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The doghouse

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Original poster

Haltie??

43 replies

BaconAndAvocado · 04/03/2022 19:51

Met a dog owner who said this was a game changer for their Labrador when it was pulling on the lead. Her dog is 13 months old.

Our Lab is 8 months old and pulls on the lead despite lots of training.
He’s already a big boy and it’s becoming hard to take him on a walk.

Does anyone have any experience of halties?

OP posts:
tealandteal · 04/03/2022 20:13

I didn’t find it made a difference for my springer but a canny collar was excellent.

biggreenhouse · 04/03/2022 20:15

Using the face halti's are the only way I can walk my 2 together. they're great and doesn't hurt them or anything they just quickly learned they can't pull
on them so walk nicely as soon as its on.

Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 04/03/2022 20:18

Our rotty had one for years. Managed her fine even in Red Mist Mode!!
Trained out mad saluki cross with one but don't use it now.
Very worth while trying one out op. The Range sell good ones half the piece of branded ones.

PuppyMonkey · 04/03/2022 20:19

We have a golden retriever and if I didn’t have the Halti, he’d have my arm off bounding down the street. Took a few days for him to get used to it, but honestly, life changing is not an understatement!Grin

Original poster
BaconAndAvocado · 04/03/2022 20:33

Well that all sounds positive.

Can anyone recommend one? Or are they all pretty much the same?

OP posts:
InkySquid · 04/03/2022 20:40

Lots of dogs find them aversive so it depends where you stand in that point.

Have you tried a harness with a double ended lead attached front and back?

tabulahrasa · 04/03/2022 21:15

Do you mean haltis? Or just head collars? Halti is a brand, they’re designed to tighten round a Dog’s face and cause pain, which some will then learn that not pulling means it doesn’t get sore, some will just carry on pulling but it’s randomly sore sometimes.

Head collars that don’t tighten can be useful, but they just make it harder to lean into the pull and a lot of dogs need an awful lot of training to wear one as they tend not to like things on their head.... a front clipping harness does pretty much the same job, but more comfortably.

Mediumred · 05/03/2022 02:53

Hi, we have the halti chest harness for our collie girl who was a bit of puller so it doesn’t go over her face, you do need a double ended lead which you need to buy separately, sounds a bit like what @InkySquid recommended.

EdithStourton · 05/03/2022 10:46

OP, what training have you tried?

A friend of mine, with an over-excited young lab, went round various trainers to no avail. She finally went to a gundog trainer. He put the dog on a slip lead (and used treats - I know the trainer, he's big on treats) and has ended up with a much better mannered dog.

Personally I think Halts have their place, by so many dogs find anything on their head so aversive that it's nicer for the dog to have the Halti for training only, and to graduate to a lead ASAP.

Nap1983 · 07/03/2022 11:32

My lab absolutely hated it, he was miserable on walks with it just walked beside us looking sad, he didn’t sniff about, never picked up sticks or bottles (his fave) and he hid from it every time he seen it. I now use a gun dog lead, he doesn’t pull on this either but he enjoys walking again, sniffs and comes to get it on to go out. I think for my dog the halti was just too restrictive. It does stop pulling though.

Nap1983 · 07/03/2022 11:33

And on a harness he was so strong he pulled my daughter off her feet…

Original poster
BaconAndAvocado · 07/03/2022 13:30

Another dog walker suggested a Figure Eight lead???
Anyone had experience of this?

My elbow is so painful today that I can't walk him in my left hand side.

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 07/03/2022 15:12

“Another dog walker suggested a Figure Eight lead???
Anyone had experience of this?“

Again, they tighten - and may stop your dog pulling, or I’ve seen dogs carry on pulling but graze their face where it tightens... anything that works like that is a bit hit or miss really, why do you think nobody uses choke chains anymore? It’s because they don’t actually always work, some people don’t care whether tools are aversive or not if they work, but they don’t is the thing, not on a lot of dogs.

Chances are your dog is uncomfortable now when pulling but does it anyway, nothing is exactly comfortable when a dog is pulling hard.

The quickest fix is a harness with a front d ring to attach a lead to and a load of training.

Lorrymum · 07/03/2022 19:59

I bought a Mekuti halter for my year old schnauzer. She just doesn't seem to understand not to pull. I think we have cracked it and then she reverts to pulling me along. I have had many dogs over the years but she has me totally bewildered as to how to stop her.
I ordered the halter a month or so ago and it has sat on the side unopened. Yesterday I had a dreadful walk with her and came home in tears feeling defeated. I unwrapped the halt and gave it a go. I do feel as though Ive let her down but I have to be able to walk her comfortably.
She was very patient while I worked out how to put it on comfortably and didn't seem at all bothered by it. I have taken her for a short taster walk and she was much more manageable. It wasn't a miracle transformation but I feel as though there is now light at the end of the tunnel.

dollymuchymuchness · 07/03/2022 20:01

We've always used one for our dog, it's the only thing that works.

MarmiteCoriander · 07/03/2022 20:04

Are these all called 'no pull harnesses'? I've seen these for sale, but always wondered how they stop pulling? How does having 2 leads attached stop pulling?

CarltonPeach · 07/03/2022 20:17

Couldn’t survive my German Shepherd Dog without one!!! Spent many
££s on various sorts of leads, collars & even body harnesses (what a disaster!) but each time, only the Halti gives me some sort of control.
Have had GSDs all my life, and this one is by far the most obstinate wilful little madam I have ever owned!! Love her to pieces though…. She is also the funniest, most spirited, loyal and loving dog I have ever owned!

Piggy42 · 07/03/2022 20:21

I’ve found the walk your dog with love harness amazing.

Piggy42 · 07/03/2022 20:21

If he pulls it just turns him around, so he doesn’t pull now.

Gowithme · 07/03/2022 20:56

I used halti's on my dogs, they were off lead most of the walk but these helped us get there in one piece (they were old rescues). The halti turns their head and they slow down so their head is looking the right way again. I don't like slip leads but I always found a halti fine.

tabulahrasa · 07/03/2022 21:39

@MarmiteCoriander

Are these all called 'no pull harnesses'? I've seen these for sale, but always wondered how they stop pulling? How does having 2 leads attached stop pulling?
No pull harnesses normally do something different.

Just harnesses with a front ring, perfect fit I think are like that, ruff wear front range are and true love as well. You use a double ended lead fastened to both front and back, the back one is basically just for security (and also you’d use just that for long lines).

You hold the lead slightly towards the front ring so that when they pull that’s where the force goes - what that means is that they just can’t pull as hard because it’s on their chest and the pull pulls slightly sideways and towards you, which means they’re more manageable and you can work on your training.

MarmiteCoriander · 07/03/2022 21:47

@tabulahrasa- Thats so much for explaining. I have a very excitable puppy and despite puppy school, need to practice lead walking without pulling.

DogsAndGin · 07/03/2022 22:09

Figure of 8 did it for us

Ylvamoon · 07/03/2022 22:32

@BaconAndAvocado please train your dog to walk to heal. This takes time and a lot of reminders, patience and consistency from you.

At 13 months, he is still a pup and learning all about the dos & don't of being a dog.
I always think training a well behaved dog takes anything between 18- 24 months.

Using any device that makes your dog feel uncomfortable is really just masking the issue.