halti and gentle leader dog harnesses

[arabianequine]

I was told by my dog training instructor that my dog would do better and necessary to have one of these harnesses instead of the choke chain? What do you guys think about this harness and if it is necessary?

It would be for my Saint Bernard she is almost 8 months old. She is in obedience classes and having issues with her head being everywhere put where it should be. I am sure her mind is going a million miles an hour.

 

[scbatz33]

We tried this with our rotti. She collapsed on the ground like she was dying. It was quite a scene and well, embarrassing to have a 90 LB rottweiler on the sidewalk acting like she was dying!

We went to the prong collar. Of course her problem is pulling. When she wears the prong collar she does not pull. She also is on really good behavior. I think she has equated the collar with getting to go places so she knows to be on her best behavior.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I'm a firm believer in a choker sitting high, right behind the ears. & don't pull back, pull up. That will get their attention.

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

I have one for my 93 lb lab/husky. I got it when he was about 6 months old, because I could barely walk him anymore because of the tendonitis in my elbow. Oh, they hate it... but its good!
Mine will lay down and roll (if I let him) and try to scrape it off, lean pathetically on potentially sympathetic passersby in hopes they will rescue him, and just look at me with those big eyes... BUT after using it for a week, my aweful tendonitis had gon away! I could manage the exuberant dog singlehandedly and it made it a lot more feasable and fun to take him for walks. I no longer had to be embarassed by his behavior so I could take him more places. He got more exercise, more socialization, and people were happier with him around. Soon, his behavior was good enough I only had to remind him to be good. After a time I switched back to his ordinary collar (keeping the halti clipped to my belt) for walks. I would give him a chance to go without it, but the first time he lunged I put it back on. He got really good... the threat of the head collar was enough on most days.
I say go for it- it will be nicer to your body.

 

[buckeyejerseygiants]

We bought a Gentle Leader for our dogs (also big dogs @ 100+lbs) and I was surprised at how well it worked after a few training sessions. I will warn you that dogs tend to freak out the first time it's put on and they pull back. It's a very foreign thing for most dogs who are used to regular collars and leashes. It is not necessarily "gentle"- when they pull it it places a lot of pressure on the top of their nose, making it difficult to breathe. It does not take them very long at all to figure out how to release the pressure, though.

 

[chickenzoo]

I use the Halti dog halters and love them. You do have to train them on it, but once they have it down, it's great. my Dalmatian was a puller but after that she was great.

 

[Akane]

Some dogs can't stand them and some dogs do well in them. The risk of injury is less than with a choker. Although a properly used choker shouldn't cause injury either but prongs can be a better idea than a choke chain. While they look nasty they only tighten so far. They will not continue to dig in and cut off airways unlike a choke chain. That actually makes them less painful and dangerous while having a greater effect on most dogs. However instructors are also hesistant to use them since they look bad. Personally I think you should be able to train your dog on a flat buckle collar. It's kind of like training a horse and instead of getting them solid on a plain snaffle you go grab a twisted wire gag bit so you can get that stop and turn faster without putting in the work. At 105lbs I can control a 1000lb horse so anyone should be able to gain the skill to control a dog wearing pretty much anything when they rarely surpass 100lbs. Most of the time I use a skijoring harness on my akita including dog classes and hiking. They are specifically designed to allow the dog to pull and she still doesn't manage to go anywhere or touch anything I don't want her to.

That said if you really think you need something I'd go with gentle leader/halti first, prong collar second, and choke chain last. I'm still going to say though some work on the leave it command and some more energy to keep the dog moving and paying attention to you would work a lot better when it comes to keeper her nose off the ground than any device. That comparison I made about horses becomes a good example again. If you take that horse trained in a twisted wire gag bit back to a plain snaffle or try to ride in a halter you will have a completely out of control animal. You will always have to have that bit on hand to work that horse if you never took the time to train them without it. Animals are smart they will learn that as soon as you take off the training device you no longer have the same control. You can also end up getting yourself in a situation where you constantly have to go to a more severe training device if you continue to rely on them instead of relying on time and training skills.

 

[CrazyChickieMama]

I use the Halti on our Danes. My female didn't mind it, but my male(who is 110 lbs of stupid) thinks I'm trying to kill him every time I put it on. Then he calms down and realizes this means a ride in the car! and treats at Petsmart! or a ride to the vet! He LURVES the vet...Told ya, he's stupid. but I love him.

 

[Amanda0609]

I had a crazy wild pointer and the gentle leader was the only thing that worked on her. It took a while before she didn't think she was going to die from having it on. I found them really cheap at Shopko.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

I have used the halti head collars and tell others about them because they worked so well on our pointers. The dog will fight it hard for a little while but once they figure out that they must just obey with it, they are great from then on. A real miracle worker IMO.