Dogs And Halti's???

Emmabeth

Headcollars are great on dogs. A few tips though:

Associate the headcollar with treats and acclimitise the dog to it in short bursts and plenty of rewards - this means you are much less likely to get the 'fish on a hook' response out on walks.

ALWAYS use a double ended lead going back to a flat collar or secure harness - if your dog suddenly lunges to the end of the lead on a headcollar the head-turning action of the collar can break necks so the other end of the lead attached to a collar or harness is your 'security' if things get a bit crazy.

NEVER use them in conjunction wth a long line for the above reason - google the forces involved when a 30kg dog hits the end of a 30ft line travelling at 20mph... its TONS.

None of these things will teach a dog to walk nicely on the lead on their own - they can be used as a means to an end, but you still need to train a dog to walk nicely without one.

there are a variety of headcollars that all work in slightly different ways so googling for which suit whcih breeds is a good idea. I prefer the 'figure 8' headcollar, though i make mine myself, http://petcraftproject.proboards24.com/ these people make them and at extremely low prices (and for charity too!).

Dobiesmon

Hi all
Can I suggest you might want to look at a Dogmatic http://www.dogmatic.org.uk/
its comes in all colors plain and pattered also leather I have 3 of them for my dobermanns much better than the others as they don't move about .

olibrofiz

The dobe wears a halti when we're going to a favourite place as she'll pull like a train then, also when we're going to be where there's lots of people. It's surprising how many times people say 'she's a biter then?' and drag their kids away when she's got it on.

lfckerry

We had a halti but found that it rubbed and cut into my dogs nose and he refused to walk with it on,even with treats. We have recently bought a gentle leader which is a very similar head collar and it doesnt rub and he walks really well on it.just an idea for anyone who has trouble with the halti like we did!

chazzybee86

I think Halti's are fab, we made a mistake in buying a cheap one first after a couple of weeks he started to lose hair over his nose as it had no padding ('he' is a rotty called Ty) - so we got him a proper, slightly more expensive one and it is fantastic, one of the best things we ever got him especially now as he is getting bigger and stronger!! I would recommend one to anyone!!:p

churchrat

hi all
I first posted this thread when we took charge of a rescue parsons russel terrier that had never been walked outside of the house. I know he is only a little dog, but it was like trying to walk a mini-tornado that didn't like other dogs or people!!!

I have bought 2 haltis--(he bit through the 1st one when I left it on the floor) and they have worked like magic
He does not even try to pull when wearing one now,
he still does not like it much, but he spent about 3 days trying to get an ordinary collar off as well, so I'm not too bothered about that. He is having the boys op soon (!!!!) and we are starting dog classes in Sept cos he hates other dogs, think he had never seen one until he went to the rescue centre.
I would like to thank everyone for thier advice, much appreciated by all the rat family.
Also like to ask that anyone who is considering getting a dog would at least look in to having a rescue. I think that I am probably preaching to the converted on here but a rescue dog can be great fun and are more than worth the effort.
churchrat

hotpot1000

Halti makes no difference to my GSD who is anxious of other dogs approaching and generally freaked out when outdoors. She pulls right into the halti.

I bought a Stop Pull which was even more useless and had an email debate with the makers as it did not live up to its name. Last reply I got from them was that I shouldn't allow my dog to pull for the harness to work.
Halti harness doesnt work for us either.

I swear by a Walkezee harness, which doesn't tighten under the armpits, we've had it 3yrs or more, goes in washer every week, and lets me hold the dog securely if a cat runs out in front of us. I cant believe it's not snapped as my dog lunges at loose dogs running up to her.

gemmalouanna

My dog improved instantly with the Haliti, she hated it with a passion at first and did everything to get it off but they get used to it if you stick with it. It is great for getting her to run alongside me on the bike and now I can leave her with my grandad when I go on holiday and I know she won't pull him when on walks.

moominyak

I have a GSD x-breed (I think with Staffie or maybe Bull Terrier - very powerful front end but quite a fat bottom!), he's a 2-year old rescue I got in March this year, weighs about 32kg and pulls like crazy.

A while back a friend gave me a Halti to try - it's been sitting around the house for ages unused, but after reading this thread this morning I thought I'd give it a try - and all I can say is WOW!!!

I have woodland just by my house so I usually let him off the lead once we're in there - today I kept him on the lead until we were there, got him back on it to come out and even walked him down the street to the letterbox, something which I've tried only once before and we got no further than my front gate because it was such a disaster. The Halti worked wonders, I actually felt like I was walking him rather than the other way round!!

Even getting his lead onto his collar (and the Halti) was easier today - he usually gets so excited by the prospect of going out that trying to clip his lead onto his collar is really hard work!

So I would definitely recommend it - although whether he'll let me put the Halti back on later to repeat the exercise remains to be seen :rolleyes:

izzydogsam

moominyak wrote: »

Even getting his lead onto his collar (and the Halti) was easier today - he usually gets so excited by the prospect of going out that trying to clip his lead onto his collar is really hard work!

So I would definitely recommend it - although whether he'll let me put the Halti back on later to repeat the exercise remains to be seen :rolleyes:

My rescue GSD wasn't keen on the Halti at first and used to try and rub it off using the backs of my knees - if caught unawares it used to make my knees collapse :rotfl: like kids used to do to one another at school!

He loves his Halti now though as he associates it with going for a walk. As soon as I pick it up, he runs over to me and sits, then I hold it open and he shoves his nose into it - very funny! When he's been off the lead on a walk, he always gets a couple of treats for coming back and having his Halti put on too.