My boy pulled a ton, even with a harness. It didn't slow him down a bit as I foolishly thought it would. I ended up having to train him using treats and stopping all the time during walks to get him to give the yanking a rest and using positive reinforcement. It took ages and sometimes if he sees something he really hates like the mail truck, I still have to hold on with all my might as he yanks and tugs to get at it. Sometimes my voice will calm him, and sometimes it won't. My moms timid dog Jade is calmed right down by the harness and it prevents ALL the pulling she does on a buckle collar. Some dogs are naturally move active and a harness won't slow these dogs down, you'll have to train him.

It's the look they give you too, I got pulled over a few times and Ben would stop, look over his shoulder at me with a " I can't believe I have you as an owner, your such an idiot " expression.

LOL, celli. My dog just keeps going when she pulls me over.

I've been told about the potential for neck injury with a head collar. Is it safe with a lunging dog? I haven't been able to find case histories.

This is an important point!

Yes, it should be safe if you know what you're doing. The risk of neck injury comes from the head collar's directing the dog's motion by the snoot. If they're given too much play and they take off, the head collar can whip them around by the face, twisting their neck. This is why a head collar should never, ever be used with an extending lead (edit: or ever to tie a dog while you're in the shop or something. Only with you on the other end.)

With a lunging dog, a head collar gives you more control: hold the lead firmly just under the dog's snoot, where the lead connects to the collar, and you can curtail lunging (or jumping, for that matter). No jerking, no pulling-- the dog can only go where his face is pointing, so it only takes a gentle hand.

Thank you! I did not know that.

Once you start using the Halti, I bet you'll never go back.

Try it easy at first. Some dogs are okay at having something shoved over their face; some aren't. If yours isn't, try holding the halti outstretched in your fingers with a treat on the other side, so your TM has to put their face through it to get the treat. Then try loosely setting it on the face; treat. Then try fastening it; treat. Leave it there a while. Do some simple training, treats, treats, treats. When he's okay with it, put the lead on. Treats again: this is new and he'll have to get used to it. One thing the training literature I've read fails to mention is the tangling! Because the lead attaches to the collar under the dog's face, they have to learn how to walk with it and not get tangled up. Be patient! Having walked with experienced halti-walkers and halti-newcomers, it takes a little getting used to. Once you have it down, you are gold.