Gentle Leader® or Halti® training: 3 Common Misconceptions
When you’re walking a dog on a lead and using a normal collar, the dog wants to reply to your pull with a pull of its own. That’s their natural response. Because the result of these two pulls can be a blocked throat or a choked airway, dogs learn to modify their natural urge.
When the use of a normal collar and lead isn’t working – your dog insists on pulling – we recommend using a head collar such as a Gentle Leader® or Halti®.
The head collar is designed to control your dog quite differently from a normal collar. It’s based on the same premise as a horse’s halter which is a "head harness". It means that the dog is attached to the lead via its head rather than his strong pulling neck and shoulders. One strap goes over the dog’s muzzle and another strap goes around the back of his head.
Instead of aggressively exerting dominance, if your dog goes off to one side or tries to pull ahead, the head collar swings him smoothly and effortlessly back into line again. It teaches your dog not to pull but without restricting his breathing or pinching his neck. Haltis® and other head collars work in a similar manner.
Because you get immediate, direct control we have found head collars effective in correcting pulling, lunging, and jumping and it has shown marked success helping owners facilitate basic training commands such as "sit" and "down." Head collars are also very useful in alpha training, for example they are helpful in moving dominant dogs out of doorways and off couches.
According to the designers of the Gentle Leader®, each strap of the head collar makes a special contribution. The nose loop is said to mimic the action of a pack leader grasping your dog’s muzzle in its jaw to show dominance. The neck strap aims to mimic a mother’s calming grip on the back of a pup’s neck.
Here are three criticisms of head collars and our responses to them:
- The science is suspect. Some have questioned whether the individual straps live up to their claims. We are slightly sympathetic to this view, in that the explanation of the mechanics of each strap can sound over-determined. But regardless of whether these straps are actually mimicking pack behaviors, there is no doubt that the lead effectively controls the dog's head.
- It looks like a muzzle. It's not a muzzle. A dog on a head collar can vocalize, eat, drink, and pant. The more people see dogs with head collars on the more normal it will be and the less they will be confused with muzzles. Also, it's likely that people are so used to seeing dogs pulling on their lead and gasping for breath they no longer see that method of dog control as inhumane. As more people become educated about alternative methods, the more they will accept them.
- Dogs hate wearing it. Many dogs will make a tremendous fuss about wearing it at first. Some will act like it's intolerable and try to paw at it or rub their face on the ground. This display is usually temporary and it's important to realize that they are not responding to pain but rather to a form of discipline. As long as you follow the introduction instructions that come with the product and distract your dog with lots of fun and treats your dog will soon forget its even wearing it.
We like the gentle approach
The head harness design is a gentle and effective way to manage a dog and train it to behave well on a lead. It is also an indispensable training tool for a variety of canine behavior problems. The head collars is also a lot more humane than prong collars which although giving you some control can severely damage your dog’s neck and also encourage aggression and dominance problems.
In our opinion, because the design is more dog-friendly and more effective than conventional collars and other alternatives, it really should be the first choice, for the sake of the dogs – and their training.
So lead gently. They will follow.
All the best,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
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