Dog Health Questions: How do we get our young dog used to a Halti Collar?

Our seven month old pup is very big and strong and has a habit of pulling hard on the lead (especially when he sees another dog or a child as he wants to play). To correct this we bought a Halti Coller however when we have tried putting it on him he goes daft and runs about, very distressed trying to remove it. Obviously we don't like seeing him upset and we worry he might hurt his face trying to remove it. Trying to distract him with treats and toys doesn't work at all. Can anyone suggest a good way to gradually get him used to it? It's been suggested that he really hates it as he sees it as being forced into a submissive role - we seem to be in constant battle in asserting our dominane over him , particularly as he is reaching puberty. Anyway, and tips and even your own dog training stories would be really helpful. Thanks.

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I use a gentle leader (halti) on my corgi pup. When we put it on her we just had to hold her and fix it to her measurments and everything. When you have it on your pup take it for a walk and bring lots of treats. When it stops and tries and take it off say "Let's go" and call it's name in your best happy/baby voice and show him the treat. If you have trouble putting it on him have another person hold him tightly on a leash then you crouch over him since he is big and fit it to him (if you have already done that great!) or put it on him. If bites or tries to yell "AH AH" and have the person holding him give him a jerk. If you have further trouble call an obidence trainer or behavorist. I used Pet-smart training and they are great my corgi is great now.

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• There are several ways to go about this. The most important thing is not to give in to his "distressed" behavior as this will only teach him that it will get him what he wants.
  
  When we got a head halter for our first dog, she absolutely hated it. Since we lived in an apartment with no fence, getting her over it wasn't hard. If she wanted to go outside at ALL she had to wear her halter. Didn't take her too long to learn that the head halter meant she got to go outside and she was quickly eager to put it on. My dog trainer is also a fan of this method. Don't put the halti on and then just let him wander around the house/yard. Put it on, clip on the leash (depending on how resistant he is you may have to clip on the leash first) and start walking. when he starts flipping out, ignore the behavior and just keep walking. He will soon learn that the halti is not optional and that fighting like that only makes him tired and he has to do what you say anyway. My trainer recommends gentle leaders for many of the dogs in her classes. At the beginning of a 6 week basic session she has dogs flip-flopping all over the place and refusing to walk because they are fighting the head halter. By the end of the six weeks, most of them are doing a pretty good approximation of heel and very few of them even seem to notice the head halters anymore. Many of her basic dogs also go on to intermediate obedience and her Canine Good Citizen class (where they can not wear the head halter to pass the CGC test).
  
  A more gradual approach would be to associate the halti with yummy treats (not dry milkbones...go for moist or semi-moist treats, at least at first). Take the halti out, let him sniff it and as soon as he moves his nose towards it to sniff it pop a treat in his mouth and remove the halti. Put the halti away for a while then bring it out and again reward him for sniffing it. Once he's eager to see you get the halti out, slip the loop around his muzzle, pop a treat in his mouth, and immediately remove the halti (no more treats for simply sniffing it). Gradually increase the amount of time that the loop stays on before you give a treat. Once he seems comfortable with just the loop on for a minute or so, connect the strap behind his head and immediately give a treat and then remove it. Gradually increase the amount of time he has the halti entirely on. Eventually he will associate wearing the halti with treats and shouldn't fight it (at least not nearly as much).


• I used a halti for about a week. I finally gave up trying to get him used to it - but it was MORE because they can slip out of it than I was irritated that he was walking with his face rubbing the ground.
  
  Twice he slipped out of it by squirming and that scared the bejeesus out of me. It has the safety latch so I was still connected to him via the slim line that connects to their collar but I then had NO control over him.
  
  I got my pup from the Humane Society and I admit - as my first dog - I probably didn't choose him correctly. Granted, any knowledgeable person at the Humane Society should have recognized this and refused me adoption of this particular pup but they are overworked/underpaid and I think relieved that they wouldn't have to put another one to sleep. I picked my dog (10 months old) because he chased the ball, brought it back, and dropped it for me to throw again). Seemed like a smart dog.
  
  I went through normal collars (getting dragged along), choke collars, all he did was choke himself and hack to death and the "popping" that you are supposed to do really bothered me (I was afraid I was going to snap his windpipe in half), the halti - which he slipped out of twice and now to a pinch collar.
  
  Here's my halti experience. I don't think that it is soooo much that he is fighting losing dominance - I think it is more about what it feels like on his face. Remember the first time you wore a turtleneck?? You probably spent the entire day pulling at the neck because it felt weird. I think the dog is experiencing the same phenomenon. It is just about getting him used to it.
  
  I would put it on while he is lying around the house. NOT just while you are getting ready to walk with him. He will be excited with the walk and irritated with the thing covering his face. He is not going to hurt his face while trying to remove it, dogs aren't that dumb! Just like you didn't go get a hacksaw to fix that turtleneck, they won't do anything ridiculous!
  
  Putting the halti on around the house will desensitize him to it. Put it on - set a timer for 5 minutes and distract him while it is on - play ball, belly rubs, whatever - but don't let him focus on the halti. Do this two or three times a day and extend the period of time he is wearing it in a non-walking situation.
  
  Once he is used to it - on the walk, do NOT let him misbahave and try to "wipe" the thing off his face. Keep his head up (it's a pain - I know -remember my dog spent an entire walk trying to wipe it off his face). It will get better. By the end of the week my dog didn't mind it so much, but after the second time he slipped out of it (and yes it was on appropriately) I couldn't have the lack of control.
  
  Now, to the type of collar you didn't ask about - the pinch collar. Many people will tell you that it is inhumane - I PROMISE that the pinch collar is more human than a choke collar for the following reasons
  
  1.) first and foremost - the dog does not get speared or injured by the prongs - they DO NOT penetrate the skin
  2.) the dog WILL NOT pull itself to choking with the pinch collar because the prongs prevent that - therefore there is no choking hazard with this collar - the "pinch" stops them from doing that which means that they aren't pulling!!
  3.) you do not "pop" the leash with the prongs (no need to - a gentle pull is all that is needed and they feel the "pinch"
  4.) This collar also mimics how dogs behave in nature (see Cesar Millan's the Dog Whisperer).
  
  I was still skeptical over whether I was doing the right thing with the pinch collar. I wanted to be humane but I was never in control of my dog with the regular collar, choke collar or halti. On an episode of Cesar Millan (first season) he helped a dog whose owner used a pinch collar and Cesar explained to the audience the theory behind the collar. When dogs "misbehave" in a pack, the pack leader comes over and bites the misbehaving dog - and where do dogs bite? On the neck! So the pinch mimics the pack leaders "bite" to get attention and to say - hey - stop what you are doing it is not acceptable to me.
  
  I think MANY MANY dogs owners on yahoo answers will tell you Cesar Millan is amazing (The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel). And when he said that pinch collars were ok to use, I felt a million times better about using mine.
  
  Here's what some dog trainers say about the halti. The halti is not a training tool. Once you remove the halti and go to a normal collar, you will be in the pulling battle again. Pinch collars are a training tool. I am now able to walk my dog using a REGULAR leash attached to a regular collar with no/little pulling (if we see a squirrel we still have some issues . . .)
  
  I wish you luck - practice makes perfect, whatever tool you use. Desensitize desensitize desensitize and kudos to you for wanting to be in control of your dog.


• I have an American Bulldog/Staffy mix puppy, 10 months, and he also is a VERY strong puller. I have had great success with the Gentle Leader (same as the Halti) and am now in the process of weaning him off of it, as any head collar is to be used as a training device ONLY. The ultimate goal is to have the dog walking nicely on a regular collar and lead eventually.
  
  Keep associating wearing the Halti with treats and petting. You can also either allow your dog to tantrum for a few minutes, ingoring it, then give the "Let's Go!" command (or whatever you use to signal leaving), or immediately leave after putting it on him and don't give him a chance to tantrum. I've done both; your dog won't hurt himself and should forget that he's wearing it if you make your walks interesting and fun. Whatever you do, DO NOT give the tantruming any attention. And honestly, your dog will probably never LIKE wearing the head collar, but train him correctly and quickly and he should be out of it in no time.
  
  Also, don't be shy about asserting yourselves with your dog. YOU are the owner, not him. Sure, he doesn't like to wear a head collar, and is distressed, but aren't YOU distressed and unhappy when your dog is dragging you down the street?? So don't be afraid to show him who is in charge, especially at such a critical time in his development. He needs you to be firm now more than ever, if he is to be a happy, well-behaved, well-mannered adult dog.
  
  Best of luck!


• Have you considered using just a plain harness? I have a Rotty who I use just a harness on because she has no aggressive or behavioral problems..So I don't really need as much control over her.
  However I do have to muzzle my Bluetick hound, as he is quite ill tempered and erratic.
  
  I had *alot* of trouble training him with it though. I included an article that will hopefully be of some assistance to you! Good luck!