Sorry I could not remember where we were talking about this but thought I would just start a thread. We got Jack a Halti collar on Friday and used it Friday night and it was amazing, this crazy pulling dog walked like a good boy! He did fight it every now and then but nothing to bad. Then on sat we used it again 2 times and when we want for a walk that night the thing broke, the piece that hooks on the collar split in two. The only thing we could think of was in his fighting back moods he must have gotten his mouth around it and bit it, I also think the size the lady gave us was too big. I returned it yesterday and got a smaller size and he can not get that piece as easily into his mouth now. I walk the two of them together for the first time since Ken left this morning and it was so nice to be able to walk at my pace, and by no means am I a slow walker I like to move but I also like to stand up straight and not have to pull back on the leash as im walking. We will work on training him now and have better hopes of taking him hiking now! Just thought I would share that with everyone.

Interesting stuff. Sometimes I worry about having Gunny on the choker.

YAY! Yeah, the halti works wonders. I need to start training Koda now because I know that he still pulls a ton without it. But it's a great immediate fix because I really hated walking Koda before when he pulled and now it's so pleasurable

Man I really need to look into those because Ruger has a pulling problem...

I find that they work well for pulling, except I had a pretty bad experience with one. I thought that it fit Reiko well, it was snug in both areas around the nose and behind the ears, but some how he got out of it. We were passing someone with two little yappy dogs going crazy, and I don't think that Reiko likes little dogs. In trying to get to the dogs he some how wiggled and wormed his way out of the Halti, luckily I saw that he was out of it before he realized, so he didn't have any little doggies for breakfast Anyway, I have a hard time trusting him with it now. I don't think I've used it since lol.

I have switched to the pinch collar but our halti came with an attachment that hooked to the collar as wall just incase they got out of it.

we use the halti, i love it, i can't wait embry and zoey together unless embry has it on lol

I saw a husky with this on about 2 months ago and the girl told me that it worked great, but i was like ummm ok if you say so..lol. It seems that it does work though. I think I might need one for Kody when he gets a little bigger. He's going to be 5 months next week and he's starting to pull already!

I use a halti for my dog coal and have been for a long time. I know they say its a training tool but I use it for walks or if we go out. I like having the control over his face if that makes sense. He is a very well behaved dog but he will still pull if he is on his regular collar. The halti is awesome! I might eventually get one for loki.

This is a great thread and not to be the negative person on this but be aware how to fit and use a head collar properly. Just like with a check chain or prong collar, there is a right and wrong way to use head collars and it is also extremely important to have it fitted properly to prevent dogs from pulling out of it and learning to pull in it.

I hate to be the dark cloud but be advised that head collars are training aids, not a permanent solution. Many dogs, with long term head collar use, actually learn how to pull even on a head collar. This a problem that my aunt has discovered with her 130+ lb Akita.

Another important note is proper use. I've seen plenty of people with their dogs on a head collar who still continue to pull and then their owners decide to issue a further correction by pulling or yanking back on the lead. Definite NO NO. Head collars (if properly fitted) issue a "correction" every time the dog pulls by basically pulling the head down and/or around which is not desirable to the dog or it wouldn't work. One should never yank or pull back on the lead when it's connected to the head collar as it can cause serious damage. I remember a person who almost brought me to tears when they held a lead connected to their dogs halti over the persons head to "control" their overly enthusiastic dog. Poor dogs neck was extended as far back as it could go and it's snout pointing straight up at the sky because of their sick owner. Did their dog do anything to deserve it? Absolutely not, the dog just wanted to meet my dogs. Just a prime example of the vast number of people who do not know how to use a head collar properly.

When training your dog to loose leash walk with a head collar I would use both the head collar and regular collar or harness, whichever you prefer to use long term. You can use 2 leads, one attached to the head collar which will be slightly longer and the other attached to the regular collar/harness. If you can, try to only use the lead attached to the regular collar but each time they start pulling then switch over to the head collar. When pulling stops you can let the head collar lead go slack and continue walking on the regular lead. If pulling still continues even with the head collar or if the dog just doesn't learn then I would try stopping the walk altogether each time they pull. These dogs are very smart and are fully capable of learning, it just takes a lot of time and an extreme amount of patience.

Another thing of note is that many people will assume a dog in a head collar is aggressive. Just something I noticed from casual observation and experience. I've noticed people are more hesitant and less likely to pet or approach a dog in a head collar than one in a regular collar or harness. But that might be a good thing if you prefer to scare people away or don't want people approaching to pet your dog.

While I do believe head collars can make good tools when used properly I would consider them as a second choice for correcting pulling behavior. They are good tools and I consider them better and safer than check chains, pinch collars, and e-collars, however they do have drawbacks like anything. One is that it does put pressure on the back of the head which can be uncomfortable and even hazardous if fitted too tight. The other reason is that it goes over their face which is a sensitive area. I've seen a lot of dogs suffer damage to their eyes (from improper fitting) and damage to the bridge of their muzzle from too much use. I would try training with an anti-pull harness before resorting to a head collar, check chain, or prong collar but that is just my personal opinion.

And a final note, there are a few different head collars on the market. Mainly the Halti, Gentle Leader, and the Canny collar. I personally think the Canny collar design is the best of the choices and would recommend them over the others. They are more expensive and all the designs work to an extent but I think the Canny collar design has one over the rest. Just my two cents.

FWIW, I have a Halti and have used it twice in the 3 years I've had it. I only use it for situations where I must have absolute control over my sibe, such as when we are descending a rocky mountain and one out of control jerk from my sibe could send us both to our deaths. For training my steam train of a puller sibe, I used a "stop and go" method and it may have taken months to teach him to loose leash walk but in the end we were successful. As for sizing, my Halti is a size 3 (the size recommended for labs, dobermans, dalmatians, GSDs, huskies, etc).

There's another training harness (for lack of better term) that you attach the leash to something that goes across the chest...what is that one called? I heard that is also a good training tool?

There's an Easy Walk harness that attaches the lead in the front/chest area. It's made by the same people who make the Gentle Leader head collar I believe.

Thanks Val!

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