Halti Lead!

OMG!! What a difference! After reading another thread, I decided to give it a shot! Duke is a pain when he walks, I have been working on this since he was 4 months old(when I got him) and to no Avail! So I went a nd got a halti Lead, and Voila! Like magic, I have a perfect dog! We went for a walk this morning, and my goodness, what a change, no stress, no pulling, no dragging, and for once my arms didnt hurt! I am completely impressed! I didnt think anything would fix this issue,a s Duke is very headstrong. I had tried harnesses, chocke chains and prong collars(being desperate!)but nothing worked! Till now! I am so happy!
Now I can finally take both dogs on a walk together! Rocky is a good boy on the leash, so now I can enjoy them together!
Just had to Share the great news!:D

Glad you found something that worked. I've never had to use anything to stop a dog pulling, I guess I have always been lucky like that. I'm not sure if the halti is same as the gentle leader, I hear a lot of good things about the gentle leaders.

Also proof that such barbaric devices as choke chains and prong collars are inaffective as well as cruel.

A Haltie and GL are basicly the same thing, the only difference is design, the Halti has a little peice that attaches the nose and head part on either side, while the GL does not. I prefer Halti because of that, without those attachment straps my dogs can remove the GL in 2 seconds flat, while the Halti take some work for them to get it off.

and glad it worked critter crazy! I know the feeling, before I got one, I had given up on Misty, I tried evrery trick in the book to get her to stop pulling, but while they all seemed to work at first, eventually they all just made her pull even MORE lol

Its a wonderful tool for many dogs!

I've learned not to YA or NAY any tool for walking, as I've learned every dog is different & some so called "cruel" tools work the best for "that" individual dog. Bear is on a choaker & shes a gem 90% of the time (she can get moody with weird people, I don't blame her at all!)... + she has to keep it on 24/7 until she looses more weight. Her neck is SO fat her collar can easly slip off... when the choaker tightens, she cannot slip out of it (remember shes still in training & can be stuborn).

Take today at lunch for example. Chad was putting Bear out to pee & I was walking to the car.. bear thought she was going for a car ride & ran to my car... Chad chased her around my car (her thinking, opps I'm on the wrong side & ignoring commands). I grabbed her collar & she slipped out.. but she didn't try to take off, so I was able to grab her choaker... Chad returned her to the house fermly... naughty girl...

Shes good for not running away, but she'll avoid you like the plague by running around you & THEN running to the front door :rolleyes:


One of the guard rotties I use to work with was insane! He broke a halti & dragged me with a choaker :rolleyes: For the longest time the only way to walk him was chainning him up to the 4 wheeler (he was a 200lb rottie, all muscle!!)... we always went at his pace (there was a driver & a spotter, we just went around the back yard until he was tired). Then the prong collar came out. We bought that right away & PRESTO we were finally able to walk him :D

My old dog was on a halti & that was best for him.. he could heel off leash, but put a choaker on him & he would pull & pull & pull, no matter what command you gave him.. So I mad a 6" leash & always left his halti on during walks.. never had a command issue after that :D

3 happy dogs, 3 different tools :D

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Originally Posted by cali

I had given up on Misty, I tried evrery trick in the book to get her to stop pulling, but while they all seemed to work at first, eventually they all just made her pull even MORE lol

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I have the same problem and it really bothers me! What did you do to get them used to the halti?

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Originally Posted by Suki Wingy

I have the same problem and it really bothers me! What did you do to get them used to the halti?

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for me, i just followed the diections that came with it. You just intro the halti, let him sniff it and then put it on for a few minutes to get used to it. Take it off, give a treat. Continue doing this, and increasing the mount of time the Halti is on. Once the dog is used to the feeling of the Halti, you can intro the leash. This is where it gets tricky. Duke did fine with the halti on its own, but once the leash was pput on, he wasnt all that thrilled. But just a few turns around the house,and took it off. same thing as before, just keep increasing the amount of time. once they realize that as long s they are doing the right thing, there is no pressure on the Halti, and life is good. It only took 2 days with duke, to get him used to it. And now he walks like a champ! You have to make sure you get the right fit though, cause if it is too tight, it can hurt, and if it is too loose they can slip it off. Best to have the dog at the pet store and try it on.

I think I'm going to have to get one of these for Zoee. Although, I am worried about her getting depressed with it on. Anytime we put anything on her.....glasses, hat, shirt, life-vest.....she will just stand perfectly still and not move and has a sad look on her face. But I will just have to do like you did with Duke and introduce it to her gradually.
I am so glad it works for you!! That must be nice to be able to walk both of those big boys without trouble. :D

Glad to hear it worked!
I use a halti with Rebel from time to time depending on where we are going. It didn't take him long at all to get used to it and now he gets SO SO excited when I pull it out because he knows that the halti = we're going somewhere fun! :D

Aren't haltis great training tools? :D

Personally I have used both methods, the head halter and harness by Premier, the company that makes them both. Halti does have similar devices that produces the same results. The Gentle Leader head harness did work in the wink of the eye but you must have it on correctly and correctly IS supposed to be quite tight which is what I did not like about it. The vet fit it on my dog. People talk about show leads being high up on a dogs head, well at least the show lead isn't that tight. Don't get me wrong I did like the results it produced but hated the tightness of it. And it does have to be tight, I watched the DVD that came with the Gentle Leader not JUST interpreted the instructions from a written enclosure.

The head halter is used if you have a puller AND A strong JUMPER. IF your dog isn't a jumper then the Easy Walk harness by they same co. as makes the Gentle Leader is even easier on the dog. Halti produces a harness also.

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Originally Posted by king2005

Its a wonderful tool for many dogs!

I've learned not to YA or NAY any tool for walking, as I've learned every dog is different & some so called "cruel" tools work the best for "that" individual dog. Bear is on a choaker & shes a gem 90% of the time (she can get moody with weird people, I don't blame her at all!)... + she has to keep it on 24/7 until she looses more weight. Her neck is SO fat her collar can easly slip off... when the choaker tightens, she cannot slip out of it (remember shes still in training & can be stuborn).
:D

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Please do not leave a choker on 24/7. I have known many dogs who have died because their owners left the choke collar on. Remember, it's a TRAINING collar only. It's meant to be used during training times, period. If the choke collar gets caught on anything, your dog will choke to death. These stories abound, and I have heard many of them personally. They are extremely sad and easily avoided.

Also, remember in order to work, the choke chain must be fitted properly. Very few people understand the proper fitting or the proper use of the choke collar. It must be used with your dog walking on one side only. Because the choke mechanism will only work one-sided, you have to keep your dog on that side of your body, or the chain will choke up and not release. Of course, most people choose to walk the dog on their left as most people are right handed. It keeps your right side free for right handed work. You must fit the choke collar so it willl tighten and reatract with you on the left. Also, many people have choke collars too tight or too lose. Because they are so hard to use, I really dislike them for anyone but highly trained professionals.

As many know, I'm not an advocate of choke chains. I much more prefer the Haltie or GL. I'm glad the Haltie has worked for our OP. She trained it correctly and of course, it's worked wonders. Neither the Haltie or the GL has to fit extremely tightly. An over tight fit is a wrong fit. However, neither can be loose either, or the dog can escapse. There is a proper fit for each. I prefer the Haltie for dogs with nromals sized snouts, but GLs are best for dogs with small, pressed in noses as it can size to the nose.

Glad to hear the Haltie has worked for you! Keep up the good work, and remember, it's a training collar. You work toward getting it off of the dog, too, just like a choker.

Basically I have the same advice Critter Crazy had. Listen to the instructions that come with them.

What i did though is pull out the Halti and show it to the dog and treat when it walks up to it. Move the Halti away a bit and treat the dog when it goes up to it again. Now hold up the Halti so that the dog has to slip its nose through to get the treat. Depending on how shy to new things are you can stop here for now for about an hour. Put the Halti away and ignore your dog. Ignore it. Hey, no peeking. :D Yes, I know it's difficult. Oh, and while you still have the Halti out and are giving treats give verbal or physical praise too... whatever your dog likes. Now it's been an hour. Repeat the process. This time with the collar portion adjusted to be a bit loose clasp it and treat and praise your dog. Give more treats and praise. If this is going well and your dog isn't freaking you may adjust the collar portion. Otherwise you way want to take if off before your dog freaks. That way they don't associate the freaking with getting the Halti off.

Now this is where a professional trainer came in handy. Workers at two different pet stores were less than competent. I was afraid of the Halti being adjusted too tight. I definitely had it too loose. If fitted properly the dog won't be able to pull out of it, but you'll still be able to fit two to three fingers flatly under it.

To know you have the right size your dog should be able to fully pant, but when you pull on the leash the Halti should fully close their mouth. Also, the collar portion will sit high on the neck.

Again... FULLY READ THROUGH THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH IT!!!

The trainer prefers the Gentle Leader, but for this dog I much prefer the Halti. What a lot of people won't tell you is that the Halti also has a LOT softer of a mesh.

Also, If you have a dog with out aggression issues that just likes to pull I HIGHLY suggest trying a chain leash first. (I prefer the ones with the leather handles but those are no longer in production :( ) With a little bit of training and a chain leash a lot of people that have tried it have noticed a huge difference in walking their dog. They didn't believe me until they tried it.

However do NOT use a chain leash or any other heavy leash with a Halti or Gentle Leader. It will put constant pressure on the dog. In the very least it makes it uncomfortable for the dog. I suggest any lightweight nylon leash or rope. If you normally use a 1 1/2 inch leash, switch to a 3/4 inch leash for the head collars. You'll notice a difference in how your dog reacts to walking with the Halti.

Good Luck EVERYONE!

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Originally Posted by Suki Wingy

I have the same problem and it really bothers me! What did you do to get them used to the halti?

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Thank you. I'm going to search for the halti, if I can't find it I'm just buying another. My dog actually snapped that style of leash (chain) apart and got loose when he (generally free of agression) lunged barking at the lady who lives across the who is already terrified of him. This is the type of leash that he snapped
http://www.softwarexpress.co.uk/images/16720f.jpg
When he pulls I don't think he even feels it, or the discomfort or pain registers. We usually walk him in a properly fitted prong (pinch) collar. When he gets on the lead, he is almost oblivious to me except for if I say "squirrel," when he looks around exitedly for a squirrel, and if I cluck with my mouth he knows we're going to turn. Otherwise, it's like he has blinders on. If I drop the lead or he is off, he usually runs as far and fast as he can. Back when he was about 3 (4 years ago) he could be off leash around my stepdad or if we don't make a big deal, but my mother ruined that by yelling at him frantically every time he got 50 yards away. We used this harness, but he did not understand that was stopping because he was pulling, and we made no progress, just stopping and going, stopping and going.
http://www.smartpakequine.com/images...arness_Red.jpg
Really sorry fpr hijacking the thread!

Nebo has a halti. He HATES it, he makes the walk miserable for us both if I use that. They can be great for dogs that don't hate them though. ;) I use the gentle leader easy walk harness instead--it works great, I have one for both Nebo and Keva, and neither of them mind wearing it.

The halti lead, should work great for you Suki wingy. There will be no pulling, cause when the dog pulls, it causes their head to turn. Therefore they cannot pull forward.

here is what the Halti Lead looks like:
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...c_original.jpg