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The doghouse

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Original poster

Halter vs Halti?

29 replies

sparklins · 03/02/2022 09:58

I have a large breed 9 month old dog (giant pup really Grin). I am doing my best with walking however she is a bit of a puller, I am fine day to day on our rural walks however I really need something for when we are in a busier public space (like a school run) as it is hard to manage if I'm on my own with her and 2 young DCs as she desperately wants to say hi to other dogs and any person who acknowledges her. She is super friendly and non threatening but I appreciate that not everyone would like a bear hug from a dog nearly their height Blush and I would also really appreciate my arm staying in my socket whilst I'm herding DCs to their classes.

I have looked at the halter/figure of 8 leads and I have also seen the Halti headcollars and was wondering if anyone could recommend one? I quite like that the halter ones could be taken off their nose however the Halti one looks padded and maybe comfier?

Has anyone used any of these?

OP posts:
Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 03/02/2022 10:07

Our rottweiler wore a halti.. She got used to it quickly. She sat fine for it and lead on knowing it meant OUT!!

Postdatedpandemic · 03/02/2022 10:09

I sometimes use a slip lead / figure of eight on my pointer, a rope one.
The main thing is to find one that fits your dog's head. You don't want to snag jowls or ride into eyes. Best to find a shop that stocks a variety and try on.
Or use a harness with a front attachment point.

Original poster
sparklins · 03/02/2022 10:16

@Postdatedpandemic I do have a harness that has a front clip and use that on our usual walks. I can manage her when it is just me even when we see other dogs as I can pay a bit more attention.
The main bit is if I walk her up to school with DCs or we are in a busier park (which will start happening come summer time) I can't focus 100% on her which is why I need something one handed so I can herd my DCs too Grin

OP posts:
FortunaMajor · 03/02/2022 10:18

I've used a Halti, Gentle Leader and Dogmatic halter over the years. I like the dogmatic best, but all work fine. I'd happily use any again.

It takes a dog a little while to get used to one and they will protest initially, but it's worth persevering.

Postdatedpandemic · 03/02/2022 10:22

Our local puppy training place has a kit bag, so you can try before you buy. Might be worth phoning around.

Kshhuxnxk · 03/02/2022 10:22

There is no need to use anything like this at all if you train your dog properly. Please don't rely on pieces of material to do this for you. That sound condescending but it's not meant to but it really is important you train your dog fully, especially when you say you can't focus 100% in a busy area - if dog is trained properly you won't need to.

MrsWinters · 03/02/2022 10:34

I steer clear of these that go over the nose as the nose is so sensitive. Some will tell you that a slip lead and training is what you need- but I confess that having had a really excessive and big puppy I felt uncomfortable for a time with a slip lead. People say they won’t hang themselves, but I wasn’t quite as convinced.
I found the best thing for us was a martingale collar, works like a slip lead, but will only tighten so much and one of the halti leads. He wears a harness in the car and I would leave that on him. Out walking I would attach the lead to the martingale collar and do lots of direction changes and engagement work and walk him on that. On the few occasions he got really a bit much I’d leave one end of the lead on the collar and pop the other on the harness to relieve pressure on the neck.
Lots of calm work outside, maybe just go somewhere a little busier and sit and watch the world go by?

Postdatedpandemic · 03/02/2022 11:11

What breed is he @sparklins ?
You've said he is large, so he is just entering arsehole teenager phase. It can be worth signing up for some classes if he is of an outgoing nature.
As Polly reminded me the other day, choice of breed is what dictates how well trained your 9 month old puppy will be. Getting a lab or a herding breed would have made your life easier.

Martingales are useful and a double ended halti lead is essential.

PollyRoulllson · 03/02/2022 11:27

Figure of 8 leads will cause pressure on your dogs nose and neck. I would never ever use one. If your dog is reacting to something and pressure is tighten on their neck and breathing is made harder more adrenalin and cortosol is produce, the dogs anxiety increases and the dog will pull more.

Haltis, dogmatic etc will close your dogs mouth and can twist their neck but if used carefully and alongside a harness may help to keep you safe from a strong pulling dog. They do not affect the dogs breathing as much as a figure of 8 headcollar.

However if there are areas that the dog will always pull I would avoid those areas until loose lead walking is more established. Every opportunity your dog has to pull is another opportunity to get better at it.

However if you are using a harness and a double ended lead and your dog is strong enough to cause you injury or pull away from you, you may need a head collar for a short while, whilst training is taking place.

Always use a head collar with a harness. Have one end of lead on the back of the harness and use this end of the lead to help promote loose lead walking.

Clip the other end of the lead onto the head collar and use only when absolutely necessary to turn your dog away from distractsions.

Immediately release pressure on the head collar and reward for loose lead walking on the harness.

The ideal situation is to walk without pressure on harness or headcollar as this will speed up the loose lead walking.

Original poster
sparklins · 03/02/2022 11:30

@Postdatedpandemic She is a mix - long story of how came to acquire her but she is a goldendoodle.
She is fantastic at home and overall and 95% of the time fine on walks with the front clip on the harness and I am still working on lead walking/training @Kshhuxnxk
I am just looking for an effective solution for those times I have to take her on the school run with me and similar situations when there is so much going on and quite crowded so I can manage a bit better as she is still training, some days I have to take her with me.

OP posts:
Leonberger · 03/02/2022 13:49

I always use a headcollar for safety.
I don’t need them but I wouldn’t walk in public places without them as an extra.

They aren’t always because people can’t be bothered to train.

tabulahrasa · 03/02/2022 14:04

Haltis, slip leads, figure of 8 ones... are designed to be aversive.

So they’re relying on your dog being able to work out that the pulling is causing the pain (some just don’t figure that out) and to care (some just decide it’s worth it)

You do get head collars that don’t tighten and just work by redistributing their pull so it’s nowhere near as effective and they’re handy if you’ve got a dog that’s going to put you or them at risk.

But you need to train them to wear them happily which can take quite a few weeks, so for just general pulling with a dog that’s just a bit young and overexcited you’d probably make quicker progress just putting that effort into training walking better on the equipment you’re already using.

NotQuiteUsual · 03/02/2022 16:11

Our girl gets on with her halti, we use it with a double ended lead, one end on the collar and one on the halti. Once you get the knack, you lead with the collar and it's only when they pull that the halti is used.

She picked it up very quickly and it works for us. Most of all it means we have control over her and we're all safe when we're walking.

We used a dogmatic, it was good. But the metal parts irritated her skin badly. She's very sensitive though, halti has no metal so it is best for us.

ouchyoubiteybugger · 03/02/2022 20:35

We tried a halti for our huskyx but felt it was uncomfortable for her, i have a gencon now. I will say she is fine with myself or hubby but the gencon is great for the kids walking her amd she is happy to come and let them put it on her. It works by moving the whole head rather than pulling down or hurting her. We got the xlarge all in 1 with the clip for her normal collar.

JayAlfredPrufrock · 03/02/2022 20:39

Mine can remove a Halti in seconds.

I use a cheap headcollar that doesn’t tighten and he can’t remove.

WildNarcissus · 03/02/2022 20:41

@Kshhuxnxk

There is no need to use anything like this at all if you train your dog properly. Please don't rely on pieces of material to do this for you. That sound condescending but it's not meant to but it really is important you train your dog fully, especially when you say you can't focus 100% in a busy area - if dog is trained properly you won't need to.
This 100%.
WhiteXmas21 · 03/02/2022 21:39

Can you use a halti double ended lead on 2 points- front of harness and either collar or back of harness. I found this works well for extra control for example on icy paths.
But you can’t beat loose lead training. Takes a lot of repetition but so worth it.

Original poster
sparklins · 03/02/2022 21:50

To the posters suggesting Halti 2 point harnesses - do you need 2 hands to use it? Sorry to sound daft but whenever I've seen pictures it looks like a 2 handed operation to me which is not necessarily what I am looking for.

OP posts:
Postdatedpandemic · 03/02/2022 22:03

One hand does the double ended lead.

To those who can train a dog perfectly, I'll employ you. PM me let me know the breed you have had such marvellous success with.

@sparklins she's quite hairy a rope slip lead may just thread part of her neck. Try head collars first. She is also (as an acquired dog) likely to mature slowly and take a while to train, good luck.

Original poster
sparklins · 03/02/2022 22:09

@Postdatedpandemic thankyou. She is doing brilliantly IMO (I am definitely not an expert though) as I mentioned I am purely looking for something really effective for the time being when I've no choice but to take her with me to something like a busy school run when I have no time to focus 100% on her.

I will try to look up some Halti double ended lead videos.

OP posts:
MrsColinRobinson · 03/02/2022 22:14

I have a massive goldendoodle and a halti made him worse - he'd dig at it and struggle out. Swapped to a harness and we're both much more comfortable on the school run.

GrowThroughWhatYouGoThrough · 03/02/2022 22:19

I use a to posh to pull head collar which attaches to her collar then she wears a harness and has a halti lead which clips to the head collar and harness

Original poster
sparklins · 03/02/2022 22:22

What type of harness if you don't mind me asking @MrsColinRobinson ?

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 03/02/2022 22:24

If you don’t have a double ended lead... how are you using her harness now?

But no, it’s one handed you just hold it in your palm and twist your hand to be using one end or the other.

Asdf12345 · 03/02/2022 22:26

We just use slip leads for lead walking (a long line and collar for training sometimes). A handful of times up to about the age of one we nose loop the slip into a figure of eight but primarily this is a training problem rather than an equipment problem.

Taking the dog into a situation where it will struggle and you cannot give it your full attention is setting it up to fail and should be avoided if at all possible. Assuming these are rare unforeseen circumstances with a young dog I would figure of eight a slip lead.