# Halti Collars...



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Flake said:


> In the right situations, yes or no?
> 
> I imagine them to be quite contraversial...


Just wondering why you think they'd be controversial... They're only a tool (and a poor substitute for proper leash training) but I haven't ever thought they'd be controversial...

When I managed the humane society here, we had young teen volunteers who would walk some pretty big, burly, untrained dogs and the Haltis and Gentle Leaders worked well to help get the dogs outside for walks and keep the volunteers from getting pulled willy-nilly down the path.

Most of the dogs got acclimated to the feel of the head harness quickly and because they knew it meant a W-A-L-K, they became very willing to accept it. 

I've never needed one for my own dogs, because they are taught proper leash manners from an early age, but, "in the right situation" with a very strong puller, it can prevent the pulling (but not necessarily teach the dog why it's not OK to pull...) 

It's a prevention, not a cure... IMO...


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

There's dogs that come in to the salon that aren't managable without one.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

In the right situation, yes I think they are fine, is it debatable, possibly. I think people should try what works for them. I have haltis and gentle leaders and every day collars we use most of the time now. 

The gentle leader works very well for Olie - not Suri. It helped us aid in Olie being so distracted - but we used it during training/walking. He does not pull though either. I have haltis for my Poms - they in fact do have very fragile trachea's and to avoid later damage we have chose to use these most of the time. 

There are so many options out there for leash training and then casual walking. With smaller dogs I think they serve a good purpose, maybe a bit of "prevention" here too. 

There are collars out there that are controversial like the prong but I think this is a matter of when to use them and where. I don't see the halti this way.


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## Flake (Oct 18, 2009)

Okay. 
There is one dog by my place that walks past daily who is always in one, and it makes me feel a bit weird, I guess because it looks so restricting? I don't really know how they work but have heard that they are supposedly very gentle. 

Duncan does pretty well on the lead. He heels for the most part, but skateboards and teens on the main road can make him pull a bit, as can another dog on the occasion. We head out for an hour a day at the moment, with a normal lead, and he's getting better all of the time. I would continue to use the usual lead on our main walk but...

I want to take him out more now that the weather is getting much cooler, as he doesn't want to be outside as often. To do this I need to walk him with the pram, but he competes with it and is incredibly hard to handle. I know that training, patience and persistance is the key, but to be honest I'm more likely to give up and just walk him the usual once a day, when we could all benefit from that second walk. 

Sooo....trying one of these leads just when out with the pram? Worth it or do I need to stop being so lazy?


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

The halti just causes the dog's head to turn to the side if they pull on the lead. For whatever physiological reason, they can't walk forward with their head turned to the side, so they stop pulling. 

I like the 'Easy Walk' harnesses that are styled like the Martingale collars that tighten and relax as needed. You can put them on the dog so that the lead attaches to the ring on their chest, which also effectively stops them from moving forward.


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## Taxi (Jan 18, 2010)

Flake said:


> In the right situations, yes or no?
> 
> I imagine them to be quite contraversial...


What situations were you thinking of?


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## flufflvr (Mar 20, 2010)

My bichon Cosita is 8 yrs old, and I still can't get her to walk on a loose lead. You name it, I've tried it ...becoming the tree, treats, choker collar, change directions, etc. After a few years of trying, walking wasn't a positive experience anymore, it was more exasperating, and painful on my elbow (you wouldn't guess it with a 12 lb dog, would you?) The only two things that work are the easy walk harness and the gentle leader. I will probably use one or the other on her forever. She still enjoys the walk, and I'm not constantly correcting her, so we both arrive back happier. I do use a flexi with a harness now when we go hiking. It gives her a chance to run around without being restricted.


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

flufflvr said:


> (you wouldn't guess it with a 12 lb dog, would you?)


Yes. Yes, I would. LOL


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Like someone else said, they are another tool in your toolbox. I think they are Great for some dogs, and not for others. I have seen some dogs completely shut down with them on, and others dont care. Riley doesnt care when his is on, and i really like it. We havnt needed to use it for years though. It is something that you should wean off of eventually, but i know some dogs that are on it for life. I dont have a problem with it if the owner doesnt care and it gets the dog out of the house walking. 

You dont give collar corrections with it, and you have to keep them on a short leash. If they get a running start, hit the end of the leash and whip themselves around id imagine it could cause some problems. I really like them though and would use one again (along with other tools).


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## yigcenuren (May 3, 2009)

I personally have never HAD to use a Haltie. I've always leash trained my dogs and (maybe I've just been lucky) have never had difficulty doing it.

But I've seen dogs whose owner SHOULD have been using them because their dogs were so out of control and were literally dragging their people behind them.

I worked with horses when I was younger so I completely understand the concept behind a haltie. It's a lead halter for your dog. Horses have a hard time walking straight when their head is turned in another direction to that which they are moving. Just think how difficult it would be to try to lead a horse somewhere using something around its neck resting at the base of its shoulder....where ALL of its POWER is. Unless the horse wanted to go where you were going you'd never get it to move, it would just drag you along like a rag and hardly notice you were even there.
Same thing with a large untrained dog. The collar is on it's neck but it is still often resting very close to the shoulder where the dog has alot of strength. I get particularly annoyed when I see people putting those shoulder harnesses on their large dog (rotties, boxers, huskies...etc) and then hear them complain that they can't control their dog. You have almost no control over your dog when you put one of those on unless the dog is trained. The dog has been given something that he can put his shoulder against and really pull WITHOUT hurting himself AT ALL.
First; get YOURSELF and your dog to some obedience classes. Second; if it's really that bad, put a haltie on the dog and keep your arm in it's socket until you've had time to train you dog to be polite on a lead.

My rant and 2 cents

Monica


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## Sparkle&Spunk (Jan 26, 2010)

this is what I used for Fallie for months (like 4/5 months at least) b/c she liked(s) to go bananas when she meets other dogs (believe it or not she pretty much likes every poodle she meets) 














not everyone has the luxury of getting a puppy from an early age, Fallie is a good adult dog I rescued and has a few issues that we continue to work on, but time, compassion and training are all working in our favor


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