Haltis - any good ?

My 15 month Westie x Lhasa pulls like crazy on a walk, we have a harness to stop him pulling but it's not working with him. Everytime he pulls, I 'jerk' the lead back and say heel but it's not working. Would a Halti be any good ?
Thanks

Hi

I personally wouldn't 'jerk' him back as potentially it could hurt him. Also, there isn't much point in telling him to "heel" if he hasn't been taught what "heel" actually means. You need to make sure he understands what is being asked of him before you command him, otherwise the command will fall on deaf ears.

I would personally change your command from "heel" to something like "close". If you repeat a word over and over that a dog hasn't been taught properly and that you cannot enforce, the dog learns the command can be ignored. Same with any command; never ask your dog to 'come!' if you know that for whatever reason (because he is distracted, etc.) he WON'T come because you are setting him up for failure.

Go back to basics with teaching him the 'heel' (or 'close' ) command as you would with a puppy. I teach mine by luring them with treat and praising every time they fall into position and give eye contact. I also like to teach a 'watch me!' command for keeping focus when faced with distractions.

So, I would work on actually teaching the command before using a product like a Halti. Dogs can still pull against a Halti and with a small breed dog like yours, that could be potentially harmful for his neck. Also, they mask the problem rather than cure it; take a Halti off dogs that wear them and they generally go right back to pulling. They are fine used in conjunction with training, but not instead of training.

I walk my 2 Kerries on haltis as I have a neck injury and I need to make sure I don't damage it any more if they saw a moggie!

However, a good book about walking to heel is by Turid Rugaas (think that's spelt correctly) and is called "What if my dog pulls?" I think. It is a lot easier training a dog to walk nicely on a loose leash if you only have one dog-hard work with 2! We rehomed ours and they were a bit manic to start with but walk nicely most of the time.

Thanks for your replies.
Am going to try training him first. I suspected this would be the best bet, need to stock up on treats

Standard Harness' have the clip on the dog's back which I think is a silly idea. Talk about how to reinforce a dog to pull!!

However, the HALTI HARNESS also has a link under the chin where you connect the lead.

Basically if the dog pulls he is forced to look back at the owner. It works very well and is extremely safe.
The dog then starts listening to your footsteps or paying far more attention to the handler.

Excellent advice.

Some dog make a strong association between the lead/halti/harness etc & the excitement of going for a walk. By the time you are halfway out the door they are already in "pulling" mode & desperate to get out. If your dog is like this, then another idea is to train a verbal cue like "close" while off the lead. At first it should only be practiced around the house & garden, (using clicker & treats?) & you keep changing direction to get your dog to follow you. Once it is ingrained in the house & garden, then you can try the same technique whilst out on a walk, but in very quiet locations, with no distractions like other dogs around ~ perhaps towards the end of the walk when the dog is less excited. The you can add the lead & practice, then with distractions at a distance, then closer etc.

I have seen many people who couldn't walk strong dogs benefit from the use of head collars. Some people like Halti's and some prefer the Gentle leader. Their design is slightly different and preference seems to depend on your dog. Dogs with long snouts, such as German shepherds and
collies can wear either. Dogs with shorter snouts, such as boxers, may do better with the Gentle Leader.
If your dog wears a head collar that attaches under the chin, take care that he doesn’t jerk his head through the leash or he can get hurt. Do not use retractable leashes with head
collars, because when the dog gets to the end of the leash it can accidentally jerk his head. Some studies even show that certain pressure points are activated with their use that has a calming effect on dogs. So overall I am in big favor of head collars because it often gets dogs out more because it isn't so hard on the guardians arms! Hope that helps.

If walking my two alone without my partner I use a canny on them both, for safety and confidence (if a silly cat crosses their path or something ) rather than as an aid to stop general pulling.

I prefer it to the halti's as Cannys attach at the back/top of their head so no chance of jerking and twisting their necks.

Definately would not advise any headcollars to be used with extendable leads, switch over to their harness or regular collar then instead.

Hi, I have just bought a halti head collar for my 10 month old collie x who was pulling horrendously. I had tried training her and in the house she will walk to the close command nicely. Outside the front door though is a whole new ball game I have been totally unable to distract her and get her to walk nicely. The headcollar has been one of my best purchases so far. It has given me enough control to be able to praise the correct position and walks have been so much more pleasant since. I am now working on phasing it out but I can honestly say I wish I had bought it sooner. Good luck.

I happen to have a size 1 halti you could try if you pm me your address I'll send it to you.