I have started to use a halt lead and I just wanted to say how fantastic they are. Just the ticket no more going ahead. I strongly advise anyone with pulling dogs to try this lead out. Also known as a gentle leader. Good luck to you all ( though you won't need it with one of these
Its a bit normal for pups to dislike collars and head leads at first, after all, its their first time with anything like it! Some dogs just react badly at first.
Best thing is to keep on perservering with it, but dont use it just at walk times. Put it on around the house when youre happy and calm, when youre playing, etc. Speak in calm tones as you're putting it on the pup, saying "good dog" heaps along the way. If puppy tries to get out of it, use a more forceful voice to say "no" or "enough", make eye contact so puppy knows you mean business, and continue. Give treats for times when you can get it on without problems, and continue giving treats for extended wear of the halti
Puppy will soon learn that halti's arent bad, and they generally mean its time for fun!
I'm sure he'll get used to it with time, just keep at it!
I know Halti is a specific brand of these types of collars so I don't know that my Gentle Leader is any better/worse. I have a 60 Pitbull that is a solid brick and made for pulling! I had tried halters, "choke" chains, regular leashes and many other devices and she still dragged me around the block. My vet recommend this Gentle Leader and it worked wonders. It basically looks like a cattle/horse halter the way it goes around the head and it came with a training disc & instruction manual. She doesn't like it very much at first but when we get started walking she forgets about it and I still get to keep control!
For those of you that has a dog that likes to drag you around, I strongly recommend this type of halter/collar.
I use the dogmatic Halti but not for pulling! in fact Duke walks lovely but dislikes other dogs sniffing him and will snap! with the halti i can gently control his head and stop this quickly. I did try a muzzel but Duke went into shut down and only managed one walk on the muzzel and ended in the bin, but after a couple of weeks on the haltie he is greeting better (still have the odd snap). I feel more in control and because of this Duke is not picking up on my fears or negative vibes which was adding or even making the problem worse At first he did not like wearing it but now will fetch his lead and haltie when i say "walkies" and even puts his nose in the haltie for me to take him on a very relaxed walk
So I went to buy a Halti for Arki because I believe they are better than our current system, which is half collar and half choke chain (built in). I asked the woman at the shop to help me put it on. He went beserk and chewed through it in a flash. I got charged half the price and left with nothing. How did this happen? I'm wondering if she put it on wrong with the strap in his mouth or whether he was able to hook his bottom jaw underneath it once it was on. Not keen to pay for another one unless we can leave the shop with it in one piece!
Oh no! Thats unfortunate, but the experience might be due to a couple things - trying a new type of lead in a pet store which is full of smells, sounds, other animals, and people your dog isnt familiar with might have just been too much for Arki. Having a stranger try something new when he's already excited about his environment could have just triggered him. Similarly, it may have just been that it wasn't you putting it on him, it was someone he didnt trust so much. Or the lady might have put it on assumming it would go smoothly, put it in his mouth by accident or just gotten it too close to his mouth, and bam - chewed lead.
If you want to try again, I would suggest going to the store and asking if you buy it and your dog just won't tolerate it at home (but doesnt actually damage it), could you return it? It seems like it will be better to just buy one and try it at home - ultimately if you put it on Arki in a calm way, he should take it better. And even if he doesn't like it at first, you can train with it at home (just have him wear it around the house at first, etc) to get him used to it. From what I've heard, owners who buy one have great success with them, even if it involves a bit of getting used to.
Hope this helps, and hopefully that was the last halti Arki chews through!
