has anyone used those anti pull harnesses for dogs? or those Head collars that look like a halter for a horse?

Question

but are for dogs? what did you think?

Answer 1

Sorry this is so long. Ok, sounds like you may be having pulling problems with your dog. Have you ever worked with a Halti head harness on a dog? If not, don't bother. Yes, they may work for someone who's used them before, but what you may end up with is a dog who is going to carry on and do whatever it is he needs to do to get it off of his face. I know this. However, what you could actually do is take your leather leash, hopefully you have one that is 1/4" to 1/2"; slip the clip end through the handle, take this loop, put it over your dogs head and the keep it high up on his neck just behind his ears. This will give you good head control and you will feel where he is at all the time. Take him outside and notice how much control you have. Now if this is not going to work for you, (was trying to save you a little money). You could purchase the Front Clip Harness. This reminds your dog that he cannot go more forward than you would like. But, with all of the leads/harnesses/collars etc, your dog should be taught to be by your side. Another thing you could try is what I've learned as "The Tree". As soon as your dog begins to pull, STOP. Yes, just dead stop, and don't move. He may squirm, bark, whatever, but what you want here is for him to come to you or at least act as though he is coming back to you. Once he does, you can treat him or just say good boy. Continue to walk, again when he pulls, stop. Keep doing this; he'll get the hang of it. When your dog is pulling you and you are pulling him back, this reinforces his wanting to pull more.

Answer 2

I do not have any experience with the halters. The answer is not in the halter or the collar but in the training. When I discuss rein tension in horse riding or using draft teams, the principle is the same. If the horse (in this case your dog) perceives it normal to have a lot of pressure pulling against it, then they respond accordingly. The best method to stop your dog from pulling is to stand perfectly still and ignore him (the tree or pole stand). When he relaxes and eases tension, then resume walking. They will quickly learn that to walk is to have little to no tension on the leash. This is easier with younger dogs. You have to be persistant and consistant. One older dog I trained just never quite got the hang of this and always pulled some but was better. He was the best off the leash. If I put him on a leash, he strained some but when I took it off, he would walk next to me and stop when I stopped. However, I obviously could not do this everywhere. As for choke collars vs the prong collar, both are about as affective. However, I read a report about atopsies on police dogs that showed less trauma to the dogs neck with the prong collar.

Answer 3

Use one on my dog and think they are great...but you should never use one with a leash longer than 4-6 feet - they can run and hurt their necks. It has made the walk much more enjoyable, and also prevents neck damage to the trachea when they pull.

It does take a dog a bit to get uses to the head halter - follow the directions and make sure it fits properly...then make short sessions and encourage walking with it on (as they usually paw furiously at it the first few times). And yes, it is kind of like a horse halter - in that once you have control of the head, you have control over the entire body.

My friend uses the gentle leader no-pull harness and loves it.

Answer 4

I use the "head collars" and the Harnesses... and both are wonderful to keep the dog in control while you teach them the correct behavior. My preference is the harness because some dogs can find the "head collar" uncomfortable & aversive.

Answer 5

The harness is great if your dog is always getting twisted up in his leash. I don't think it'll stop him from pulling, though.

The gentle leader (bridle-looking thing) helps teach your dog to walk at your pace. His snout is very sensitive, and if he won't like how it feels to pull against the leader.

I use a leash/collar combination which is basically just a strong rope looped through a ring (see link). When my dog pulls on the leash, the collar part gets tighter. It took her awhile to get used to it.

Answer 6

I swear by the gentle leader head harness. I was absolutely AMAZED the first time I used it and I loved it. My dog looked ridiculous but it was the only way I could walk him. He was 110 lbs and I have a bad back and I could easily walk him with it on. The only problem I had with it was that he would ge frustrated and try to get it off - scraping his nose on the asphalt and he'd end up bleeding. But he was just kind of dumb, and he figured it out eventually.

Answer 7

My husband and I have 2 Siberian Huskies that used to pull horribly (it's in their nature) when walked with a regular leash attached to their collar. My husband has had surgery on his back twice for degenerative disc disease, so trying to walk our dogs was, at times, painful for him with all the pulling. It was really miserable trying to walk them. We went to PetSmart and bought gentle leaders for both of our dogs - they work fantastic for us. You can buy them in different sizes and different colors. If you decide to go this route, have someone at PetSmart show you how to put them on your dog, as well as how to adjust them - they can be a little tricky (but not too difficult) to use the first time or two. Now we do not walk either of our dogs without their gentle leaders on. Good luck to you!

Answer 8

I will second the raves for the Gentle Leader. I have a husky, a breed that is intended to pull as their job, and they are GOOD at it. LOL But it has worked wonders for us. And, as a dog trainer, I highly recommend it to my students who are having a hard time with walking on the leash, as well as for people who have physical disabilities. And, if you do choose to try one, go to your local Petsmart and have one of the dog trainers help you, they can be tricky to size correctly the first time. Also, if you go to petsmart.com and print out the page for the Gentle Leader, they will price match and that can save you quite a bit, but you won't have to wait for it in the mail. =)

Answer 9

Bought one and hated it for my Rottweiler, it didn't stop the pulling.

I broke her with a choke collar used correctly.

Answer 10

I hate them!

Dogs have hurt their necks with them and I would NEVER put one on a fast breed like mine.

An excuse for not training, IMO. If some one wants to use them in my classes, I let them, but they usually don't use them for long. I do not recommend them to my students though.