Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 5:12 pm Post subject: uurrrgggh.... halti, canny collars, gentle leaders... Help.
I am considering trying one of these on Bailey, to 'help' with his heel work. I know some people love and some people hate this kind of thing, but, I'm prepared to give anything a go. The only time he walks well on his lead is when he is tired out and on his way home from a walk... and yes, I know it's all my fault, so in an attempt to make walking him a pleasure again... here goes
So, my question.... which is the best, what are the differences and what do you use/recommend? Thanks.
I did use a Canny collar for about a week with Mojo. It was an extreme move for me, as she was only 14 months old, had just had surgery on her elbows and been on cage rest for a few weeks, so she was like a coiled spring. She hated it, I hated it and I never used it again after that.
I personally wouldn't use anything which tightens round a dogs face if it wasn't an emergency and was a more long term thing, as it must make walks really miserable having their face squeezed all the time.
Whatever you choose, just make sure it fits properly, as I see so many dogs with head collars pulling their faces out of shape, or ridden up under their eyes, which must be so uncomfortable and possibly dangerous. And NEVER use one with one of those Flexi lead things, as coming to a sudden stop and having their head whipped round, must do untold damage to their necks.
If I had to try a gadget to get one of mine to walk nicely, then I'd probably go for a Mekuti body harness.
i used the halti and gentle leader with jake purely because he`s so powerful and i`m so weak that walking him was dangerous for both of us. i have to admit that although they worked well i hated them as did jake, he would walk well on them but once he stopped he`d bat at his face
http://www.xtradog.com/latest-products/fleece-dog-harnesses.html i`ve heard those are really good along with the mekuti and walkezee harnesses and are just as effective (not to mention you don`t have to explain to everyone that your dog isn`t aggressive and it`s not a muzzle he`s wearing )
Thanks Leah, I used to have him on a harness when he was little, he hated wearing it, but still pulled? Don't know what the difference is with these but I will have a look.
I sometimes walk Bracken with a gentle leader if he's quite exciteable, it's quite easy to pop on but he hates it and it doesn't really feel like using it would just teach your dog to walk nicely, rather it makes correction and dealing with the pulling easier, if that makes sense. Teaching him to heel, or trying to anyway has been a lot more difficult than I thought so I can definitely sympathise with you.
Edit: I'm probably understating how much easier the pulling is to deal with, I'm reasonably strong and if Bracken is pulling he can move me a fair bit but with the gentle leader it'd be possible for someone much lighter and perhaps more frail to walk him and for that I definitley see how useful it could be.
Last edited by Chris_L on Sun Mar 20, 2011 5:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
I used a Halti on Loon when she was younger through the icey winter months to prevent injury. She really responded to being trained to walk close with this on and rarely attempted to pull after a while. I really upped the effort, praise and treats so that it was a training tool for her not to pull rather than a long term thing.
Luna walking slowly on the way home was a FANTASTIC opportunity to teach her the heel command, the slow walk and close walk commands with the aid of treats! I used to extend the route home at times just to get more training time! When I was using the Halti at this point I would use the double ended lead attached to her half-check collar to teach her that a rattle of the chain would result in a treat! Eventually that rattle on the half check chain = treat meant that the Halti got flung in a cupboard as as soon as she got too far ahead a rattle down the loose leash or tap on the leg would bring her back close for a treat!
Good luck!
I used to use a gentle leader on Jess when I first got her. Don't think she'd ever been on a lead before and she'd of pulled your arm out of the socket. Used it for a few months and she was fine. Only use slip lead on her now.
I work with dogs and there are a couple which pull no matter what I use. I've tried the lot - halti, gentle leader, canni collar, harness. I think they just love pulling.
At the moment I'm just using a flat collar and lead as Coco has got a bit better and only pulls if she needs the toilet or sees another dog. I have a canni-collar which I didn't find much help because although it pulls on the top of their nose the main control is from behind their head so it isn't as effective as others, also, Coco got very good at slipping the nose part off as soon as she got any slack.
I used a halti for quite a while and would use this again in slippy conditions or if I needed to give my back/shoulders a rest. Coco still didn't like it and still managed to pull in it but at least it gave me some extra strength, a bit like having power steering on a car.
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