Question for trainers re headcollars / facecollars

Hello,

I would be very grateful for some input by a trainer please.

This question relates to a course I am doing with CIDBT (further info about the course on an earlier thread).

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=132404

I would like to ask a trainer how effective you feel headcollars / face collars are? Do you have a favourite, if so which one and why do you prefer it over others? What type of dogs would you use it on?

I would be very grateful for any help.

Many thanks.

Will come back and read your link and write more when I have time, but in the meantime,a quickie, .....

I believe headcollars are a great idea for any dog which has the physical strength or size to take its handler of their feet.....when chasing a cat etc. They are also very useful for people who have any weakness or disability, or have other things to "focus on and manage" whilst walking their dog, such as a pushchair, or other dogs.

Having watched someone be dragged across a road by two retrievers in persuit of a cat, a car norrowly missing them all, I realised just how sensible the handling approach of head control, of the large animal and horse world is!

What is important is that they are introduced correctly. That they fit correctly and that the dog is accustomed to wearing it WITHOUT the lead attached for a period of time before clipping the lead on. I recommend feeding the dog with the headcollar on and then later, walking with it on but without the lead attached.

Will write more later.

Thank you very much for your reply it is very much appreciated!

Have read your other thread and realised that you have the answers you need there, so, there isnt much more for me to add here other than which is our favourite and the one we recommend. .

I do have a favourite, but I cant remember what it is called - it is one of my team who usually deal with head collar questions (becasue I am a forgetful, clutter head)so I will ask Chelle which one we like and let you know.
Good luck with your course.

I thought I better give some background info re the course I am doing just so you know what your answer is for and that is why I linked the thread in. Your reply has been extremely useful!! My other thread was in relation to questions I had to ask dog owners, the question regarding headcollars was questions I had to ask a trainer, so the feedback that you have given me is very useful indeed, thank you.

That would be great if you could let me know and if your favourite headcollar gets used on all breeds?

Although not a trainer myself, I completely with Lotsadogs.

Can help greatly if used correctly! Where the head goes the body must follow. I would only use it in 'severe' cases or if I had a disability preventing me to keep the dog under control if it spotted a cat/squirrel etc.

(However, if you are my cob who is built like a tank, the grass can be much better option, even with a headcollar will tow me across for a nibble thankfully he rarely does it now)

Heard good things about the gencon both on here and other websites.

Also heard mixed reviews about the dogmatic, I'm sure a few people on here use it from what I remember?

Hi sorry to jump in but I just need to ask a question. Mh dog Honey she tends to drag to the point where sometimes her face is touching the floor. It is generally when we are leaving the house and then she quitens of after about ten minutes.

She walks from one side to other which I stop her from doing. Now it is coming cold my arthritis will start playing up. So I wondered if a headcollar would be of any use? But it seems they can hurt the dog? My friend said a retractable lead would be better but I thought this would encourage her to pull?

Sorry for jumping in hope I have not annoyed anyone

You may be better starting a new topic as you may get some more replies, but I'd just say that fitted and used incorrectly, any kind of restraint can cause harm. Collars can harm the throat or neck, harnesses can rub under the arms and hurt the back, retractable leads can lead to sudden jolts when the dog reaches the end of it, etc. I would certainly not recommend a retractable lead to teach a dog to walk on a loose lead, because the nature of these leads means there is always an amount of pressure on the dog's neck - therefore they don't learn that walking next to you stops this pressure. The only way to avoid that would to be use it locked, with the right amount of lead left retracted, but if you're using it like that then you may as well use a regular lead!
Used properly, a headcollar can be a great way to control a dog that's got more of an advantage strength-wise that you. It's important to make sure it fits properly, so it doesn't rub or slip off, and you must remember that it's a training aid, not a total fix, it just gives you a little more control. No tugging on it to "correct" a dog, just carefully guiding the dog's head towards you to stop the forward motion. Definately no using it on a long line - this is bound to end with a serious neck injury for the dog.
What I do with my two is have them walking on a comfortable harness, using a double ended lead, and then they have their Dogmatic headcollars attached to the other end of the lead. They walk mostly with any pressure on the harness, but should I need the extra control (e.g. when Kiki spots a rabbit - if she gets excited about chasing it, it usually gets Casper excited, and I end up with 165lb of dog wanting to chase a rabbit!), I can hold the lead at the headcollar end and guide them around to the direction we're meant to be going in, rather than towards the rabbit. You could do something like this with Honey, use the headcollar to give you control at the start of the walk but rely on the collar or a harness for the rest of the walk, so you're not tempted to put more pressure on her head/neck than necessary.

I just wanted to say that with a head collar you need a double-ended lead with the other end attached to a flat collar. That way you use the headcollar only when you need to. It isn`t a substitute for training, but a training aid, imho.
A dog can pull against just about anything if it takes a mind to, and headcollars can injure if use harshly.