I start with the Halti on. After a while when she is behaving, I leave the Halti on but move the leash to the flat collar. If she still behaves, I take the Halti off. If she stops listening to me, the Halti goes back on.


Jamiya

 

I got the Gentle Leader for Harley and she HATED it. I don't think its good for dogs with shorter snouts. But I gave it to my moms Lab and has had some really good results with it.

I recommend with either really follow the directions on how to introduce it to your dog. It comes with a book/manual.

It just little things like keep it out where they can see it. Only give them treats through the hole in it, put the part around the muzzle a couple of times before adjusting it or trying to do the back up.
I have heard from mamy ppl it can take up to a week for the dog to accept it. I tried to 3 wks. didnt' work with Harley though.

Just make sure that you don't let them rub their nose to hard on the ground to get the part around the mouth off. I have heard of dogs going nuts on it and taking off huge pieces of skin from the rubbing.

 

I have used both the halti and the gentle leader. The gentle leader was better for Witt's large snout and didn't interfere with his eyes. Both Witt and Dooley objected to the point of distraction much of the time. It does keep Dooley from pulling but he hates it so much I didn't think it was a good aid. Witt only did ok with it on occassion. But if something really exciting was around it didn't work and he would actually jump up and out cfausing his neck to be snapping back. I could see an injury coming so I discontinued use. Witt does much better with a martingale collar. I can't tell you why...but he does.
Annie, the dog we have in foster right now is a nightmare on leash, she pulls like a draft horse. But if you put a halti on her she is perfect. So I think it works for some dogs and not for others. I think people just need to remember that these head halters are a training aid, they are not meant to be a permanent solution. The goal should be for the dog to walk on a loose lead off a flat collar...the head halters may work for some dogs in attaining that goal.

 

I recently got a Halti for Rusty, and so far he too hates it. He goes crazy pawing at it. I think part of the problem is that he is so small, the strap over the snout feels so big and awkward to him, it practically blocks his vision. What I ended up getting for training is what is commonly referred to as a Greyhound style collar....I don't know what their official name is--- they are a version of the Martingale (or is it Martindale?) collar, except where the piece of chain would be is another loop of nylon where the ring for the collar clips on. It is working great for him.
From what I've seen, the Halti's work great for some dogs, and other dogs just can't seem to get used to them being across their nose, and will paw at them endlessly. They're a great training aid if your dog will wear it though.

 

Pam another great thing for small dogs is a harness. my friend has a pekenise (I know that's spelled wrong!) and she loves it!! Jack is such a gentlemen on it and she has more control over him, especially if there's lots of ppl and dogs out so he doesn't get trampled.

 

Pam, that is called a Martingale collar, it's what I am using with Witt right now and is working the best out of everything I have tried.

 

I should have mentioned that I do also have a harness for Rusty. It is grteat for times when we are out somewhere and I want to have a good safe hold of him---- the only problem is that for training, it really doesn't give me the control I need to teach him not to pull like a little sled dog--- which is exactly what he does in his harness if he gets really excited and wants to run to something (which is the main thing I am trying to train him not to do!) He will gets into this pulling/lunging mode and looks just like a sled dog in a race :roll: So, for that the greyhound collar works pretty well. But the harness is great for other times.

 

TTouch has techniques and tools for getting a dog to accept a head halter (like the Calming Bands). They also have their own head halter called a Snoot Loop. Products can be seen here: http://www.lindatellingtonjones.com/shopequipment.shtml#dogs

With Nala, she was a puppy when we first used one and in her puppy class we were told to just put it on her and then ignore it! No matter how much she pawed or flopped on the ground, we weren't to act sympathetic or carry on - just go along as though we didn't notice anything wrong.

Also, we used it at the beginning for things like walks. Being outside on a walk was enough to distract Nala from the halter for the most part. Every once in a while she takes a nose dive in the grass and rubs her head on the ground, but I just tell her "Leave it!" and keep on walking. She always does.

If the dog is just sitting around with it on, thay are going to mess with it. You must be doing things that the dog will focus on instead of the halter. Some dogs are harder than others, of course.

I was told that a regular harness gives you LESS control because you are not influencing the dog's head in any way. With a harness on, they are actually encouraged to pull - like they are wearing a sled narness and pulling a sled.

There are no-pull harnesses, however, that would be an alternative for dogs who can't stand the head halters. We used one for Bonnie that tightens around her chest when she pulls - it helped a lot. There are several different styles to choose from. Here is the one we used for Bonnie: http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...<>ast_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1087920079187

And here another kind (more heavy-duty, for really large, hard pulling dogs): http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...<>ast_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1087920136810

And another one:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...<>ast_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1087920165902


There is also a type of harness where you attach the leash in front instead of on the back. This way if the dog goes charging out ahead of you, it gets turned around backwards as it hits the end of the leash. Then they can't pull anymore! http://www.puplife.com/dogcaretips/senseationharness.html

TTouch also has a harness where you can attach leads at two different places. Two lines give you more control.


Jamiya

 

Good post Jamiya. I guess I should've mentioned that we encourage Harley to pull. Its a great workout for her. She has "beefed" up so much since she got spayed, I cant believe it. We are hopefully going to go to a weight pulling store this weekend. I think it would be awesome for her. At home only though no competitions or anything.

A guy down the street has a staffy that he does weight pulling with. Its too cute, each evening you see him pulling on the sidewalk. I have never seen a happier dog.

 

Maisey was having Witt do some cart pulling, I think.


Jamiya

 

Thanks for all the info! I currently use a Holt harness on Natalie and I love it. I think the Halti will drive Natalie insane but I'm pretty sure I'm going to give it a try....there are directions in the book I'm currently reading on introducing it and helping the dog adjust to it. So I'm going to follow the directions in my book and see how it works out.
There have been a few incidents with Natalie while camping where I have had a hard time getting her to direct her attention to me. I'm currently working on "Look at me" but want to be prepared for my next camping trip. The last two times I've taken her she has lunged and barked at people passing by....she sounds scary when she does this and I'm sure the people she is acting this way towards are frightened when it happens. She is extremeley friendly with people so I'm wondering if its just frustration because she can't get to the people passing by or if she is being territorial? All kinds of people came and went from our site the night before and she greeted them excitedly and was very well behaved. People approaching don't seem to bother her at all....its when they pass by that she becomes reactive. I have'nt yet figured out the reason she is doing this but I need to avoid it in the future...she almost knocked me off the chair the last time she did it because she jumped and lunged so quickly with great force when I was'nt expecting it. I ended up holding her head between my legs until the people passed by. I'm really hoping the Halti will work out so that when I see someone coming I will tell her to "look at me" and I can control her head if she does'nt.

 

I think that in a very understated way, that summarizes a lot of my problems with Nala. I can't get her attention when she goes wild (which is triggered by many things). She gets overstimulated very easily.

I have a phone consult with Suzanne Clothier tonight. I can't wait! I just hope I can ask her the right questions.


Jamiya

 

Thats awesome Jamiya....be sure to let us know how it goes.