never fear HALTI is here (Halti Head Collar)

Member Name: miss_tassker

Product:	Halti Head Collar
Date:	27/10/09 (238 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: it really works

Disadvantages: not the best look this season

I don't want to raise people's hopes. like any product on the market you have to try it yourself. All I can do is tell you my experiences.

The Scene:
I am 5ft4" and weigh approximately 8 stone. To be honest I'm not sure I could lift my own body weight (Note to self: Must try to lift own body weight) Anyway, back in May I rescued a 9 month old pup from the local RSPCA. He had been taken in as he belonged to a tramp. The Council had found him a home but wouldn't let him take his dog (Harley).

Harley is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossed with a Lab. He is the size and weight of a Lab but has the wide head and chest of a Staffy and truely was a street dog.
Case Study:

It was getting to the stage that on various occasions I would return from a walk and think to myself "I can't do this anymore ! !". I would be dripping in sweat, blisters on my hands and close to tears. (Felt pretty pathetic really, starting to wonder if I had done the right thing.) I spoke to my local Vets and asked if they could recomend anything. People had suggested a harness but that wouldn't solve the fact that the dog is physically stronger than me and as far as I was concerned a choke chain was out of the question. The local Vet suggested I try the Halti Collar (I got mine from the local pet shop, depending on the size of your dog you are looking at a cost of around £6-£9, available in most good pet shops or vets).
How does it Work?:

The Halti collar fits in the same way a head collar is fitted on a horse and works in the same way as a bitless bridle would work, by applying pressure to the muzzle bringing the head down and in towards you. This makes the dog aware that you are talking to him and helps to teach and enforce voice control. And (so the makers say) the pressure on the muzzle has a calming effect.
The Story Continues :

At first he hated it. He would let me put it on and we would start walking but as soon as he saw someone else he threw himself on the floor and tried his hardest to pull it off his head, the whole time making noises as if I was beating him. This worried me as I didn't like to see him in distress. Again I contacted my vet, he told me to think of him as a naughty child throwing a tantrum and to ignore his behaviour as he wouldn't be able to pull it off and would eventually give in. I did and he did !!
The 2 most important things I have to say :-

1. Make sure you buy the right size collar. When I looked at the collar it looked far too small and I was extreamly doubt full that it would fit. If your collar is too large the dog will be able to get his paws underneath and pull it away from his head. (trust me, I'm on collar number 2 now!!)
2. The first time you try the collar, take your dog on a familiar walk. The walk you do every day, somewhere he is comfortable in his surroundings. (This is the only fair way to put it to the test). Ignore his/her attempts to try and pull/rub the collar off, remember if you keep walking unless they want to fall over, they won't be able to pull the collar off and walk at the same time.

Don't give up and TRY this pain free, non restrictive collar!! I offer my sympathy to anyone who is battleing with a head strong dog. It's made the world of difference to me and I'm just sorry I didn't know about the Halti Collar before. What have you got to loose ?? Good Luck !!

Summary: try it