Halt that bad behaviour! (Halti Head Collar)

Member Name: colliegal

Product:	Halti Head Collar
Date:	07/11/07 (625 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: kind method of training; very easy to use;

Disadvantages: sizes not always accurate; people think its a muzzle!

I thought I would give a quick review on my experience of using a Halti Headcollar.

A friend of mine recently inherited a rather boisterous 2 year old Standard Poodle called Ella. Ella had belonged to a relative who had sadly passed away, and whilst she had been much loved and well cared for, she had rarely been taken for walks and wasn’t used to other dogs. Ella was a nightmare on the lead, and being such a strong dog, would drag my poor friend all over the place, even knocking her off her feet once. She would get very excited if she met another dog, and would lunge and bark. All she wanted to do was play, but it would frighten some dogs, and their owners too! My friend was at her wits’ end, and knowing that I knew a bit about dogs, she asked me if I could help out.

Well the first step obviously was to get Ella under control and walking nicely to heel on a lead. I am not a fan of check chains which can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and I would certainly never use punishment methods, so I decided we would give the Halti a go. I had never used one before, but had heard excellent reports about it.

The Halti looks very similar to a head collar that you would use on a horse. It has a band that fits over the nose and is secured at the back of the head with a plastic clasp. Under the jaw, there is a slip ring to which you attach your normal lead. There is also a safety strap which you attach to the dog’s collar incase the dog manages to slip out of the Halti.
It proclaims to be a kind method to stop dogs pulling, and works by pressure. If the dog attempts to pull or lunge, the jaws are closed by the slip ring. The dog literally cannot pull, as the head is forced down and slightly to the side. When the dog is relaxed, the ring is loosened, and the dog is able to pant, yawn, bark and eat as normal.
The Halti comes in 6 sizes. Some of the sizes are available in blue, red or brown, but all sizes are available in black. There are special padded versions available for dogs with short or sensitive noses, such as Boxers. The Halti costs around £8 - £10.

We bought a size 3 Halti suitable for Standard Poodles from the local pet shop. My initial reaction was that it looked well made and strong; the fabric was quite soft and looked comfortable. However, this size was far too big for Ella even after adjusting it, so we had to exchange it for a size 2. This fitted perfectly. It is very easy to put on, and if fitted correctly, is extremely difficult for the dog to remove.

Ella hated wearing the headcollar at first, and would paw at it and try and rub her head on the ground to remove it.
I found the best thing to do was to get her used to it gradually by wearing it around the house for short periods. I rewarded her when she was calm, and always put it on when she was eating; playing; having a cuddle, so she would associate it with pleasurable experiences. Even so, it took a good week or more for her to get used to it.

But when we took her out for a walk, what a difference! Almost immediately, she was a different dog! Not being able to pull ahead, she was soon trotting calmly at my friend’s side on a loose lead. She tried to lunge at other dogs a couple of times, but having found it wasn’t getting her anywhere, she soon gave up and concentrated on her walk. After about a week of walking using the Halti she was so much more relaxed and calm, and both Ella and her owner are enjoying their walks so much more.
Ella still does not enjoy wearing the Halti, and when she is off the lead with the Halti on, occasionally she will still try and get it off by pawing at it. But this is a small price to pay for a calm, well-behaved dog that is a pleasure to walk.
One word of warning though, do not use the Halti with an extendable/flexi lead as this could be dangerous on a boisterous, highly-strung dog.

I am not saying the Halti is a miracle cure, it takes time and patience, and may not be suitable for every dog. But for Ella and her owner, it worked a treat!

Summary: A wonderful method of controlling and calming a strong, boisterous dog