Halti lead?

[Peegee]

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Having spent many, many , many hours over last 7 months trying to get my dog to walk nicely on loose lead I am beginning to wonder if she'll ever get there before old age sera in! She is better than she was and if I pop treats every 10 seconds or so she's fine. We can now walk about 5 metres at a time before I have to stop, wait for her to come back to me (of her own volition now) and off we go again, and so on. I am now thinking of using a Halti lead thingy. Can anyone advise how these work and whether they are a good thing or not - do they hurt the dog if they pull? I would really prefer not to have to use one but can't see any other option.

 

[JoanneF]

I understand the theory is that you have control over the dog's head, so they don't follow the head with the body and therefore pull through the shoulders.

But they dont look comfortable on a lot of dogs and if they ride up the face they can squeeze the skin up around the eyes. There is another brand, I think it might be dogmatic, which some people seem to think is more comfortable because the lead attaches at a lower point. It's not a problem I have ever had but can you have a look at the Mekuti harness - it seems to get good results.

 

[Peegee]

Thanks Joanne, I'll check them both out.

 

[JoanneF]

Thanks Joanne, I'll check them both out.

Sorry I reviewed my post and added more to try and make more sense!

 

[excuseme]

A Halti Head collar should not be fitted too tightly. they should be loose fitting and rest across the muzzle comfortably.

Too many people either buy a size that is too small or fit them too tight so that they cut beneath the eyes !! Horrible.

I once had a dog who always pulled with a normal collar, by using a loose fitting "halti" I could walk him loosely between finger and thumb, he was almost perfect!

A head collar can lead a cow or horse! If the head follows the lead when trying to pull it follows the lead and brings the head across to one side therefore taking the power from the shoulders. But neither the head collar or halti needs to be tight fitting ! The strap behind the head naturally falls low with the halti. A great product if fitted and used correctly.

 

[spanielmad]

Having spaniels, i genuinely don't think they were designed to walk on leads lol. About two years ago, i took my first dog to an outdoor agility show - he was about four months old. I get Psoriasis on my hands, so a rough feeling lead made it agony - he was pulling me everywhere with all the excitement, other dogs, smells etc. Hate to admit it, but i was almost crying with my hands being painful. There was lots of stalls there, and one sold what i think is called a figure of eight lead? Please feel free anyone to advise on this but it helped massively in training my dog to walk on a lead. Not sure how to describe it without saying the end of the lead works like a figure of 8? It's like a slip lead, with the option (i know this sounds awful bit it really wasn't) of a loop with a kind of nose harness? Again, i don't think I'm describing this very well, but my boy soon learnt that he didn't like having the loop if he pulled - it didn't ride up into his eyes nor did it pull his neck in any way. Hope that makes sense?

 

[excuseme]

Yes I had a figure of eight a long time ago, it was effective if, as with the halti it was fitted correctly.

You obviously had it adjusted just right.

 

[spanielmad]

Thanks for that - no other dog walkers I've spoken to had heard of it, so i was unsure about it - all the other dogs at the show were so perfectly trained.. not! I found it to be kind, easy to adjust pretty much as you walk. I would walk my dog on the slip lead, then if he started pulling really bad I'd say 'nosey' he learned pretty quickly from that. Hope I've explained that well, sounds a bit wrong without being able to try and explain properly?

 

[Peegee]

Thanks everyone. I'll do some investigation. I'm feeling a bit of a failure to be honest as I really want her to walk nicely because I've trained her well and somehow seems to be a bit of a let down to resort to a halti I type lead.

 

[excuseme]

Typical spaniel ! I've had them for 50 years and they all behave differently when on the lead, some are absolute buggers!!

 

[hollysh]

I have a spaniel a few days a week, 8 months old. He's crazy on his lead. Always wants to be off to run. Though I suppose it may be different with puppies. I think he is getting a little better though. He has a harness, which we attach to the lead. That's better I think, because it's not around the neck. Good luck.

 

[excuseme]

Does not sound as if there is much control though ! A harness is a license to pull in my mind. A "Halti" fits the head not the neckneck!

8 months is still a puppy !

 

[JoanneF]

I agree about harnesses generally not being helpful with pullers but the Mekuti is designed for pullers. The point where the lead clips is crucial to the design; it is in a position where the dog apparently feels ever so slightly unbalanced if he pulls. My first reaction was that it sounds unkind but they are highly recommended by people I respect; who are completely averse to unkind methods. It's worth a look at the website.

 

[arealhuman]

All this confuses me. When we got our dog from the rescue centre, they recommended a harness as its won't damage a dog's throat/neck. I can see why this is the case. When we had a behaviorist visit, he recommended a lead which sounds like the figure-of-eight lead that spanielmad mentioned (at least, that sounds like what he has). Reading the posts here, perhaps we're fitting it too tightly as I'm sure it irritates him and it does ride up his snout as we give it a yank or two if he misbehaves (again, advice from our behaviorist which has been discussed elsewhere on here). I do think I need something else. Our dog pulls quite a bit when we first go out, which I put down to the excitement of getting out and about, then he seems to settle and walks well. It kicks off when he sees another dog and reacts badly (that's a whole different discussion!) or he decides to suddenly divert in a hedge for a pee. In the latter case, he can divert quite suddenly which does tighten the lead and although he doesn't complain, this can't be comfortable for his neck. I've looked at the Halti stuff and it appeared quite good as I think some of it was foam-backed. I've also seen leads with an elasticated section to absorb sudden shock, like when our dog diverts suddenly for a pee. I've not heard of the Mekuti stuff before, but looking at their (poorly designed!) website I'm not sure this would work with our dog as there's no control over the head. Perhaps a session with a registered trainer in my other posts is the answer...

 

[spanielmad]

Think the elasticated section your referring to is one common in ezydog leads - zero shock tolerance? I'm a bit of a fan of ezydog products, not everyone will be, but i really like their range. Their collars have a D ring for leads that are desperate from an ID ring, they are reflective and also have a clip for 'accesories' - poo bag pouches etc. I've just started using a zero shock coupler for my two - so far so good. They also have a 'traffic control's handle, so you can have a firmer grip by the roadside etc. Having never had more than one dog before, and my first being good on the lead and my second, well not quite so good, I'm finding the coupler (thinks that's the right name) really helpful. They're both walking nice - well they are at the end of a walk anyway! Dog number one seems quite unphased by dog number two's antics, well mostly anyway! Must admit, it's really rewarding when i put them on lead when I'm exhausted - they almost walk me! It does help though that my first dog is quite well trained on lead - he'll stand and wait while i attach and even walks/trots up to me when he knows it's home time. Think I'd really be stuck if I'd had them both from really young. Just an aside from that, i like my dog/s to walk by my side - i have now developed a new, alien command 'walk on' Don't know where that's come from, think I'm trying to say'lets go' without them walking in front? Hope that makes sense, i really don't mind them walking slightly ahead of me as long as they... walk!

 

[Peegee]

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. It all does sound very confusing. Funnily enough since I started this thread I'm sure that Evie is walking a bit better. This could, however, just be me trying to convince myself that it's not too bad. She's nearly 11 months and I think I'll give it till her birthday before I make a decision. if I do get some sort of halti and it does the job and she walks nicely, does this mean that after a while I could remove it and she won't revert back to pulling.

 

[gypsysmum2]

The Dogalter and the Dogmatic both have side bars from the nose piece to the cheekpiece. I think this makes them more comfortable on the dog. Do be aware that dogs can learn to pull in them too. It just makes handling the dog more comfortable for all concerned. Headcollars will have a calming effect on some dogs. All to do with being cradled in their mother's mouth as tiny puppies.

A lot of people express the opinion that dogs learn to pull, eventually, in all the bits of kit. Using one, however, will give you a window to reward the right behaviour.

Heel work is the most demanding of all exercises for dogs to learn. It takes a huge amount of concentration on the part of both handler and dog. It is almost impossible to teach "in the field" so to speak, especially with an already reactive dog. Dogs need to be calm to learn. Owners need to be totally focused tin order to reward in the right place and to anticipate hazards. All of these things are hard to achieve in our busy world,

The diverting off for an urgent pee is a sign of anxiety. The dog needs to relieve that anxiety and so thinks he may feel better after a pee

 

[excuseme]

My big old chap never learnt to pull and never tried once he learnt to walk loosely with one on.(I am sure this can be down to how the handler works with the Halti too)

Put the lead onto a collar alone and he would revert back to head down and pull!

 

[Peegee]

Thanks for that excuseme, good to know. I think I'll give it a bit longer and continue with the training. She's not dreadful but I do have to stop every couple of yards for her to come back. She's much better around our local area where she's used to walking. If somewhere new or if other distractions she's still very impulsive and finds it hard to concentrate on me. Perhaps I should make more allowance for her age (11months) but still very frustrating!