I 100% agree with Giselle... as always.![]()
Head halters are a bandaid on a training issue/lack thereof, only a temporary solution. The dog is not willingly obeying, he is being forced physically into obeying. I would recommend a head halter as a LAST RESORT, but the vast majority of dogs can be trained to loose-leash walk and heel on a flat collar using only praise, patience, and most of all consistency. Head halters and no-pull harnesses are much more humane, IMO, as a training tool than chokers and prongs. However, they still aren't altering any behavior, the dog is not getting any mental stimulation or training. The dog will revert the moment the head halter/harness is off.
From this day on, don't ever allow your Husky to pull. Fozzie used to be a ridiculous puller as an adolescent because I was not completely consistent with his pulling. He knew how to heel, and knew what loose leash was, but he was not in the habit of always walking politely. You have to make walking politely the ONLY way to walk, in your dog's mind. I used the "be a tree" method, in which you stop dead in your tracks the instant the leash is taut, and only procede when the dog looks back to you and loosens the leash, then repeat, repeat, repeat. Giselle's method works very well, too, and is based around the same principle (removing the reward - moving forward - when the dog is pulling). The key is consistency. Fozzie is incredibly stubborn (and possibly part Husky), but after a good month of this the pulling was nearly non-existant. I walk him daily, and almost never have to stop any more. He will just slow down when he senses he's near the end of the leash. Bring treats along on every walk, and offer your pup lots of treats and praise the moment he is at your left side. He will soon learn that walking at your left side (in a heel position) is very rewarding, and he'll hang around your left side on his own because of that positive association.
It also helps - A LOT - to give your boy some good, intense off-leash exercise before each walk or training session.
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